Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners
by Libba Bray
Release Date: September 18, 2012
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: The Diviners, #1
Num Pages: 592
Links: Goodreads/Purchase


It's 1920s New York City. It's flappers and Follies, jazz and gin. It's after the war but before the depression. And for certain group of bright young things it's the opportunity to party like never before.

For Evie O'Neill, it's escape. She's never fit in in small town Ohio and when she causes yet another scandal, she's shipped off to stay with an uncle in the big city. But far from being exile, this is exactly what she's always wanted: the chance to show how thoroughly modern and incredibly daring she can be.

But New York City isn't about just jazz babies and follies girls. It has a darker side. Young women are being murdered across the city. And these aren't crimes of passion. They're gruesome. They're planned. They bear a strange resemblance to an obscure group of tarot cards. And the New York City police can't solve them alone.

Evie wasn't just escaping the stifling life of Ohio, she was running from the knowledge of what she could do. She has a secret. A mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first.

*synopsis taken from Goodreads

*this review contains spoilers! Do NOT read unless you have read the book!!!!

My Review:



"The sun cleared the horizon. The light stung her eyes. 'Kiss me,' Evie said. He took her face in his hands and his kiss blotted out the sky."

Powerful. Sexy. Thrilling. Absolutely divine. (See what I did there...? ^^)

I expected this book to be epic. I expected tears, love, and Libba Bray at her full amazing-ness. After being the #1 fan of her Gemma Doyle trilogy, I know what Libba Bray can do when she sets pen to paper. So I was expecting something amazing, better than amazing.

Libba, You have not disappointed me.

I LOVE THIS BOOK ♥. I really don't think it could have been any better. How did Libba Bray manage to make me so involved with the storyline, yet LOVE the characters, yet FALL IN LOVE with two guy characters... I don't know how she did it. As I closed the book when I finished it, all I could think was, "Only Libba Bray could have done it."

This book is set in a similar time period to the Gemma Doyle series, ten years give or take. Yet it was so DIFFERENT. The Gemma Doyle books were set in England at the turn of the century, this book is set in New York City in the 1920's. Not a big difference, right? Well, there is a difference. A HUGE difference. Americans were so more... modernized than the British were back then. I'm not saying that what the British were at was a bad thing, I'm just saying it's completely different. Which I found really intriguing. I'm not sure which books I like better, though-- I don't think I even CAN choose, to be honest.

The characters in this book are easily my favorite part. John Hobbes, better known as Naughty John, scared me half to death! [[[The first murder, Ruda Badowski, had me nearly screaming. There's something so weird about having one's eyes cut out... ughhh!!!! ]]] Evie, while she is very flawed, was extremely entertaining and sometimes I laughed out loud at her ridiculous humor. For example, I'm giving a few here.

"Was your trip comfortable?" [asked Uncle Will]
"Swell, although I was pickpocketed at Penn Station," Evie said.
Uncle Will raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"A hideous young man named Sam Lloyd. Well, that was the name he gave me before he kissed me and stole my twenty dollars."
Will squinted. "He what?" (pg. 46)

"Okay. I'll bite. How did Unc--" [Evie said]
"Must you call me that?"
Evie considered it. "Yes, I believe I must."

Even though I liked Evie, I LOVED Jericho ♥. That boy stole my heart, big-time. He was such a gentleman. At the end of the book I was practically wailing for him. O_O [[[ I was just about losing it. Hearing what happened to him and then him kissing Evie at the end was just... magical. And heartbreaking, because he's kissing Evie, not me :'( From the beginning I knew he was my boy ]]] So it would definitely be a blatant lie to say that Jericho wasn't my favorite character. I feel the need to quote him, but I would not recommend reading this if you have not read the book.

[[[

"All this time, I thought I was alone. Different. But you're different, too." He was looking at her in a new way. "For the longest time, I wanted to die. I figured that I was dead inside already, that they'd killed me when they turned me into a machine. but I don't feel dead anymore." His face was so close to hers. His hand was on her back. "I know what I want now."

"What's that?" Evie whispered.

There was nothing awkward or tentative about Jericho's kiss. He pressed his mouth against hers with a ferocious insistence. Every part of her felt awake and alive." ]]] (page 577)

*squee*
*fangirl*
*faints*

[[[

"Evie needed something to keep her mind occupied, and so she watched Jericho's forearms working the shovel, paying attention to the pull of the muscle, the strength of his grip. He remembered the feel of his hand over hers, like a shield. He was a mystery to her in many ways, and she found that she wanted to know his secrets--not ripped from him via a wallet or favorite pen, but given to her as a gift... She watched Jericho's large hands work and imagined those hands caressing her bare skin, imagined the taste of his mouth, the press of his body against hers." (page 487) ]]] ♥♥

Anyway, I think you get the idea. ^^ I also loved Sam, he was funny and totally in love with Evie. I wasn't sure about him at first, but I grew to love him a lot. He is probably my 2nd favorite character, after Jericho. :))

I was expecting this book to take me forever to read. Like, seriously forever. O.o I guess I'm a fast reader when I'm really interested in the book, and this was the case while I was reading this book. Once I got 50 or so pages in, I couldn't stop reading. I finished it in a day and a half! And seeing that it is 578 pages long, I am pretty proud of this accomplishment. ^.^ *brags* But anyway, this book was a surprisingly quick read for me. Definitely not a light book, actually considerably heavy, but I finished it quick even though it weighs more than I do. (figuratively)


This book is a-maaaa-zing. If you want to read this book, do not look at its size, look at its content. I was intimidated at first about how long it was, but Oh. My. God. I fell in love ♥ I cannot wait for the next book!!!

5/5 stars (♥Perfection)