review; the diviners

The Diviners
by 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 murderer, 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 from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Review:

To be honest, when I picked up the book from the library, I had no idea it was the first in a series. I might have second-guessed myself if I knew that. But as it turns out, it is a good thing I had no idea. I would have missed out on a hell of a ride if I had.

The idea of normal people slowly getting powers they do not understand and have to learn how to use has always fascinated me. Especially when it does well. And here, it is handled very well. I love that even throughout the whole book, we and the characters do not know where the powers have come from, only that they are there. And each character that has them has to learn how to use and manage them.

Evie is an interesting protagonist. She is street smart, but wild. She is selfish, yet has moments where she is completely kind and compassionate. She thinks highly of herself and her point of view, but willing to have an open mind towards other people. I did not connect with her very quickly – I enjoyed her, but it took me about half the book to fully sympathise with her.

On the other hand, I pretty much loved Memphis from his first page. Something about him jumped out at me – he was grounded, but still a little bit of a dreamer. He was more likeable than Evie was in the beginning. And as the story went on, I wanted to know more and more about him. I hope the next book tells us more about his past and his place in the story and the world.

His connection with Theta was sweet. I did not expect them to fall in love – honestly, I was thinking that maybe he would meet Mabel and connect with her. That is probably my Mabel-bias. I really like her and I hope to learn more about her, especially now with this mysterious Arthur Brown in the picture.

Every character is fascinating – from Will’s mysterious past, to his connection with Sister Walker, to Blind Bill’s abilities and actions, to Sam’s mother and whose side he is on, to Jericho and this budding romance with him and Evie, to Theta and her past, to Henry and his story – everything makes me wonder where the story is taking them. What is coming? What are they being drawn together for?

I am very fascinated to see what this is all building up towards. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book – the stakes were high throughout, the Beast/Naughty John was a chilling antagonist, nobody was what they seemed – and I loved that they did not stretch out the ritual killings to more books. Each page had my heart thudding in my chest. It was spine-tingling and extremely well-written. The author’s prose is beautiful. There were moments I just had to stop and stare in awe at the way she phrased things. I am so glad that I borrowed the book from the library, and I cannot wait for the next!