Book Review – The Diviners (Book 1) by Libba Bray

Hey book lovers! I’m here with a review for The Diviners by Libba Bray which I read for the Live Show on Chelsea Dolling’s YT channel with Madalyn, Meltotheany, and ItsJaneLindsey. The liveshow for book two, LAIR OF DREAMS, will be on Friday the 13th of September at 6pm PST / 9pm EST on Madalyn’s channel!

About The Book 📚

Published 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

Suggested Reader Age: 15+

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fantasy (paranormal)

Goodreads Link

My Review

“There are doorways between this world and the world of the supernatural. Ghosts. Demonic entities. The unexplained and undefined.”

› New York City, 1926, an evil spirit named Naughty John is awakened by a Ouija board. Evie O’Neill is a teenager living in Ohio. Her older brother, James, was killed in the war. Evie’s a spitfire. She’s kind but at the same time a little selfish. She loves adventure and will never turn down a dare. She seems proud of her outgoing nature, but at the same time struggles to fit into a society where women are expected to be quiet. While using her secret power to read the history of an object, Evie gets involved in a scandal and is sent to live with her uncle in NYC.

“Your mother and I do not approve of drinking. Have you not heard of the Eighteenth Amendment?”

“Prohibition? I drink to its health whenever I can.”

› Sam Lloyd is a pickpocket that Evie meets at the NYC train station. He also has a supernatural power – the ability to change people’s thoughts.
› Uncle Will, Professor Fitzgerald, owns the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult. The Museum was built by Cornelius Rathbone. His sister Liberty Anne is an interesting character…she went missing, came back with white hair and the ability to see the future. In a trance, Liberty spewed prophecy after prophecy while her brother Cornelius wrote it all down. One of the prophecies claimed the Diviners would be needed in the future.
› Mabel is Evie’s dearest friend. She’s incredibly loyal and I get the feeling most people think Evie doesn’t deserve a friend like Mabel. Evie acts before she thinks, Mabel thinks before she acts.

“Could I have a Sloe Gin Fizz, without the gin?”

“What’s the point of that, Miss?” the waiter said.

“Tomorrow morning,” Mabel said.”

› When a young woman named Ruta is found murdered, Evie teams up with her Uncle Will, Jericho (who works for her uncle), and Sam Lloyd to figure out who killed Ruta. While investigating, the stakes escalate as more people are slaughtered, all with strange markings and messages left behind.

“What if evil exists? What if it has always existed and will continue to exist, an eternal battle between good and evil, always and forever?”

› Likes 😻
• LOVE the writing style. The description of wind traveling through town reminded me of Stephen King’s writing style:

“Something stirs in the deep shadows, something terrible, and the wind, which knows evil well, shrinks from this place.”

• Bray included an abundance of American historical facts.
• The plot is slow in the beginning, but quickly picks up the pace and turns into quite a thrilling mystery. The end felt rushed and unsatisfying, however, I’m going to give this 5 stars because it was a great time!
› Every single character is well-written. Even the secondary characters have a distinct voice, personality, history, and goals:
– Memphis once had the power to heal. His brother Isaiah also has powers. Their Aunt Octavia is obsessed with the bible and judgment day.
– Sister Walker collects newspaper clippings about people with powers and helps Isaiah practice his mind-reading ability.
– Theta is a Ziegfeld girl, her best friend is Henry who’s the piano player and gay. They have big dreams to be rich and famous.

I’m left with many questions and can’t wait to read the next book!

What is Project Buffalo? Did Will already know Sam when he came to the Museum to see Evie? Is James really dead? Is Uncle Will really Evie’s father? Who are Sam Lloyd’s parents?

› Final Thoughts
• I won’t be forgetting any of the characters in The Diviners anytime soon. I can’t wait to read the next book and highly recommend this to readers who like mysteries that have cool historical relevance and creepy paranormal aspects.