Series Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Series: The Diviners 

Publication of book 1, The Diviners:September 18th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description of book 1, The Diviners:

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-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

My Thoughts:

The Diviners is a new all time favourite series of mine (that's right it is not a trilogy! There are more books to come out so don't do what I did and read the three thinking it is a completed story!) I marathoner the first three books back to back and had the best time. I loved every minute of it and as soon as I finished one book I jumped right into the next!

This review is broken down into three sections and I have warnings before spoilers so don't worry!

The Diviners 

The Diviners was not at all what I was expecting and I loved it! It was such a unique read that was complete different to anything else I've ever read!

The atmosphere and setting were so good. Libba Bray did an excellent job making me feel like I was in New York in the 1920s. She just captured the vibe so well. I was even reading in a Gatsby-esque accent. All the parties and glitz and glam really made the it feel real. 

The Diviners has a huge cast of characters which I loved! I haven't read a book with loads of characters in ages (last one I can think of is Lord of Shadows). I really grew to love a lot of them, especially Evie, Sam, Theta and Memphis. Because the book is so long we really get to spend a lot of time getting to know the characters and connecting with them. I also loved how all the storylines crossed paths at some stage and all the friendships that started developing between the characters.

The plot was very engaging for the most part. It is a mystery thriller but the reader knows who did it so it took a little bit away from the story because I was getting annoyed they were taking so long to figure it out! It wasn't too bad though I was still very invested in the story and couldn't stop reading. 

Speaking of the mystery thriller aspect Libba Bray nailed it at creating such a creepy haunting eerie atmosphere in some scenes. I was genuinely freaked out at points.

I was surprised at how emotionally invested I was, I was getting freaked out and stressed for the characters it was so intense at parts and I loved it! 

I was hesitant to pick up The Diviners because I wasn't the biggest fan of Libba Bray's other series, Gemma Doyle, and I didn't want to commit to a series with such long books but I was so glad I did! It was such a unique read and as soon as I finished book 1 I started book 2, Lair of Dreams!

*Spoilers for book 1, The Diviners ahead!*

Lair of Dreams

I absolutely adored reading Lair of Dreams! There was so much going on and I loved it!

We get to see a good bit of Sam in Lair of Dreams and I loved it! Sam quickly became one of my all time favourite characters, he is just so funny and enjoyable to read about! I wheels anticipated getting a chapter from his POV. 

Speaking of POV, both Jericho and Mabel had POVs in this book too. They were pretty prevalent at the start but then they disappeared for what felt like ages and when they popped up I was surprised- I'd forgotten about them. I wasn't the biggest fan of their stories but I was still engaged while reading from them.

We get introduced to a new character- Ling. Ling is very different from the other character and I loved it! She is half Chinese and has a physical disability. It was great getting that kind of rep in a historical fiction book! Usually it's all the contemporary books that have diverse cast of character but The Diviners has so many different types of people and it's great!

The plot was excellent I never felt like it dragged even though it was a long book. There were a good few storylines going on at once and while I definitely had my favourites (Sam and Evie and Memphis and Theta) I enjoyed all of them. I will say this book is not as big on the thriller mystery stuff as book 1 though. We do get more into the government side of things and I had lots of questions and was constantly theorising what things meant as I was reading.

The ships were sailing in this one and it was so much fun to read about! I had so much fun reading about one in particular, won't say who because spoilers!

I had just as an amazing and surprise reading experience reading Lair of Dreams as I did The Diviners! It was a fantastic sequel and just like with book 1 I had to jump into the next one immediately!

*Spoilers for book 2, Lair of Dreams ahead!*

Before the Devil Breaks You

Before the Devil Breaks You is probably my least favourite of the three books out but it was still great! 

I was frustrated at Evie a good bit in this one which hindered my enjoyment. She was just making stupid decisions I didn't agree with which was annoying. I still love her but she got on my nerves at times.

There was a lot of Jericho in this book which I wasn't that happy about. I wasn't a fan of him going in but then he kind of grew on me and then he did something and I didn't like him again. I was all over the place with him.

There was a good bit of Mabel too which also effected my reading experience. I was never a fan of her, she just wasn't as interesting as the others but in this book she was just stupid I couldn't stand her! She was constantly doing stupid things that had me rolling my eyes and I felt no sympathy or empathy towards her. 

We do get some lovely character development for Theta though which I lived for. She is such a strong young woman and I could read about her all day every day!

I also really liked Ling in this book. I felt like she had a bigger role than she did in Lair of Dreams and it was interesting getting to know her better it is also confirmed that she is ace so yay!

We do get a good few answers about things from previous books about Diviners but I still had questions when I finished reading.

