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58 of 62 people found the following review helpful.
Probably the best YA book of 2012!
By Evie Seo
Intelligent, complex and historically accurate, The Diviners in a riveting tale that plumbs the depths of human wickedness brought about by religious fanaticism and fascination with the occult. The blend of tension, charm, creepiness, atmosphere and characterization come together to ensure this to be an absorbing and intellectually stimulating experience. This is an absolutely phenomenal book and one of the best of the year thus far. An indisputable must-read for anyone who enjoys a thoroughly bone-chilling story set against well researched historical backdrop. Set in the Roaring Twenties in New York City, The Diviners tells the story of a group of young people investigating a series of gruesome occult-based murders. Something dark and powerful has been unleashed in New York, an evil force determined to bring about an apocalypse. People are being murdered - their body parts missing - and it all seems to follow a very disturbing pattern suggesting that the murderer is trying to finish a dark ritual started many years ago. A ritual that will unleash hell on earth and destroy everything. When Evie is shipped off to New York to live with her Uncle Will, the last thing she expects is to find herself right in the middle of a terrifying murder case. Instead of attending glamorous parties and enjoying vibrant New York life, she now has to deal with a psycho-ghost intent on carrying out his evil plan. Will her special powers help catch the killer? Or will the killer get to her first? Evie (or as Theta calls her, Evil) is a fascinating character. Bold, attention-loving, dauntless, unpredictable, loud-mouthed and quick-witted, she's an unstoppable force, a real tornado of a girl. She's a troublemaker. She doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut and rarely listens to anyone else, especially her parents and uncle . She doesn't back down from anybody and isn't easily intimidated. She's curious (sometimes a little bit too much for her own good), intelligent, snarky and pos-i-tute-ly energetic. All in all, she's a fine example of a reckless, fun-loving, convention-breaking flapper gal. On top of that, she is also a diviner, a person with a special ability. Evie's special talent allows her to tell people's secrets just by holding an objects that belongs to them and concentrating on it. Her extraordinary personality makes it extremely fun to follow her adventures. I instantly connected with her and wanted to get to know her better. She is my kind of heroine and I can't wait to meet her again. All the characters in The Diviners - and it's a rather large cast - are beautifully fleshed out, vibrant and intriguing. They possess great qualities - their behaviour, motivations and reactions to events taking place around them are realistic and the range of emotions they show is quite incredible. I found them convincing, three-dimensional, and easy to care about. Some characters I liked more than others, but overall each one of them had a role to play - even if only a minor one - and they all seemed essential to the plot. I appreciated the diversity of cultural and social backgrounds that these characters came from and the fact that these were not your stereotypical, embellished YA heroes and heroines, but rather real teenagers, with real problems, dreams and fears. Misfits who struggled through life, drank, cried, worried and lied. I also liked the fact that the romance part of the story was almost non existent and all the romantic plot threads took a back seat to the main storyline. At nearly 600-pages-long, this behemoth of a novel offers an insightful, compelling narrative, a meticulously researched historical and cultural background, a completely mind-blowing world-and-character building, and a disturbing story line that is sure to send chills down your spine. Could this book have been shorter? Perhaps. Would I want it to be shorter? Absolutely no. I loved every detail, every little nuance that Libba Bray weaved into the plot. They all added depth to the story and helped recreate the unique atmosphere of 1920s New York. In the Author's Note, Bray talks about the many hours spent pouring over books, photographs and various other sources that went into creating the world of The Diviners and I can't help but to feel impressed with how fabulous a job she did. She has breathed life into this story, these characters and settings. She made me forget about the real world for a while and lose myself in the world of flappers, vibrant city life, hobble skirts, first automobiles, jazz and petting parties. And it was swell! Everything - from the slang words and outfits to the social movements and politics of that time period - was fantastic. I really couldn't have loved this book more! So don't let the size of this book intimidate you, once you get sucked into the story you'll be in a real page-turning frenzy! All in all, The Diviners is an accomplished novel and a very exciting new YA series that is as ambitious and intelligent as it is entertaining and downright scary! I highly recommend it!
