Title: The Diviners (The Diviners #1)
Author: Libba Bray
Pages: 592 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published on: September 18th 2012
Source: Bought from Fully Booked
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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-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.
Review:
Let's face it, when you first look at The Diviners your eyes immediately just skim over the very pretty cover and immediately land on its very obvious thickness. I was honestly a little frightened to read it because it was so long and I usually end up getting bored while reading thick books. But then again, The Diviners wasn't my first rodeo with Miss Bray and it definitely wouldn't be my last. There's always this creepy happiness that spreads over me whenever I read Libba Bray's books, creepy because I always have an urge to kidnap her from her home and lock her up in my closet and happiness because every time I read a Libba Bray book it's like meeting your long lost soulmate and you get the most award-worthy hug from them, that's how I feel every time I read her books. So even though The Diviners was fearfully long, I conquered the beast within me and literally flew through the pages.
Evie O'Neill has to be the only protagonist that I've ever read about that I both hated and loved at the same time. She's this loud and slightly obnoxious girl who always needs to get her way done but can also be quite sensitive and endearing when she needs to be. So who is this walking oxymoron? Being from a pretty small town where everybody pretty much just gets up on yo' grill, it's pretty hard to stay normal especially when you're gifted like Evie is. Evie has the ability to tell a person's past/their memories by holding an item that the person has worn. Having the ability has caused Evie nothing but trouble and fear which was basically the root cause of her exile to New York (it really leads you to wonder if it was even a punishment in the first place for someone like Evie.)
Still slightly ticked off about the incident that led her to exile (and still grieving her brother's death after so many years,) Evie travels to New York to live with her "Unc" Will who runs the creepiest creep museum in the history of creepy museums. *plays creepy music* Here's something I learned while reading The Diviners: Evie + attention = RUN. DUCK. HIDE. She pretty much becomes a whirlwind that's kind of overwhelming and appealing at the same time, and while she has gotten into trouble for this, she does mean well... most of them time.
The Diviners isn't just about Evie (much to her chagrin, I'm sure) there are five other people whose lives unravel throughout the book. There's Memphis, an orphan who lives and works to take care of his brother Isaiah but is still suffering because of the loss of his parents and his inability to have saved them. Theta, a Ziegfield singer who's not only beautiful but is wrapped up in mystery so thick that you don't even know who she really is. Jericho, Evie's uncle's assistant who hides a secret so big that you trying to guess it will not work out at all, because his secret is unguessable. Dun, dun, duuuun. Might I add that he's yum, yum, yuuuum too? Sam, who's an arrogant little pickpocketer who Evie's been trying to crush from the moment he messed with her but who's also trying to search for answers about his mother's disappearance. And lastly, we see through the eyes of Naughty John, the brutal murderer who's trying to "perfect" himself and resurrect the Beast. Six different characters who's lives are intertwined and are also meant to coincide with each other's.
And for those of you who are wondering if there are some lovey dovey parts, worry not for there are. I was honestly a little worried with who she'd end up with BUT I will not spoil what happens so I guess you'll just have to see. I was really happy with the way Evie and her Mystery Man's relationship progressed though, it definitely wasn't rushed nor hurried, it took it's time and let it's seeds grow into your heart. It's nice to read a book that isn't too centered on the romancey bits especially when the book is about a murder mystery mixed with a lot of the occult, you just don't have space to shove a lot of romance in there, you can only fit it piece by piece and by bits which is what Libba Bray did so kudos to you, Libba! *gives thumbs up*
Libba Bray creates a stunning novel that will leave you nothing short of breathless. Every twist and every turn will blow your mind and will only keep you guessing. Questions will be answered and answers will be questioned, will you really believe or will you only doubt? Your fingers will yearn to turn the page faster but your heart and mind will want to prolong the book and make it last. Laughter will occur; loud boisterous ones. Fear and panic will weave together and you will be left gasping for breath, needing to know what happens in the next page, and the next one, and the next one, and the one, until you reach the very end of the book and you will hate yourself for reading it in one whole sitting. You will love the characters, you will love the setting, you will love Libba Bray, you will love this book and you will yearn for the next installment.
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