The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace: characters, spice, review
The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace is book one in the The Wretched Divine series.
It almost sounds like the start of a joke: an angel, a knight and a demon walk into an inn. (But the inn only has one bed…. Oooooh! You’ll have to read it to find out what happens next).
Anyhow, I gather most of y’all are seeking info on the The Wretched Divine spice levels and spicy chapters (whether to sidestep them or to run straight there… no judgment, we support both.)
So here is your all encompassing guide to the characters of The Wretched Divine book one, starting with FMCs, Aurelie Chantelune and Ilaria Noriclat and MMCs Severin Sincair and Yuriel and a gorgeously diverse cast of supporting characters from demons, to angels to Luminels. And humans/mortals too, I guess. I’ve also included my The Wretched Divine book review, if you want to know how I felt about the whole experience.
Happy reading!
The Wretched Divine synopsis.
Aurelie Chantelune was born to serve. Raised as a knight in a kingdom ravaged by demons, she's spent her life honing her blade, driven by the memory of the monsters who tore her family apart and by the knowledge that she's one of the few who can stop them.
If Aurelie can claim her first kill, she'll inherit a legacy passed down through the Chantelune bloodline: a soulbond with Yuriel, an angel whose power is vital to her kingdom's survival. But when those she loves begin turning into the very monsters she's sworn to destroy, Aurelie is forced to seek help from the last place she ever imagined. Desperate, she forges a second and far more dangerous bond with Severin, a demon she can hardly trust, but who claims to know how to end the war for good.
With their lives and fates entwined, Aurelie, Yuriel, and Severin must team up to hunt down a cure capable of turning demons back into humans. But the more they learn about one another and the deeper their relationships grow, the more Aurelie begins to question the war and her place in it. With both of her bonded on opposing sides, she'll have to make a choice: continue to stand with the angels, or risk everything by trusting a demon.
The Wretched Divine characters.
The Wretched Divine is narrated from a third person point of view, from multiple perspectives:
Aurelie Chantelune (a knight)
Severin (a demon who fancies himself a bard)
Yuriel (an angel)
Ilaria Noriclat (a princess)
Here is a list of all The Wretched Divine characters we meet in book two of The Wretched Divine series, by Adalyn Grace.
Main characters.
Many thanks and credit to author, Adalyn Grace, for the descriptions of her main characters, which you can find on her Instagram. I’ve included them below.
Aurelie Chantelune.
Character art shared by @authoradalyngrace via Instagram. Artist: @z.hae_2d_art
Aurelie Chantelune is a mortal knight stuck in the middle of an ancient and brutal war between angels and demons. She’s willing to do anything to see that those she loves remain safe, whether it be binding her very soul to the enemy, or taking a life. She’s skilled in combat, sharp in wit and quick on her feet, and will not hesitate to cut someone down when it comes to her family. Even so, bloodshed has never been what she’s wanted. She’s ready to live in a world where she can leave her sword behind and pick up her lyre instead.
Severin Sinclair.
Character art shared by @authoradalyngrace via Instagram. Artist: @z.hae_2d_art
Yuri is a grumpy, battle-hardened angel who is forced into a position he really doesn’t want to be in. Still, he’s a soldier, and as part of the angel army, he has no choice but to obey orders. Even when they don’t always align with his own beliefs…
Ilaria Noriclat.
Character art shared by @authoradalyngrace via Instagram. Artist: @z.hae_2d_art
Meet Ilaria, the princess next in line to one day rule over the kingdom of Rhovar. Ilaria is a scholar by nature, with a penchant for late night reading and a mind full of thoughts far too progressive for most.
Supporting characters in The Wretched Divine.
Character art shared by @authoradalyngrace via Instagram. Artist: @z.hae_2d_art
Here’s a list of all the characters named in The Wretched Divine apart from our main ones.
