Review: The Diviners

Name: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Publication: September 18 2012 by Little Brown Books
Source: Purchased

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

                           

Libba Bray; I love you. Everything this chick writes is Perfection-- no and's, if's or but's! I absolutely adore historical fiction, and that's all because of Libba Bray. Her writing style is flawless and every character is fully developed right down to the toe nail. 
If you can appreciate a crazy, complex plot line, detailed historical facts, true olden days talk & sayings & a character-driven story line, with hints of romance that don't overrun the plot progression; then this book (and everything else Bray Writes) is for you.

The story mainly focuses around a 17-year old girl named Evie, who is cast out of her home in Ohio for exposing the towns golden boy at a party, she is sent to New York to live with her Uncle Will, who owns the Museum of Superstition, Folklore and Occult. Evie thinks she'll be roaming speakeasies, attending glamorous parties & drinking the nights away until she gets caught up in helping her uncle solve a murder mystery with the power shes kept hidden. Evie is a diviner and can see into someones life just by touching one of their objects. It's the power that got her into trouble in Ohio, and it's about to sink her in a world of trouble in New York with Naughty John on the loose....
Our second protagonist is Memphis, a boy struggling to live in New York. He is black, which automatically makes him second class. His mother is dead and his father left him & his younger brother, Isiah, at their aunts, where Memphis feels the pressure of responsibility.
He also has a special touch, one that can heal. and his brother is beginning to show signs of having power as well, as he can tell the future at times and wakes up at night speaking about an ancient ritual which seems to have come back to New York. 
As the stories of Evie, Jericho, Sam, Will, Theta, Memphis, Isiah and all those around them inter-wind together, they are faced with a beast and an ancient ritual which has come back from the grave 50 years ago, and threatens to bring the end of the days. 

What a phenomenal story. I love the complexity and the numerous perspectives. You really get a taste of every characters life & troubles, and how each one of them fits into the world of Diviners. I loved following Evie's story, but getting glimpses into Memphis, Theta, Jericho and Sams life made the story so much better. Although the prespective changes were sometimes random in a paragraph, it was easy to follow for the most part. You even get to see into the past, and into Naughty John's life. A story with different aspects that all comes down to one. 
I Love how Theta & Memphis found each other, they're just so darn cute. I enjoyed how Evie was engrossed in her journey with her powers & Naughty John, but a little romance was able to make its way into her life. Although I was more of a fan of Sam than Jericho, I was pleased with the ending. That's especially what I love about Bray's books. She has a plot driven story with romance as an extra. Not the other way around. 

Naughty John was fricken creepy! I got his little killer song stuck in my head:

"Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones." 

Eeeep! The fact that he sings it to his victims right before he kills them didn't it any better. Or that he whistles it every time he shows up. *shivers*

I love that Bray takes the time to do her research. You really feel like you're living with the characters in the same era. The way they speak, act & dress is dead on. It's fantastic that some authors still take the time to make their novels precise and accurate. Readers like myself appreciate it. 

All the characters had their flaws, but once the story switches into their perspective, one really gets a feel into their lives and past. I got very attached to Evie, Memphis & Theta. Their stories really touched me, and I got very frightened by the ending because I was afraid that something would happen to one of them.  

Overall, this is a phenomenal book. Another job well done, Bray. You have created unforgettable characters & an exquisite plot, not a flaw in sight. Thank you for creating such a beautiful book. I doubt any author out there can mimic the way Miss Bray writes; It's one of a kind!

P.S. READ IT.