The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Add to: Goodreads
Source: eARC provided by Hachette Book Group Canada (thank you! <3)
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Format: Hardcover, 592 pages
Release Date: September 18, 2012

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Grab yourself a comfortable seat and prepare to read, read, read. Clocking in at just under 600 pages, Libba Bray's ambitious The Diviners is filled to the top with excitement, intrigue and wonderful 1920s atmosphere.

Wow. This book. Where do I even start? It reaches into so many ideas and ideals that are fascinating to read about. There is certainly a lot going on in these 600 pages so don't start off expecting fluff but it is definitely a rewarding read if you stick with it. The scope of it is dazzlingly impressive and although I probably should have felt a little brain-dead after reading it straight through, I was actually just bouncing up and down for the sequel.

I can remember when I first learned a bunch of 1920s slang words and couldn't stop using them... The Diviners took me right back to that. The atmosphere of the book feels so authentic. Is it possible that Libba Bray actually transported me to the Roaring Twenties? It would certainly explain the very REAL fear that I couldn't help but feel as I was reading. Gah! Now I don't claim to be normally good with horrors or anything but it's been a while since I've felt this legitimately frightened. Libba Bray is quite the storyteller!

And it's no surprise that I usually like multiple perspectives. However, I don't think I've ever read another with quite this many! It actually wasn't as difficult to keep track of as I thought it would be and while it was agonizing at points to see how close some storylines ran but never met... it was a good agonizing? It was an accepted pain!

With vivid characters and stellar storytelling, The Diviners is not one to miss.

Cover Comments: Maybe this is one I would prefer IRL but... it's just kind of weird for me.

5 Golden Crowns!