⚠️ WARNING: This character guide will spoil some events and reveals of The Wretched Divine. Read at your own risk, or feel free to spoil yourself as I'm not the boss of your life choices.⚠️
| Character name | Description |
|---|---|
| Vexara / Vex | Vex is a white vesper, a rare sort of Luminel, who is ostracized by their red peers, the Nyxaris, and tormented relentlessly. Vex is a small, peculiar sort, with buggish eyes, claws, a white glow and a voice like the chime of distant bells. |
| Lute | A complicated, mysterious, envyborn demon. She can control shadows, often slipping into the darkness to disappear entirely. She despises the angels, and her closest friend and partner in crime is Severin. |
| Myrah Chantelune | Aurelie’s mother. |
| Orion Chantelune | Aurelie’s older brother. |
| Captain Varen Chantelune | Aurelie’s father. |
| King Edric Noriclat | Ilaria’s father and King of Rhovar. |
| Queen Sybil Noriclat | Ilaria’s mother and Queen of Rhovar. |
| Prince Asterion Veythar | A Freinen prince betrothed to Princess Ilaria. |
| Kieran | A powerful prideborn demon and one of the oldest descendants, who likes to play with his meals. |
| Velestra | An envyborn demon described as Kieran’s favorite lapdog, with bright yellow skin, horns like polished stone and slitted red eyes. |
| Emeric | A hybrid demon, belonging to Kieran’s group of demons, who has silver wrathborn markings that shine upon orange skin, black wings and an envyborn’s barbed tail with spikes like a weapon. |
| Gareth | A hybrid demon with bright yellow skin and a barbed tail as well as the silvered tattoos and telltale black wings of a wrathborn. |
| Nicolas Beaumont | A strong, skilled, noble knight, twin brother to Solange, who Aurelie is expected to marry. |
| Solange Beaumont | A distrustful, skilled noble knight, twin sister to Nicolas. |
| Edevane Beaumont | A tall and lethal knight-commander, as well as Nicolas and Solange Beaumont’s mother. |
| Sabriel | One of Yuriel’s first and best angel friends. |
| Mari | The demon bartender at the tavern. |
| Melisandre | A lady demon and musician who plays at the tavern and is interested in Severin. |
| Claude | A demon who works at Severin’s vineyard. |
| Mistress Dubois | The head seamstress of the palace. |
| Gluttony | One of the original sins in the flesh. Milky white eyes that bleed into alabaster skin, black nails curved like talons and mouths full of jagged teeth. |
| King Thalorian Veythar | King of Freinen. |
| Queen Selanir Veythar | Queen of Freinen. |
| Selyra | A mortal woman who lives in the woods. |
Angel characters (besides MMC Yuriel).
In general, angels give off a slightly prudish vibe (in my subjective opinion), and are all about protecting humans from the threat of demons and their ilk.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Azriel | High Warden of the Guardians, specializing in the protection of humans. Bonded to Aurelie’s father, Azriel has four wings with sixteen eyes embedded within his feathers, and is a second father to Aurelie. |
| Ithriel | Harbinger of the Heralds, who deliver Divine messages and filter the will of the Light to all corners of existence. Ithriel carries herself with an air of serenity. She’s described as a small woman, pretty and plump, with a pleasant grin that never strays from her lips. |
| Commander Xadriel | Commander of the Soldiers. The Soldiers describe themselves as the “Light’s sword, ridding the world of the darkness that plagues it.” Xadriel is described as having six grey wings (three sets that fold neatly against his back), long white hair and silver eyes. |
| Loriel (aka, Lori) | Yuriel’s disciple and a newer recruit and Soldier in training whose hair is still more blond than it is white. |
| Valeriel | A Herald who seems to be perpetually caught in another world, forever seeing, sorting through messages and visions. |
| Paldriel | A kind, patient angel with an unwavering heart. |
| Caiel | An angel and excellent swordsman with a jovial spirit, described as being well-suited for the camaraderie of mortal knights. |
Minor characters with brief appearances or off-page mentions.
Characters with brief cameos, mentions and/or who don’t appear on the page.
Radian
Cecily
Sir Alric
Lenora
Types of demons.
Many thanks to Aurelie’s brother, Orion Chantelune, for his detailed notes in his ledgers on the types of demons you’ll find in The Wretched Divine, that I have compiled for you in the table below.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Prideborn | Prideborns were the first demons, and the world once called them “devils”. They’re known for their red skin, black markings, sharp horns, and leathery wings. Their skin is resistant to most blades, so strike them in their weak points--their sides, their throat, and the soft flesh at the back of their neck. |
| Gluttonborn | Gluttonborns are a rare and wretched breed of demon twisted from mortals who consumed the flesh of another. Their skin is bloated, stretched thin and pale as bone, and it's said their eyes turn black as they devour their victim. |
| Wrathborn | Wrathborns are the cruelest of the seven. They’re as large as warhorses, bearing black wings, curled horns that have been known to pierce through steel, and markings along their skin that glow red when enraged. They carry grudges like we carry blood in our veins, and they do not die before settling them. If one has marked you, it’s not a matter of if they'll come, but a matter of when. |
| Envyborn | Identified by their barbed tails, prominent horns, striking jewel toned hides, and forked tongues, envyborns are the smallest and fastest known demon. Try to outrun one and you will surely die. |
| Slothborn | Slothborn are wingless demons with elongated limbs. Their cloudy eyes rarely blink, and their bones are capable of breaking without pain. A slothborn’s words are hypnotic, capable of making a person forget themself. The entire line was severed by the angel Oriel ages ago. We pray they never return. |
| Greedborn | Greedborns are insatiable winged demons with sharp features and bodies tufted in fur. Their hides vary in color, but their eyes all gleam the same in the light, reflecting the very gold they crave. They are collectors by nature--of coin, of bone, of anything that might be deemed a treasure. Never approach one with anything you aren’t prepared to lose. |
| Lustborn | Lustborns are wingless demons known for their lustrous hides. Male lustborn possess magnificent straight horns, while the female horns are curving and crown-like. All documented lustborn bear ridges down their spine, and some are known to glow faintly in the dark. Lustborn are talented hunters whose bodies give off an intoxicating scent that lures in their victims. Beware their draw, and face them with a partner whenever possible. |
Review: The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
Spice level: 🌶 - 1 out of 5 chillies, slow burn, open-door, non-explicit spice.
