The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners by Libba Bray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads: 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.

My thoughts: I was surprised by how much I wanted to read this book once I really got into it. Admittedly, it took a few chapters to get past Evie and her self centered nature. She quickly became my favorite character despite being self centered and, surprisingly, because of it. She has the best lines and is the most fleshes out. She's hilarious and snarky and once I stopped stumbling over the flapper vernacular, loved her.

There is so much going on in the book with the central theme being the murders. On the side, we are also getting to know other Diviners and frankly, it is unclear if they are operating from an altruistic or selfish standpoint. Not all questions are answered yet the end is satisfying enough to put away. There are characters and questions that are left hanging for follow up books but the author wisely allowed these to be secondary stories that don't need answers to finish this book.

This is a rather dark and involved book. Diviners are those with special gifts that seem to be neither good nor evil but can serve either purpose. Good and evil do exist and that is somewhat of a debate within the characters throughout the book. The supernatural is explored to intriguing ends as is religion and occults.

Do be prepared for some grisly murderer and past sexual exploits. Nothing is shocking about the past exploits but the darkness of the supernatural and creepiness made me take my daughter outside with me to turn off the light in the chicken coop for the night. Not that I was scared or anything. I'm just a good mom teaching responsibility. Yep. That's my story.

*I received a free copy of this book from publishing company in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.