Lizreader's Blog

Holy smokes this book came out of left field for me. You see I haven't read anything by Libba Bray before this book. Truth be told, nothing she wrote before this interested in me and I am glad that I waited to read this mammoth of a book. Anyways, onto the review."The Diviners" by Libba Bray is centered around the character of Evie O'Neil (Evangeline her full name) and after getting a local well to do fellow in trouble in her hometown in Ohio. She is shipped off to her uncle in Manhattan to wait it out till the steam blows over. However, not everything is as it seems seeing as Evie has something she is hiding. Upon her arrival to New York City, Evie is hoping to make a name for herself seeing as she believes she is too big for her small town in Ohio, and the first mistake she makes is meeting a wolfish rogue pickpocket named Sam. However, Evie is not going to let that Sam ruin her time in New York and continues on to see her Uncle Will, a professor of the supernatural and the owner of "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies" (well that is the name everyone knows it by) and his assistant Jericho. Once she is settled in Evie loves the city when she can spend time with her friend Mabel and meets a Ziegler girl, Theta and her piano "brother" Henry. Soon though the time in New York comes across a series of horrendous...and strange murders. Evie's uncle is pulled into the investigation, along with her uncle and wants to help him out. However, nothing is as it seems in the City that never sleeps seeing as not only is Evie has something to hide, but so does everyone else.This book is a monster at almost six hundred pages. That being said, it went by extremely quickly for me because this book was pure fun! I loved the characters from Evie, Theta, Will, Memphis, Henry, Mabel, Jericho, Uncle Will, and the pickpocket Sam. Excellently plotted and although you do know a few things ahead of time, there are still a few things that do surprise you in the end. This book is a first in a series and I can't wait for the next book. I absolutely adored this book for its lingo, for it's references to Friedrich Nietzsche, and for so many other awesome things about this book. I adored this book and it could possibly become one of my favorite series of all time, depending on how the other books are that is. Highly recommend for anyone who likes alternative histories, New York in the 1920's, and a whole lot of supernatural/paranormal fun.