She was only meant to soul bond with an angel. But she bonds to both an angel and a demon. This should be good. 🍿💺
After having finished The Wretched Divine, I'm not saying Aurelie (lady knight), Severin (demon) and Yuri (angel) should necessarily be a throuple however, I'm not not saying that either. I perhaps see a fascinating business case for it, and there is a good chance I would be slightly disappointed if it doesn’t go that way. I mean, why does she even have to choose? Ykwim? Just my opinion.
Beyond the romantic shenanigans, one of the things that stood out to me most was the way the magic system of bonds with mortals, angels and demons with their seven deadly sins, add complications to the situation between our three MMCs. Plus, the way the lines blur between having to decipher if one is developing feelings or feeling salacious is always good fun and I’m always here for that delicious delicious tension.
Also, I won’t detail the specifics, but let’s just say sound magic opens up such interesting possibilities for how power can be wielded and I found that aspect very inventive and memorable and distinctive. There is also shadow magic, but the way the standard shadow daddy archetype is subverted through my blue-skinned demon girl Lute is also top-notch.
Fantasy politics here is also on point when commentating on oppressed vs oppressor type dynamics and even propaganda and indoctrination. I always overanalyse fantasy politics, don’t mind me. Either way, my point is that I enjoy fantasy romance with world building and politics that gives you something to think about. And it becomes even more meaningful when you realise how timely and timeless that commentary is, when it's holding up a mirror to the real world.
The last 20% of this story has opened up many many possibilities, and yes…we are on a cliffy ending. Highly highly recommend, if you couldn’t already tell that I love this so much.
Thanks so much to Hachette Australia & New Zealand and Netgalley for the ARC.
View my The Wretched Divine review & follow me on GoodReads here, if you like to yap about books.
The Wretched Divine FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
Some answers WILL spoil The Wretched Divine if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.
Is The Wretched Divine a series?
Yes, The Wretched Divine is book one in The Wretched Divine series by Adalyn Grace.
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Blood
Death
Death of parent
Abandonment
Body horror
Injury and injury details
Violence
Murder
Classism
Gore
Toxic friendship
Claustrophia
Coercion
Fantasy drugs
Alcohol
Grief
Sexual content
Is The Wretched Divine a love triangle?
The Wretched Divine does involve one central female character bonding to two main male characters, so seemingly it may be a love triangle. However, it’s quite an ambiguous ending where Aurelie hasn’t made a choice, which means it could also become a why choose or a polyamorous throuple. Which would be interesting. 👀 So no definitive answers JUST yet.
What are the tropes for The Wretched Divine?
⚔️ enemies to lovers
💘 possible love triangle - to be confirmed
🤞🏻 forced proximity
😈 demons and angels
👯♀️ found family
🧚magical creatures
💬 nicknames
What is the age rating for The Wretched Divine?
The Wretched Divine is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.
Is The Wretched Divine spicy?
Yes, The Wretched Divine is spicy, but not overly. It mostly has yearning, some spicy banter, some very charged scenes and two mildly spicy chapters. However, the fantasy plot takes precedence over spice.
What is The Wretched Divine spice level?
Spice level: 🌶
1/5, open door, non explicit spice, although the scenes don’t hit home run, perhaps third base, at maximum, if you get baseball analogies
What are The Wretched Divine spicy chapters?
Find the TThe Wretched Divine spicy chapters below, as well as their heat rating.
Chapter 20: 🌶
Chapter 33: 🫑
Chapter 34: 🫑
Chapter 38: 🫑
Chapter 41: 🫑
Chapter 49: 🌶
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