Gold Star Review: The Diviners

The Diviners
by Libba Bray

Book Description:
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.

Review: 

Creepy and fun!  

This book is set in the 1920's, which is one of my FAVORITE historical eras. So glamorous.  Speakeasys, flappers, jazz...New York City must have been one happening place.  I would have loved to have seen it.  As it is, I envy the clothes and the sense of freedom that the flappers must have felt.  

I loved the way this book unfolded.  It was subtle at first how all the different characters were going to end up intermingled into one big story. I liked how they all fit together eventually like puzzle pieces.  I found the reason for them developing their psychic abilities intriguing and I'm desperate to get my hands on the next book ASAP! 

The serial killer story was gripping and while it had it's gory moments, it wasn't overwhelming. It was the perfect blend of creepy and compelling.  I found the language to be helpful in this...even when Evie was staring at a gruesome murder or was learning grisly details, her horror was offset with her attempts at humorous colloquialisms, "And how!," "Jeepers Creepers." Those moments were helpful to deflect a little bit from the grotesqueness of the crime scenes.  

With fun language, a sit on the edge of your seat plot, and great characters, I have to give The Diviners a GOLD STAR.  I will most definitely read book two, Lair of Dreams, as soon as it hits the shelves!