The Diviners by Libba Bray

Series: The Diviners, Book One

Publisher: Atom

Format: Paperback

Published: 18^th September 2012

Number of Pages: 583

Book: For Review*

Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Murder Mystery, Supernatural, Ghost Story, Thriller Suspense, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing, Smoking, Domestic Abuse, Sexual Assault and Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Libba Bray

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-tute-ly ecstatic.  It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls and rakish pickpockets.  The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will – and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far.  But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murder, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps.  A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds.  A chorus girl named Theta is running fom her past.  A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret.

And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened…

                                                                    Review:

"The time is now.  They are coming...  Diviners."

Evie O'Neill loves to party and have fun.  Her parents aren't so keen on her life-is-for-living attitude and decide to send her to New York to live with her uncle as a means of avoiding further scandal. 

Evie, though, is just overjoyed at heading to Manhattan, the city of parties. 

The only downside is living with her dull, occult-obsessed Uncle Will. 

And that she lives in fear of Will discovering her secret gift...

But with a murderer on the loose and Will being called in to offer occult-based insight, Evie realises that maybe - just maybe - her gift could be used to catch the killer...

But Evie's isn’t the only going on in New York: Memphis, Sam, Theta, Jericho and Henry each have a fight of their own...

As they all attempt to deal with their problems, what none of them know is that in the shadows, evil stirs and lurks, ready to strike...

Will the prophesied Diviners be enough to stop it...?

And all the while, the fire of the comet blazes ever closer...

I jumped at the chance to read The Diviners.  I've never read anything by Bray, but I've heard so many good things about her and The Diviners just sounded so good!  And Miss Bray lived up to all my expectations!  It was an amazing book, as funny as it was spooky, and I found myself hooked from the very beginning.  And while the book was really rather long, I found myself zooming through it, loving every second.  When you mix crime drama with the historical and paranormal, it's safe to say you have one overjoyed Meg on your hands!  Ergo: I cannot wait for the next in this series!  It just can't come quick enough!

The characters were all brilliant and so 3D.  I loved how even the in-it-for-a-chapter characters felt totally real and believable.  And while I loved them all (well, not Naughty John), Evie just totally took the biscuit.  She just really made me laugh - her snark and wit and one-liners constantly had me cracking up!  I also loved how we got to see how sad and lost she was, and that she wasn't perfect and, even though she was a bit selfish, I loved her.  Plus: evil genius alert!!  Memphis was really charming and sweet and a seriously good brother - and so hurt too...  I loved Theta and Henry, their relationship especially - Theta had bravado and a great sense of humour!  Jericho was an academicy, broody type and super mysterious - he made me giggle too!  I loved Sam: he was charming and funny and yummy!  As for the killer, the bad guy, well, he was scary as hell!

 The writing was so beautiful - I could see everything in my head, like a movie or a time machine.  And I just loved the humour and how it jumped between all the characters, letting us get to know them all - and their secrets too.  Now, with so many various storylines, the plot could have been so confusing so easily.  But it just wasn't - it was rich and complex and addictive - an elaborate web of stories, winding together to create one masterpiece tapestry of a book.  I was so totally hooked to each characters' story, desperate to discover their gifts, to unlock the secrets if their past.

But the ending?  Evil, evil, evil!  I am certain it's gonna drive me insane - I need the next book!  Needless to say, I'll be first in line for Book Two. 

I loved the supernatural side of everything, especially Will's lectures - and listening to Will and Jericho talk about various mythology.  Even more, though, I loved the '20s setting - especially the phrase "pos-i-tute-ly"!  I must admit, I know very, very little about '20s America, but it seemed really real to me - you could tell Bray really, really did her research.  And I so want to read more '20s book - this time rocks!  Pos-i-tute-ly rocks!  

And the only things I'd change was that we didn't know the green-eyes-China-Town-girl's name and that there was a hint of insta love... And that's it.

With one kickass setting, a cast of brilliant characters, a host of amazing supernatural powers and one creepy-as-hell killer in the loose, The Diviners was one helluva book.  It ticked all the right boxes, had me hooked from the very start to the very last word, and I just can't wait for a sequel.  Plus, it was just so epic it's untrue!

If you haven't got how much I love this book from my rambling, here's an extra hint: Picture your favourite historical, paranormal and crime novels in your head.  Take the best bits from them all, add a large helping of humour and a dash of creepiness, and you can start to get the amazingness of The Diviners.  So please give it a go!  You so won't regret it!

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Gemma Doyle by Libba Bray
Envy by Gregg Olsen
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Atom in exchange for an honest review