There was a good bit of relationship drama in this one- won't say who but some couples need to learn to communicate!

There was definitely some very emotional parts in Before the Devil Breaks You compared to book 1 and 2. I was surprised at how emotional my response was to some stuff going down.

The ending of this one is absolutely mad so I'd recommend waiting until book 4 is out or closer to its release date before picking up Before the Devil Breaks You because the ending will leave you wanting more!

Beyond excited for the next book! I need it asap! Really hoping we don't have to wait years for it! I had so much fun reading these first three books and can't wait to jump back into this world soon!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Series: Strange the Dreamer, #1

Publication: March 28th 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

My Thoughts:

One of my favourite reads this year, Strange the Dreamer is absolutely phenomenal. I loved everything about it. I went into it not knowing anything and I'd highly recommend doing that.

I knew Laini Taylor's writing style was fantastic as I read her other series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, a few years ago but she has improved even more in the three years since her last publication. Her writing style is so pretty and flows really well. It reads like a fairytale and is absolutely stunning. I was blown away to say the least.

Strange the Dreamer is captivating and engaging from beginning to end; when I wasn't reading I was thinking about the story all the time. The plot was a bit slow but I didn't mind at all because I was so intrigued by whole set up I couldn't stop reading.

The main character, Lazlo, is not your typical YA male protagonist, he's a librarian! I really liked how he was into research and books and stuff. While he sounds like a ravenclaw he's actually more of a hufflepuff! I hardly even come across hufflepuff main characters so it was refreshing to read! It did take me a while to really warm up to him but by the end of the story I loved him just as much as some of the other characters that I fell head over heals in love with. These other characters are super complex and interesting and I loved one particular girl to pieces but I don't want to say more about her because it's way better for readers to get to know her as she unfolds on the page!

The world building is done really well. I felt so immersed in this mystical land Laini Taylor created and never felt like I was having information dumped on me in big chunks. She really created something unique and it was so interesting learning about it.

Strange the Dreamer brings up different themes such as race and war and also addresses the messages of how we are not defined by our ancestors actions and how people can change.

I was a little bit disappointed about how I guessed what was going to happen at the end. I think the execution of the ending could have been better but I still really enjoyed it.

Overall Strange the Dreamer is an incredible story with fantastic prose and complex characters and world that I would highly recommend. 

I am beyond excited for book 2, The Muse of Nightmares!!

My rating: 4.5 

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Cover reveal for Ultimate Sacrifice by S.E. Green

I've read and reviewed a number of books published by OfTomes Publishing here on my blog and they were nice enough to let me help out with the cover reveal of their upcoming novel Ulimate Sacrifice by S.E. Green!

Goodreads Description: 

Vickie has always lived a quiet, ordinary life in an equally quiet and ordinary small town. Yet one fateful night a child turns up dead in the woods behind her house in a ritualistic slaughter. Vickie and her family are suddenly thrown into a national spotlight. But as the investigation unfolds, she begins to realize her family isn’t so ordinary after all. Evil is inching closer to those she holds dear and Vickie isn't sure who she can ultimately trust.

And here's the cover!!! 

I'm so excited to pick Ultimate Scrifice up on October 10th when it's released! I don't read many mystery books but this one has caught my eye and I can't wait to read it!

The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins

Publication:January 13th 2015 by Riverhead Books

Goodreads Description:
The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.

EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

My thoughts:

I never read mysteries or thrillers and The Girl on the Train did not sell the genre to me. It wasn't the best one to start on; I'm not really interested in picking up more in the genre now because i didn't like this one. The Girl on the Train was just okay. I had a lot of problems with it.

Firstly the characters; not a single one of them is likeable or relatable. They were all awful people who are all selfish and self centred, They couldn't care less about the consequences of their actions. The only thing I appreciated about them was that they were all flawed.

Rachel, the main character was so depressing to read about. It was not fun reading about a sad alcoholic who was doing nothing to try make her situation better. The only good thing about her was she challenges readers to think about how much we assume about--and pre-judge--other people based on our limited knowledge of them.

A big problem I had with the story was how all the women were portrayed. They are all defined by the men they are married to/dating. The three female characters were all pathetic to be honest, it annoyed me how they were all so dependent on the men. As a 19 year old girl I want to be reading about strong admirable role models in the literature I read.

The writing was very plain. There was nothing special about it. The only good thing was the chapters were short an to the point. 

The plot was boring to me. I wasn't intrigued at all. I didn't care about the mystery.The big plot twist at the end wasn't a plot twist for me- I saw it coming a mile away.

Overall The Girl on the Train fell flat for me and I was very disappointed. It definitely didn't live up to the hype.

My rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Thanks for reading,

A :)

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