Review: The Diviners

by Libba Bray
publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
date of publication: September 18, 2012
format: hardcover
pages: 592
source: from the publisher for review

From 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.

Upon first glance, you might think that The Diviners is a daunting book to read due to the sheer size of it.  I can happily say, however, that it truly is not that daunting.  It may be thicker than your typical YA novel, but it makes up for it in several ways.  I hope to share those ways with you today so that, just maybe, you will decide to give this book a try.

The Diviners is a great mixture of humor and horror and is made up of several wonderful characters.  There is a nice balance of vibrant, buoyant characters such as Evie, as well as more reserved, level-headed characters such as Evie's uncle Will and her best gal pal, Mabel.  By placing such an array of characters in a truly fascinating setting (New York City in the Roaring Twenties), Bray has laid the foundation for a remarkable series.

The thing that I enjoyed most about The Diviners was the sheer horror and eeriness that serves as an undercurrent to the entire story.  With a villain such as Naughty John, who wouldn't be creeped out.  It isn't often that you come across a villain so thoroughly frightening as Naughty John.  When those villains come with their own creepy song, you know you are in for some scares.

"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."

-excerpt from The Diviners by Libba Bray

With the exception of some slow-moving chapters and a romance that seemingly popped up out of nowhere, The Diviners proved to be an excellent read well worth the time it took to finish.  With its references to flapper fashions, gritty locations, and truly awesome characters, I can posi-tute-ly recommend this one to you all.  Whether you enjoy historical fiction or not, I have the feeling you will enjoy this one thanks to its paranormal and horror elements.

Buy The Diviners at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This book was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.  

Review: Rebel Angels

by Libba Bray
publisher: Delacorte BFYR
date published: December 26, 2006
format: hardcover
pages: 548
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain. . . .
The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.
But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.

What I Thought

Rebel Angels had many of the aspects that I enjoyed most about A Great and Terrible Beauty. It held all of the magic and descriptions of Victorian London that AGaTB did. There was just one problem. Her name is Ann. For all of the speed in which I read Rebel Angels, I had much more trouble actually drumming up enthusiasm for what was going on. Every time I would begin to feel any shred of enthusiasm, Ann would come along and pour the proverbial bucket of cold water over my head. In this book, she changed from a sad, lonely girl to a needy, pessimistic suck up. It was a bit too much this time around, and I was really disappointed at how ramped up her worst traits were. It would seem that power is not a good influence upon Ann Bradshaw.

Something I actually enjoyed about the novel was Gemma's continuing development as a character. She had a bit more depth this time around, which left me liking her even more. I also like that she's not perfect. She struggles with jealousy, self-doubt, and self-blame in her own right. However, she doesn't seem to let it affect her treatment of others as Ann does, nor does she spend the majority of the book making disparaging remarks about herself. It is a nice balance of conflict and confidence. For all of that, Gemma did have some "oops" moments, such as her disastrous foray into drinking absinthe. That part had me wishing I could tell her how idiotic she was behaving.

The element of surprise was, unfortunately, lacking in Rebel Angels. This is due to an unfortunately obvious hint that takes place in the middle of the book that made possible the discernment of the real identity of Circe. I was pretty well upset at that point and almost didn't want to continue. I did wind up sticking it out, however, only to be proved correct. Luckily, there were things that made continuing to read worth it, such as the search for the Temple and the girls' harrowing escapes. Those elements became my favorite parts of the story and redeemed the rest of the book for me.

I wish I could rave about Rebel Angels as much as I did for A Great and Terrible Beauty. However, I just can not do so due to the aforementioned problems (Ann and the dead giveaway as to the "whodunnit"). Though it had its shining moments, Rebel Angels left me feeling disappointed at the end and regretful of the loss of suspense that took place. I don't do half ratings, so I give Rebel Angels 3 hoots, though it probably earned closer to 2 1/2 hoots.

Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty

by Libba Bray
publisher: Delacorte BFYR
date published: December 9, 2003
format: hardcover
pages: 403
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Gemma Doyle isn't like other girls. Girls with impeccable manners, who speak when spoken to, who remember their station, who dance with grace, and who will lie back and think of England when it's required of them.

No, sixteen-year-old Gemma is an island unto herself, sent to the Spence Academy in London after tragedy strikes her family in India. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma finds her reception a chilly one. She's not completely alone, though... she's been followed by a mysterious young man, sent to warn her to close her mind against the visions.

For it's at Spence that Gemma's power to attract the supernatural unfolds: there she becomes entangled with the school's most powerful girls and discovers her mother's connection to a shadowy, timeless group called the Order. It's there that her destiny waits... if only Gemma can believe in it.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is a curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book... a vast canvas of rustling skirts and dancing shadows and things that go bump in the night. It's a vividly drawn portrait of the Victorian age, a time of strict morality and barely repressed sensuality, when girls were groomed for lives as rich men's wives... and the story of a girl who saw another way.

What I Thought

I just have one question after reading A Great and Terrible Beauty: how did I not know about this series before this year!? This is the type of book I used to read all the time, yet I had somehow overlooked it. I don't know how this happened, but I am glad that the situation has been rectified. A Great and Terrible Beauty is a wonderful blend of Victorian, Gothic, and paranormal. I really enjoyed most of the aspects of this book from the main character (a stubborn, head-strong, red-headed girl; I can relate!) to the existence of magic in a Victorian girls' boarding school. This book had so much to absorb.

Gemma is a very conflicted character. She wants nothing more than to have more freedom. Unfortunately for her, she is in the thick of the Victorian era, where women have limited options, duty being the first and foremost. She struggles with reigning in her impressive temper, attempting to fit in at her school without selling herself short, and uncovering the truth behind the sudden onset of the mysterious visions she experienced while in India. It's a lot for a girl to juggle, but Gemma manages to do so with aplomb most of the time. All the while, she is sassy, head-strong, stubborn, and yet kind. It is quite the package and you can't help but wonder how much she will grow as the story progresses.

The concept of the realms was an interesting one. The idea of a world to which one can escape and use magic at will is well beyond intriguing. I wish that there had been more of an otherworldly atmosphere in the description of the Realm, but I enjoyed this aspect, overall. I found the actions that could be accomplished there to be worthy of a lovely dream and these scenes quickly became some of my favorites in the book.

The threat that faces Gemma in this book is a chilling one. Circe, a mysterious figure who is seemingly out to gather souls, often made my blood run cold in her few face-to-face encounters with Gemma. I couldn't wait to find out who Circe really was and what her motivations were. It all added a fantastic measure of foreboding to the story. In fact, the Gothic feel throughout the non-supernatural portions of the book gives Ann Radcliffe a run for her money (though without so much weeping and teary eyes).

This was a book that made me wish for a dark and stormy night. It just called for a cozy blanket and a mug of something warm to drink. I have the second book all ready to go and can't wait to see what other adventures Gemma will be faced with. I will definitely be getting a set of these of my own so I can have that experience. I give A Great and Terrible Beauty 5 hoots.