Review and Giveaway: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Posted 10 October, 2012 by Pushy in Blog, Bookworms, Featured, Giveaways, Pushy, Pushy Book Review / 19 Comments

The Diviners by Libba BrayThe Diviners

Genre: Historical Fiction Horror
Publication: September 18th, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Audiobook provided by publisher for review
Get your own: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound
synopsis from Goodreads
Rating:

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.

History and horror collide in this wild Jazz era ride!

A New Game in Town

Set in the Roaring ’20s, populated with an epic cast of characters and filled with horrors and delights both supernatural and earthy, The Diviners is an amazing saga, sweeping the reader in and holding them tight. And Caveat Lector! This isn’t YA for the faint of heart. Ms. Bray’s tale of a tortured soul seeking power at any price is one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a good long time!

It starts with a Ouija board game gone awry and quickly progresses from one set of characters to the next, intricately interwoven, until the reader is smack in the middle of some truly scary, amazing stuff: ghosts killing beyond the grave, people with the power to heal or kill with a touch and at the center of it all is Evie O’Neill.

Small Town, Big City

Evie’s never truly fit in her small town home. She’s always been just a bit too brash, too over the top, too much. And it’s interesting to see how a big personality can be smothered in such small surroundings. Evie’s drowning in Small Town, USA and it’s only as a punishment that she gets her chance at salvation: exile to the brightest light in the American skyline – New York City.

Once there, Evie is brought together with others so much more like her, in more ways than she can ever imagine, and while she revels in the anonymity and freedom that being in the Big Apple brings, she also learns that big cities have big problems and there’s a murderer on the loose. And she might be the only person who can stop him.

Character Driven Tilt-A-Whirl

Libba Bray has always excelled at character driven dramas. Fans of her other books, particularly her Gemma Doyle series, know that there’s no such thing as a 2-dimensional character in a Libba Bray story. Her characters are full bodied, walk-off-the-page real people and one wonders what it must be like to spend a day in her head!
In The Diviners it’s no different and from the main characters to the ancillary ones (which I SO hope grow as the series continues), the characters in this book continually work together to make each and every scene visceral and down-right amazing. Even what should be throw-away characters, like Ruta Badovski, who die almost as soon as we meet them are so real, I was mesmerized and entranced, hoping what I knew would come to pass could be averted. But with each delicious turn of the screw and flip of the page, Libba Bray both dashed my hopes and pushed me through yet another door in this labyrinth of literary win.
For its visceral appeal, its ability to keep me hanging on every word, for my insane desire to read the next one this second, The Diviners gets more than the normal 5 stars. Yep, this puppy earns the coveted creepy 5 doll rating. It’s just that good!

Bewitched Rating

 

Bottom Line

By far the most compelling, frightening and hands down amazing book I’ve ever read by Libba Bray, and that’s truly saying something. Buy this book TODAY!

 

Get your own Audiobook at audible: The Diviners (unabridged, 18hrs 14min)

So, I’m going to go with….WOW! January LaVoy blew me away with her ability to morph her voice from a 17 girl from the Brooklyn to an African American boy to the voice of pure evil. This audiobook is one of the best I’ve ever listened to and if you’ve never enjoyed an audiobook, this would be a superb way to start! And so….you know that means….

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A GIVE AWAY!

I loved this book so much, I HAVE to put it in your hands too! So today’s Fall Clearing Give-away is a 2-fer:

Enter The Fall Clearing

An Audiobook finished copy AND a Paperback ARC of The Diviners by Libba Bray

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now go and get lost…in a book!
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Pushy

Lover of words and authors; absolute fan girl of books! Give me a good story, with characters I can love (and hate) and I'll follow you anywhere. Sing me a song of worlds I can dream of, and I'll listen forever.

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19 Responses to “Review and Giveaway: The Diviners by Libba Bray”

  3. Sam @ Realm of Fiction

    Wasn’t this brilliant?! I was surprised by how creepy it was actually. Reading about Naughty John at night isn’t the best course of action, it seems. 😉

    Amazing review!
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    Pushy 10/12/2012

    It was beyond brilliant!! And I agree! I had a funny moment where I was listening to the book late one night on my way home then got out of my car in my dark garage and for some reason sang the Naught John song to myself. Longest walk to the house through my back yard EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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  4. Ashley

    I’m so glad you loved this book! I wasn’t sure if the plot summary appealed to me, but I just bought the book and now I can’t wait to read it!
    Ashley recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday (22) – Touch of DeathMy Profile

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    Pushy 10/12/2012

    Like most of Libba Bray’s books, this one’s tough to summarize, there’s just SO much going on. But it’s beyond amazing! You’re going to love it!!!!
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  6. Candace

    I have this one on it’s way to me and I’m WAY excited to read it! BUT I’m a little afraid that it’s going to be a bit too creepy for my chicken self! Hopefully it’ll be fine cause I’m really eager to learn more about these characters and to get immersed in this world.
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    Pushy 10/12/2012

    Candace, I won’t lie, it’s creepy. BUT as a major scaredy cat myself, I can assure you…you can handle this. It’s just the right level of scary!
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  7. Elodie @ Once Upon a Quote

    I can’t wait to read this book, I have a review copy of this one so I’m planning to read it pretty soon !! Thanks for the fabulous review 😉
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    Pushy 10/12/2012

    Thank you for stopping by, Elodie!!!! And I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!
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  8. Mary @ BookSwarm

    Geeze, I really need to read this one. Adore Libba Bray, though I liked her last two more contemporary books more than the Gemma books. It’s such a monster tome, though! I’m a tad bit intimidated. Wish I had the weekend to read it but it’s the USC and LSU game–Go Cocks!
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    Pushy 10/12/2012

    Don’t be intimidated, Mary!!! It’s a REALLY fast paced book so it’s a fast read. And you’re going to love these characters. LOVE THEM!!!!!

    PS – Go Cocks! 😀
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