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful.Excellent Paranormal Historical Fiction
By Amanda
So, I never read Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy (there's many a friend, book blogger and book addict who would tell me that I'm missing out), but I did read her book Beauty Queens, which sent me rolling on the floor with laughter. I just could not get over the sheer wit and utter ridiculous satirical nature of that book. From that moment on I was hooked. I had to devour every future Bray title. Now, I was a little surprised when I saw that her new series, The Diviners, was more of a historical fiction novel mixed with the supernatural -but it sounded like so much fun, so I couldn't say no.In The Diviners, readers are introduced to young Evie O'Neill, a recent transplant from small-town Ohio to the glamorous world of 1920s New York, who has come to live with her uncle at a rather strange museum known as The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. Soon after settling into her new life, Evie falls in with a rather...unorthodox crowd -an ambitious Ziegfried Follies girl named Theta who is hiding a dark past, a mysterious student known as Jericho, and a young African-American man named Memphis who is battling the prejudices of the time. After a string of occult-based murders sets off a city-wide panic (and media frenzy) Evie and her uncle are brought in to help solve the case, and it is only with the help of Evie's new friends (and her strange abilities) that the mystery can be solved.Wow. Just wow -I think that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think back on this book. It was freaking amazing. Just completely engrossing, incredibly well-written and offered an elaborate maze of twists and turns that kept me glued to every single page! I thoroughly enjoyed the 1920s backdrop, and Bray did an excellent job of bringing that period to life while expertly weaving in this fascinating exploration of the occult and some of the strange societal obsessions at the time with seances, superstition and other supernatural things. I even thought her depiction of religion and occultism offered a unique parallel description of a time and society caught between the two (though it may offend some more conservative readers).Probably the best way to describe this rather genre-bending book is as something of a 1920s police procedural/mystery with a heavy dose of occultism, crazy serial killers, a dash of the supernatural, a hint of romance and some thriller elements. Not that Diviners really needs a explanation -this book truly is in a genre of its own. It completely stands alone from the pack (in my humble opinion) and was truly remarkable. The only tiny, tiny bit of criticism I have for this book is that it just seems a little long -maybe it could have used a little more editing, but it wasn't a significant enough issue that it really bothered me.If you're looking for a fantastic read, look no further. Diviners is one of the most compelling books I've read all year. Do yourself a favor and pick it up -trust me, it's worth it.
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful.Pos-i-tute-ly divine
By thehydrogenpoptart
First Sentence: In a town house at a fashionable address on Manhattan's Upper East Side, every lamp blazes.A Quick Synopsis: Evangeline O'Neill has been exiled from her idyllic hometown of Zenith, Ohio and shipped off to New York City. The time is 1926, a time filled with new theater breakthroughs and secret speakeasies, set against a hustling and bustling background. Living with her Uncle Will, who has an obsession with the occult, Evie worries he'll discover her secret power that got her banished from Ohio in the first place. But it just so happens that her power could help catch a serial killer that's just begun terrorizing New York City recently. As Evie takes on the challenge of defeating the killer, can her New York friends help her complete the task?The Review: I've always known Libba Bray as an extremely original and adaptable author. What other author can you name that follows up a Victorian historical trilogy with a book about mad cow disease with a trashy role model? And then, don't even mention the fact that she followed THAT up with a satirical novel about "beauty queens"...Unfortunately, though, I've also always known Ms. Bray as an author who takes a relatively long time to release novels. So as I combed through the pages of Amazon, not expecting another Libba Bray book until 2013, The Diviners smacked me in the face, and I could not have been more delighted to know that I would not have to wait so long.Libba Bray returns to the genre she debuted in, historical fiction with a flair of the supernatural, with The Diviners. Now, before I read The Diviners, if a random guy in the street came up to me and asked me what I found more interesting: Victorian England (as in Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy) or the Roaring Twenties in America (as in here, The Diviners), I'd have answered without a doubt, Victorian England. But The Diviners is making me think twice about that question. Bray literally brings the setting to life. She makes it much more interesting that I'd ever imagined it could be. The entire atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties is there. I'd just happened to read the pages in my textbook on the 1920s the day before, and there are tiny little details in the book that are perfect for you history nerds--for example, the trials of Sacco and Vanzetti.Bray succeeds in both creating a great quantity of characters as well as a quality cast of characters. The main star of the book is undoubtedly Evie, but the surrounding characters bring a great amount of depth into the story. There's Theta, a Ziegfeld girl with a terrible past; Memphis, who may be more similar to Evie than he thinks; Jericho, a student who's lost more than anyone realises; Mabel, Evie's best friend; even Uncle Will and the antagonist of the story...the list goes on and on. If I had to describe the characters in one word it would be: fascinating.The plot is rich and suspenseful. Bray fills the pages up with chases, murders, visions, arrests, action and adventure, thrills and chills, cliffhangers, shocking secrets, heartbreaking revelations, and much more. The Diviners is well-paced even though it clocks in at a hefty 578 pages, and I finished it within the span of two days. The best part is that, even though The Diviners is only the first in a series, the ending wraps things up nicely. So The Diviners both stands out from the rest of the pack and stands alone by itself solidly.The writing is astoundingly good. We all know that Bray can write--after all, she is a recipient of the prestigious Printz Award, but wow, have you ever seen her write like this? For once, I didn't mind an author's pages and pages and pages of description in a book, I even looked forward to it! It's elegant and never feels overdone or awkward. Bray evokes a wide assortment of emotions, and it's an amazing experience. Some reading The Diviners may feel that the book could have been shorter, but I disagree--I think it's fine just the length it is, allowing us to get to know the world and the characters more.Overall, I cannot recommend The Diviners highly enough. Libba Bray has crafted a captivating story and an enchanting world that you never want to leave from! This will certainly go on my Best Books of 2012 list, and just may be the best historical of 2012. It's a grand, sweeping, dazzling achievement. That sequel can't come soon enough--maybe that's the book I'll be waiting for in 2013? I simply can't wait for it any longer!Memorable Quote: Evie slipped the key into her handbag. She hadn't had a key back in Zenith; her every move had been monitored by her parents. Things would be different here. Things would be perfect. She went to hug Uncle Will, who stuck out his hand for a shake."Welcome to New York, Evie."
