BOOK REVIEW: The Diviners – by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners
(The Diviners #1)
Author: Libba Bray
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
First published: September 18th 2012
Finished reading: June 19th 2015
Pages: 578

“People will believe anything if it means they can go on with their lives and not have to think too hard about it.”

I’ve had The Diviners on my TBR shelf for a while now and I’m glad I finally decided to read it. This novel by Libba Bray started off a bit slow, but as soon as the pace picked up I was hooked. The 1920s setting is brilliantly executed and while you are reading this story you really feel as if you travelled back to this era. Not every main character was to my taste, but they all contributed to the story and some parts were delightfully creepy. I was expecting a completely different read, but I ended up enjoying The Diviners even better than I would have hoped. I deducted a star for the slow start, but this one is definitely worth reading. The 1920s setting, a spooky murderer on the loose and an intriguing puzzle to solve… The Diviners is a perfect mix of various genres and I will be waiting impatiently for the sequel Lair Of Dreams to come out this August.

Evie O’Neill has a special gift that has gotten her into trouble and with a oneway ticket out of her hometown. She is sent to her uncle in New York and she couldn’t be more excited about living in this big and exciting city. The only catch is that her uncle Will owns a museum dedicated to the occult and she doesn’t want her secret gift to be discovered… A supernatural power that has only caused her trouble so far. But as her uncle becomes involved in a murder investigation with connections to the occult, Evie becomes involved as well and realizes she can no longer ignore her gift. Especially with a crazy murderer on the loose… Will they stop the murders on time?

It took me a while to get into the story, mostly because of the slow pace in the beginning. But as soon as the murder investigation began I was completely hooked. Libba Bray is able to combine various genres in this novel and make them work together perfectly. The 1920s setting, the supernatural elements and the murder investigation… It just works. I’m glad I’ve finally read The Diviners and I will definitely look forward to the sequel. If you like a setting in a different era, supernatural elements and a good horror/mystery story, you will mostly likely enjoy this read. Recommended!

WWW Wednesdays #45 – June 24th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I started Cinder by Marissa Meyer the other day and I while I love Cinder, Iko and their story so far, I wasn’t really in the mood for a fantasy read. So I decided to read What Lies Within by James Morris first; a mystery/thriller read about a girl who finds out she is adopted, has a brother who then dies just after repeating various times she is in danger. Really good so far!

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished Trust Me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer the other day and I was really disappointed by it. It started off as an awesome read but things soon went downhill from there and I ended up being seriously frustrated by it. With The Diviners by Libba Bray it was the other way around; it started off a bit slow, but it actually turned out to be an exciting read and I loved the 1920s setting!

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My next TBR jar pick is The Kings Of Cool by Don Winslow. It sounds like an interesting read, but I’m not sure I will be in the mood for it. I might read The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey first; I have been wanting to read this one for ages and it sounds like such a good read! 

Friday Finds #41 – June 19th

FRIDAY FINDS is originally featured at Should Be Reading and showcases the most interesting books I’ve encountered during the last week and have added to my neverending TBR list on Goodreads. This week a mix of books that have already been published and still unpublished titles; click on the book descriptions to go to its Goodreads page! 😀

My finds:

WWW Wednesdays #44 – June 17th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I still haven’t finished The Diviners by Libba Gray, but that’s mostly because I decided to pick up other copies first for some of my challenges. I have promised myself to finish it as soon as I finish The Perfect Storm though. This non fiction read by Sebastian Junger is very interesting so far and once I finish it I will have completed my Bookish Bingo Spring challenge! 😀

• What did you recently finish reading?

After realizing I have been neglecting my TBR Pile challenge, I decided to pick up my copy of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and finish it first. It’s actually quite a fast read and one of the first classics I have really enjoyed reading this year. I’ve also finished The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas the other day; I loved learning more about Sam! A shame it will be a long wait for the fourth book to come out though…

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Trust Me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer is still my next TBR jar pick, but I might read Cinder by Marissa Meyer first if I’m in the mood for a fantasy read. I have been wanting to start that series forever so it’s about time I pick up my copy!

