The Diviners by Libba Bray
5 out of 5 thumbs up
It’s the roaring twenties, and Evie
O’Neil has been sent to live with her uncle in Manhattan because of
some scandalous rumor that she started. The information behind the rumor she collected with a strange talent she
posses, but could never tell anyone about without
looking like a lunatic. Evie couldn’t be happier with her punishment.
An aspiring flapper and avid party girl, Evie relishes the idea of
living in the Big Apple basking in the night-life of the array of clubs
that await her there. Her uncle, Will, curator
for the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult, allows
Evie her freedom in exchange for her help around the Museum.
Meanwhile, a string of odd
murders has the local police baffled and when strange symbols are found
on the bodies, Will and the museum’s staff, including Evie, are
summoned to assist in the investigations. As the
team works to solve the killings- and stay a step ahead of the
murderer- Evie uncovers some secrets of her own, and learns that she’s
not the only one with unusual talents.
This book was a lot of fun to read. I liked the colorful characters and the intricate storyline. This book is, in a word, creepy (but, you know, in a good way) and had me biting my nails and staying up way to late to finish "just one more chapter." There are quite a few characters, each with their own storyline, almost to the point where it might get distracting, but not quite. The language of the time-period as portrayed in this book, I've read some describe as stereotypical, but I'm ignorant enough to not know any better, so I really liked it. I think it's the "cat's pajamas."
My only criticism is really more of a frustration. At nearly 600 pages, I was sure that this book was a stand-alone, single-volume, good read. But as the pages got thinner in my right hand, and I had increasingly more unanswered questions, I realized (and confirmed by checking online) that this is only the first book in a series. Groan. Not that I don't like reading book series, I just don't like waiting for the subsequent books to be released. I'm not that patient.
Other than that, would I recommend this book? You bet your "life-ski."
