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

May 12, 2020 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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Dec 12, 2020 Bradley rated it liked it

Shelves: year-2020, year-2020-popsugar-challenge

Pop Sugar Reading Challenge
Prompt: book set in the 1920s

I enjoyed parts of this book but then there were parts that were mentioned but then pushed aside to (hopefully) be addressed in the 3 books that follow The Diviners.

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

5 stars

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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

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