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

Sep 06, 2012 Brandi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen, favorites, random-reads-column, librandian-blog, 2012

What’s better than a creepy horror story about a vicious murderer terrorizing the streets of Manhattan? You take that murder mystery, throw in some ghostly badness, add supernatural powers, and set the whole thing in the Jazz Age where flappers rule, Ziegfeld shows and speakeasies were the hotspots, and slang was whatever you wanted it to be.

Evie knew in her heart that she belonged in Manhattan, dressing up in her glad rags and hitting the elite underground clubs to dance until dawn. Unfortunate What’s better than a creepy horror story about a vicious murderer terrorizing the streets of Manhattan? You take that murder mystery, throw in some ghostly badness, add supernatural powers, and set the whole thing in the Jazz Age where flappers rule, Ziegfeld shows and speakeasies were the hotspots, and slang was whatever you wanted it to be.

Evie knew in her heart that she belonged in Manhattan, dressing up in her glad rags and hitting the elite underground clubs to dance until dawn. Unfortunately, she was stuck in Ohio. Things started to look up for Evie. One evening, a disastrous party was sure to tarnish Evie’s reputation. In order to save the party, Evie decided to show off her special gift; her ability to learn one’s secrets by holding onto a personal item. After disclosing some very sensitive information about one of the town’s wealthier inhabitants, Evie’s parents elected to punish her by shipping her off to her bachelor uncle. One girl’s punishment is another girl’s celebration. Evie’s Uncle Will lives in Manhattan.

Will is the curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, also known as the Museum of Creepy Crawlies. Evie’s first impression of Manhattan is a poor one, due to the sly pickpocket Sam who continues to come around like a dog searching for scraps. Once she reaches the museum, Evie realizes that Will, along with his bookworm assistant Jericho, are sure to put a damper on her fun. Evie collects her longtime friend Mabel and meets Theta, an actual Ziegfeld Girl, and sets out to explore the nightlife.

All the while, a darkness is taking over Manhattan, preceded by an eerie whistle. A number of bodies, marred with spooky symbols of the occult have been discovered around the city. Will has been tasked by the police department to assist in the investigation. To Evie, solving a murder and getting her face in the papers is an opportunity that cannot be passed up. Unfortunately this serial killer is more dangerous than anyone expected.

The Diviners is a terrifying tale set in a time period that has a life of its own. Bray allows reader the possibility to experience life in the 1920s with a comprehensive vocabulary of slang that may soon find a new popularity by fans. Honestly, I felt like Bray’s incorporation of the Jazz Age was like an additional character to the story. Speaking of characters, I loved every single one. Even the characters I didn’t like where executed in a way that I knew I was supposed to dislike them but still admired their evilness. It was very evident that this is the first book in a series. There were times when Bray only gave us a taste or two of a character but made sure to leave a strong aftertaste.

It is very difficult to discuss this book without unleashing too many spoilers. There is a romance, which I do believe is executed better than any I’ve encountered lately. The romance was flawlessly worked into the story, but it wasn’t the main part of what was happening. Actually, there were several side plots that fit into Bray’s story seamlessly instead. Often it feels like authors staple on extra stuff because they realize an explanation or certain story arc was needed.

Bray is a word magician. I’ve read her other works. I feel like she can master whatever she tries to do. Every book is different but still a masterpiece. I have yet to be disappointed and I fear the day I ever am. Libba Bray is a rock star!

Secure a safety line because once you start this gem, be prepared to fall in head first. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 12, 2020 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, fantasy, paranormal, ya-fiction, audiobooks, young-adult

The Diviners is the first book in Bray's series of the same name. Our main characters in this book are Evie (Evangeline), her uncle Will, his ward Jericho along with a host of secondary characters: Theta, Henry, Memphis, Isaiah, Sam, and so many others. Evie gets sent to New York City as a punish for what her parents deemed as bad behavior at home in Ohio. There, she is drawn into the hunt for a serial killer, as the local police ask Will to consult on it given the symbols left on the body. Evi The Diviners is the first book in Bray's series of the same name. Our main characters in this book are Evie (Evangeline), her uncle Will, his ward Jericho along with a host of secondary characters: Theta, Henry, Memphis, Isaiah, Sam, and so many others. Evie gets sent to New York City as a punish for what her parents deemed as bad behavior at home in Ohio. There, she is drawn into the hunt for a serial killer, as the local police ask Will to consult on it given the symbols left on the body. Evie and many of the other characters in this book have special abilities such as using an object to learn about someone's past, remembering numbers, healing, seeing into the future and more, the people that have these unusual abilities Evie comes to find are call Diviners. And while they may not realize it, they will all be put to the test with their abilities and what they believe at the same time.