WWW Wednesdays #43 – June 10th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

It’s been a bit hard to go back to The Diviners by Libba Gray after reading my two read along reads, so I’ve decided to read some other books in between. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but I guess I stopped reading at the wrong point. I’m also still trying to finish The Death Of Danny Daggers by Haydn Wilks, an ARC that was sent to me by the author for review. The general story is interesting, but the use of too much swearing and difficult Scottish and Welsh dialects makes it hard to finish it fast…

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished A Midsummer’s Nightmare earlier today and I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Kody Keplinger‘s other novel The DUFF. It’s too much of a chicklit to my taste and the main character Whitley is really annoying… Although you get an idea why later on in the story. I’ve also read the second prequel novella The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige, which turned out to be another disappointment… The prequel novellas just don’t live up to the actual series.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I will either read Trust Me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer, my next TBR jar pick, or finally pick up The Assassin’s Blade bySarah J. Maas for my Bookish Bingo Spring challenge. Since I now only need two titles to complete the full bingo, I might read those two first…

WWW Wednesdays #42 – June 3rd

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I’ve started The Diviners by Libba Gray on Sunday and so far I’m really enjoyed it! It’s the perfect mix between historical fiction and fantasy so far… I’ve put it temporarily on hold though so I can read my two read along titles. I’m reading A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas first for the #JuneAndRosesReadAlong and will finish All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven as soon as I finish reading the first one…

• What did you recently finish reading?

I managed to finish A Thousand Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray before the end of May, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations. I was expecting something just as amazing as the cover, but ended up being annoyed by the lack of sci-fi and an ignorant main character. I’ve also finished Hide ‘N Seek by Yvonne Harriott, a book I picked for the sole reason of me and the author sharing the same first name (Bookish Bingo!). The story was really cheesy and I didn’t exactly enjoy reading it…

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I will probably read The Death Of Danny Daggers next, a novel that Haydn Wilks was kind enough to send to me for review. If not, it will most likely be The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas. I need that title to finish my Bookish Bingo Spring challenge…

Teaser Tuesdays #45 – June 2nd: The Diviners

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at Should Be Reading. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

The Diviners by Libba Bray is my latest TBR jar pick, and so far I’m really enjoying this read. I like the setting in 1926; it’s a nice change from all those contemporary reads lately. I’m not too far into the story yet and I’ve started to read my two read along titles (All The Bright Places and A Court Of Thorns And Roses) as well, so I’m not sure how soon I will be able to finish it… But since I’m enjoying it so far I don’t think it will be too long.

 

My teaser (13%):

“I told you that you had an important destiny to fulfill, and so you shall: You, Ruby Bates, are the beginning of the end. Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on….”

 

What are you reading right now?

WWW Wednesdays #41 – May 27th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I started reading A Thousand Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray the other day and so far I’m enjoying it. Hopefully it will stay that way! I’ve also started reading Tease by Amanda Maciel a few days ago and while it’s interesting, I cannot really connect to the characters. It makes it a bit more difficult to read this one fast, but it’s not a bad read at any rate.

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished Treasure Island the other day, and unfortunately I cannot say I ended up enjoying this classic by Robert Louis Stevenson. I feel a bit guilty, but I was almost bored by the story and couldn’t connect to the characters… I also finished City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, and I’m still sticking with the fact that I like the prequel trilogy better. There are so many love triangles going on that it’s becoming annoying!

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My next TBR jar pick is still The Diviners by Libba Bray; another series I’ve been wanting to read for a while now…But I might read The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas first because I need it for my Bookish Bingo challenge. Plus, that way I will have another series completed until the next Throne Of Glass book will be published. 😉

WWW Wednesdays #40 – May 20th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading the second book of The Mortal Instruments series: City Of Ashes. I mainly started reading it because it was my TBR jar pick, because I wasn’t planning on continuing the series any time soon… So far it’s ok, but I still prefer The Infernal Devices. I’ve also started Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson the other day, a classic I’m not really enjoying so far.

• What did you recently finish reading?

Last week was Bout Of Books week and I was able to finish no less than six books! Woot! The last two were Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige. The first I didn’t end up enjoying as much as I initially thought, which is mostly because of the annoying characters. The Wicked Will Rise was actually better than the first book in the series, or at least it had more action in it.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My next TBR jar pick is The Diviners by Libba Bray; another series I’ve been wanting to read for a while now… I might take a break from the fantasy genre though and read Tease by Amanda Maciel first. I need this one for my Bookish Bingo challenge and it sounds like an interesting read.

Friday Finds #19 – December 26th

FRIDAY FINDS is originally featured at Should Be Reading and showcases the most interesting books I’ve encountered during, in this case, the last two weeks and have added to my neverending TBR list on Goodreads. I haven’t had much time to read, blog or browse books during the last two weeks since I was busy giving our home a new coat of paint… I’ll post some pics of the result soon; the blue walls look awesome. 😀

My finds:

• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Unwind by Neal Shusterman
• Firecracker by David Iserson
• The Diviners by Libba Bray