The Diviners by Libba Bray REVIEW

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Started: 26/10/18

Finished: 12/11/18

Spoilers: Minor.

That was one big book, but damn is that cover pretty. I think I probably wanted to like this one more than I actually did, having seen some of the reviews and hype about this book. I very much enjoyed it, but . . . I don't know.

I can't help but feel like something was missing for me. Some seemingly minor, but crucial little spark that takes a book from a 3/4 star rating to a 5 and beyond. I can't put my finger on it. At face-value this book was great, but it didn't capture me the way certain books do.

Sometimes I just think I'm at a stage where the more I read the fewer books I fall in love with. I've almost become harder to please because I know once upon a time I would've adored this. Historical fantasies are totally my jam.

But anyway, now comes the part where I confusedly contradict myself about how great it was whilst reiterating that I didn't love it, yay.

Characters So there's quite a lot of characters in this book, too many to write about individually, so I'll write instead about the overall characterisation and development of them as a whole.

Each character was fleshed out well, both in their past situations as well as their present situations. They each had a detailed background, how they got to where they are now, and they each felt like they had an established life prior to the book starting, we're merely jumping in and joining them for the ride.

It was very easy to tell the characters apart as they each had a distinctive voice, a hard feat when juggling so many strong personalities, but I think Libba Bray did very well not to double up on those personalities or traits.

That being said, I did feel that there were a shit ton of them that didn't really bring anything specific to the plot. I know it's simply building upon the world, showing lots of different characters from all walks of life, but some of them were treated like main, significant characters and yet they never really did anything of importance in regards to the plot, they had no involvement with the bad shit going down. They were kind of just there, bobbing about in the background.

Perhaps this is setting up character stories for future books but if a character isn't going to be relevant until book 2 or 3, I'd rather they are introduced when they're needed, otherwise I'm left with this 'what was your purpose in this book?' feeling. Hence why I feel like this 500+ page book could have probably been just as good as a 300+ page book.

Plot The plot was what drew me in, of course, being my first Libba Bray novel. It's always the plot that first draws me in and then normally the characters or writing style that keeps me there and has me returning.

The plot, in this case, was strong. I really liked the concept of people, Diviners, with special abilities - I'm somewhat a sucker for the 'superpowers' trope, - so seeing said trope within a 1920's setting was quite delightful. It worked so well. I got a real sense that this vibrant New York City was alive and thriving. Libba Bray captured the feeling of the city perfectly.

Essentially it's got those mystery/thriller vibes due to the murderer on the loose, though it never feels like a 'who-done-it,' because we the readers know from the beginning who the murderer is.

These were the most interesting chapters for me, Evie's investigation into the Pentacle Killer, more so than exploring the general lifestyle of the historical period; which is saying something considering my love for anything historical.

The aspect of the Diviners and their powers creates a magical fantasy feeling within a bustling and expanding world, and the dark, twisted restless ghosts that manifest lends itself to the supernatural genre.

So in a way this is a historical fantasy supernatural mystery. Don't you just love cross-genre novels? I know I do. Some may also class it as horror, but I didn't find it scary. I think I must be immune to scary books. Oh, how I've tried.

Setting It's clear that a lot of hard work and research went into creating the most authentic setting possible. This 1920's New York has bags of character and oozes depth. It's a melting pot of culture, class, race, religion and everything in between and it really shows in this novel. In fact this is one of the best instances of a well-developed world I've ever read.

From the drinking and dancing in the speakeasies to Irish gangs running wild in the streets, Libba Bray has seamlessly incorporated every quality of 20's New York within her short and punchy chapters. She has captured the very feel of this city and not only does it feel natural, it's believable too.

There's few things I enjoy more than immersive world-building and Libba Bray has done so with the utmost skill. I'm very impressed.

Writing Style The writing was solid. Generally I enjoyed it. Libba Bray is very descriptive which only invites you further into this immersive world. The Pacing was alright, though I feel like this book was probably longer than it needed to be. I'm still trying to figure out why it was so long as, to me, it did feel at times like there was a lot of filler.

As far as the slang language goes, I'm torn in my opinion. On the one hand I loved the 20's slang. It really keeps you immersed in the world and only adds to the atmosphere of the time period. On the other hand, the repeated phrases and idioms got really annoying really fast, and how!

The tension in the final fight scene was great, really gripping stuff, though not what I thought it would be. Having been introduced to so many Diviners in such a small area, and conveniently all seeming to be connected through other characters, I thought the group would come together and use their respective powers to fight the bad guy, rather than it being entirely on the shoulders of one in the end.

On a side note, I just got to say that I hate the plot ploy used in both Books and TV where an animal's only use is to be killed. It doesn't upset me anymore, it just pisses me off. I've read too many books that needlessly feature a cat or a dog that only exists in the story to be slaughtered or sacrificed and I'm getting a little fed up of reading it.

Final Impression I think this is a classic case of 'It's not you, it's me.' I don't like to say anything bad about it because I enjoyed it, but yet . . . there it is again, the feeling that something was missing. I don't think I'll ever know what that something is, but I won't let it hold me back from reading the next book; and hopefully some of the characters will come into their own a bit more.

Very good indeed. I didn't love it, but I certainly liked it enough to return to this world.