The Diviners (The Diviners, #1) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Oct 09, 2012 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it it was ok

Shelves: mysteries, fantasy, young-adult

I'm finally finished with this book! I wasn't in a hurry to read this, but a librarian friend insisted that it was great and that I give it a try, so I did. all 578 pages of it. Yikes! This was a very long book for me.
As much as I enjoyed the historical setting, hearing the language and seeing how the culture of Jazz Age NYC played out, I found that I didn't really like any of the characters. I didn't hate them. I just didn't like them. I wanted to slap Evie on a regular basis--she had the Clar I'm finally finished with this book! I wasn't in a hurry to read this, but a librarian friend insisted that it was great and that I give it a try, so I did. all 578 pages of it. Yikes! This was a very long book for me.
As much as I enjoyed the historical setting, hearing the language and seeing how the culture of Jazz Age NYC played out, I found that I didn't really like any of the characters. I didn't hate them. I just didn't like them. I wanted to slap Evie on a regular basis--she had the Clary (Mortal Instruments) disease, often also seen in horror movies, of running in just where she shouldn't, doing things that would get her in trouble and/or attention, etc. And people followed her on these stupid quests! Oh, she seemed to be an alcoholic too. I didn't love her sad-sack academic "Unc" Will, either...he was so bland I couldn't remember the difference between him and Henry and Sam for at least half the book. At least the girls' names were distinctive: I had an easier time remembering who Evie, Mabel, and Theta were. But the male characters, men and boys, were difficult to separate in my mind. Jericho was very bland as well for much of the book, and even by the end, I wasn't very invested in his sad, Iron Man 3 sort of story or his new love. Mabel was nice enough, but too willing to follow Evie into trouble far too often, and not willing to step up and make an effort for the things she wanted and valued. Sam was rakishly charming, but still not very endearing. Memphis was a weird mix of dreamer and pragmatist, rebellious and protective of his little brother (who came across like an obnoxious brat the entire book). Theta had perhaps the most compelling back story, but she was still obnoxious in her current behavior. Then there were the supporting characters, most of whom became creepy by the end, if they weren't from the beginning of the story. And don't forget the romantic triangle. *rolls eyes* Do I think Libba Bray created consistent, realist characters? Yes, many of them. But there's not a person in this book with whom I would want to spend time.
So when you combine those characters with a weird, creepy mystical/ magical story, granting religions supernatural power without truth, and featuring creepy horror-novel style chapters detailing the doom of each new victim...I just didn't like it. It felt like YA urban fantasy with literary fiction aspirations, long non-essential descriptions and bits of history, varying POV from good and evil characters, etc. I read the whole thing, and fairly quickly too, considering the length, just so that I could be finished with it and return it to the library. I'm disappointed, and probably won't read anything by this author for awhile. Time for something light and fluffy next, hopefully with likable characters who don't constantly run off and do foolish things.

Oh, and the cover art is WRONG! The radiant eye is supposed to have a lightening bolt beneath it. I know that cover art doesn't intrinsically affect the story itself, and the art is actually otherwise cool. But couldn't the designer have gotten such a small, simple detail correct about a major image from the story? ...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 5-stars

This book quickly bounced up into favorite, long for YA and incredibly devourable, and it's only the beginning. I was warned of this before I started it. It's the beginning of the story only, they said, and I waved my hands and only half listened, until I was fifteen percent from the end of the book (devouring it hours a day), screaming at my Twitter "How can I almost be done, we're only beginning????"

I love the time period. I love the language. I love the very different characters and the incr ...more

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Nov 17, 2015 ette rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy-supernatural-para

I really enjoyed it. It took a while to get past the slang but then a really interesting g story

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Dec 08, 2012 keri. rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult, fiction, fantasy, sciencefictions, urbanfantasy, horror, alternatehistory, creepy, 2012

I was super into this book right up to the end, where Cassie Clare was thanked in the acknowledgements, and then I hated it. IT WAS AWFULLY BUSY.

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Feb 07, 2014 Nicole rated it it was ok

Shelves: didn-t-finish, audio-book, 2014

I loved Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty series, and while both were YA, this book was definitely aimed for the for a younger set and not as enjoyable to older readers. ...more

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