Set during the 1920s when prohibition, flappers, and corruption reigned, Bray does a good job of introducing readers to the time period that is almost a century away from today and so different from what teens experience in normal everyday life. (For more about the time period, see the author's note at the end) While this is a hefty book at over 500 pages, the pacing keeps the story going moving from murder to murder and their hunt for the clues. Throughout all of this, Bray introduces to all the characters and gives us glimpses into their past along with their unique abilities. I feel she did a good job keeping the readers engaged in the stories, rooting for the characters to overcome their challenges while leaving us intrigued to their abilities. Evie at times comes off spoiled and self-centered in the beginning, but what I enjoyed is seeing the arc her character makes--she ends the book a more mature and reasonable but not so much so it seems false and insincere. It will be interesting to see how she is with the attention focused on her and her part in the ending of this book during the next book in the series: Lair of Dreams. Bray does a good job of introducing threads that have not been woven together yet and I am anxious to see what happens with those too.

I elected to listen to this book, and I am so glad I did--it is well worth the over eighteen hours. Right from the start the music really sets the tone for this book, giving the listeners an entry into the mindset of someone living in the 1920s. January LaVoy did a fantastic job balancing the range of voices, pacing, and all that goes into the rhyme of this book. She expertly transitions from speaking to singing in the character's voices, not matter which character. The personality of each character comes out clearly in her voices: bright bubbly Evie, serious Jericho, mysterious and alluring Theta, and the street wise kid Sam, just to name a few of them. I look forward to continuing the series as audiobooks, it the hopes that she is able to maintain these voices throughout (and I did confirm she narrates the remaining books in the series thankfully). LaVoy also balances the range of emotions throughout: laughter/happiness, sadness/grief, conveying being scared and many others without falling flat or resulting to gimmicks. One last element of the audiobook is after the author's note, the music plays the listener out of the audiobook, leaving the listener with one last element of the 1920s.

The Diviners weaves together elements from historical, mystery, and paranormal fiction with a splash of horror thrown in for good measure. With all of these elements done well, this is not a book I would hesitate to recommend to my students. I would caution those who have not read it and certainly my students that can be turned off by some gore, this book may not be for them. It reads older too, so in my school setting, I would lean towards recommending this book for my high school students and not my middle school students, unless I know they can handle some of the more mature topics present. An eclectic cast of characters, a tension building plot, a mystery that unfolds at a great pace, The Diviners is a treat for listeners and readers alike. ...more

Like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Marlene rated it liked it

Shelves: youngadult, paranormal, own-hardcover, supernatural, read-2013, own-ebooks

I can't decide how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the variety of characters, world-building, and how creepy/scary it was. On the other hand, there was just something about it that just didn't get me hooked and that was really disappointing because I loved Libba's other books. I think maybe the length combined with pacing had something to do with it (or maybe it was just the intro with the long as hell description of wind that put me off). I'd put it at 3.75 stars for no ...more

Like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Celeste rated it liked it

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the historical setting of this book. The characters (major and minor) had great back stories and engaging personalities that I can't wait to read more of. My only complaint would be that the main character-Evie,finally seemed to be growing into herself and then she was obnoxious at the end. I felt like the author compromised Evie's character so that she could further the plot. Other than that, Libba Bray is an amazing author. This book was well written and it was fun ...more

Like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, mystery, supernatural, historical-fiction

I like flappers. I like Jazz Age slang. I like spunky female protaganists in historical settings. I like supernatural elements. I like murder mysteries. The Diviners? Perfect combination of all of the above.

Like · see review

Sep 28, 2020 Debbie rated it liked it

I would give this book 4 stars, if I weren't such a fraidy cat. I truly enjoyed the writing, and the book is steeped in some lovely time period detail, but I could only read this book in the morning and afternoon because of the creep factor. I would love to find out what happens to the group in the later books, but I don't think I will venture further in this series because of my own shortcomings. ...more

Like · see review

Jan 26, 2020 Jenn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

5 stars

Like · see review

Aug 25, 2020 Ketutar Jensen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I liked it.
It was really scary and Libba managed to raise questions. I'm going to read the next book. I'm especially curious about Theta and the green eyed girl... ...more

Like · see review