Author: Libba Bray
Release Date: September 18, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 592
Source: Copy provided by publisher
Overall: 4 Stars
Summary:
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.
My Thoughts:
A creepy introduction to a brand new trilogy, Libba Bray's The Diviners is a chilling and utterly mysterious paranormal read! The sheer size of The Diviners is rather intimidating, but once you start reading the book, you won't want to put it down. Libba Bray is an amazing storyteller! Everyone is hiding a secret close to their heart, and nothing is what it would seem in The Diviners...
Evie is an impulsive and attention-loving teenage girl with a knack for theatrics. She may have landed in hot water back in her hometown, but she couldn't be more thrilled that her punishment involves living with her uncle in New York City, where everything is exciting and glamorous. Her uncle Will is the curator of the struggling Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, and when a horrific death occurs in the city, the police ask for his expertise because they believe it's the work of a killer trying to perform dark rituals.
At first, Uncle Will doesn't want Evie to be involved in the investigation, but she knows her gift of psychometry, the ability to see into a person's past when she touches an object, can potentially catch the murderer before they strike again. Undeterred by her uncle's warnings, Evie does what she can to help him and Jericho, his assistant, solve the case, even if it places her right in the path of danger.
I originally thought The Diviners would only be told from Evie's point of view, but there are other character perspectives too! Whereas Evie always likes to have fun, Jericho is much more serious and wary to reveal his mysterious past. Sam is a young thief with charm, wit and swagger, and the flirtatious conversations between him and Evie absolutely delighted me. There's definitely more to Sam than meets the eye, and much like Evie has a special ability, he does as well. There are several other characters very much involved in the Diviners world, and as I read along, I couldn't wait to discover how their storylines would intertwine with Evie's.
The Diviners is so well-researched, with an attention to detail which brings the novel to life. It certainly felt like I'd been transported to the Roaring Twenties! The danger is far from over for Evie and her new friends, and I can't wait to find out what will happen next in the sequel.
Thanks so much to Hachette Book Group Canada for providing this review copy! You can learn more about Libba Bray's The Diviners on Hachette's website, and if you're not already doing so, don't forget to follow HBG Canada on Twitter and "like" their Facebook page!
