maddiereadswords's review against another edition
5.0
This series has been literally my all-time favorite series since I first read it years ago, and after getting hit with a random urge to reread it, I'm thrilled to report that it still holds up!! This is a series that rewards careful rereading, and I'm biting drywall at some of the things I only just realized this time around. There's so much history and research packed into every page (which I concede could make it feel like a slog to anyone who's not into or used to reading dense historical fiction, but that's a selling point to me tbh), all of the characters are so unique and fun, and the spooky ghost-story vibes of this first installment in particular are just unmatched. I've read this book countless times before, and I'll likely read it so many more in the future.
This whole series is just so criminally underrated, I am frothing at the mouth, please come read these totally normal books that I am totally and completely normal about.Also people need to stop being so mean to Evie; on god I'm gonna get that girl some grief counseling and an ADHD diagnosis and then you'll all be sorry!!
This whole series is just so criminally underrated, I am frothing at the mouth, please come read these totally normal books that I am totally and completely normal about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Rape, Vomit, Confinement, Xenophobia, Gore, Police brutality, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Oh man, here’s another one where I may get decimated by the booktube / booktok girlies. I was SO INTO this for the first 70%. This is a long ass book and I think I read that chunk in like 2-3 days. Then….. we lost the plot. I could not stay interested or engaged. It goes from plausibly supernatural in a fun way to completely off the wall unbelievable bonkers in a way that I simply can not keep up with what’s happening. I borrowed the audiobook to try to help myself just power through the last quarter of the book and it did not help. It took me 2 weeks to get through the last quarter and I just … idk, it’s not satisfying. I’m still confused. I want to reread it and see if its better/makes more sense the second time around, but also absolutely not because this book is SO long?! The internal struggle is real.
I think I’m not the right audience. Is this something that could make sense to someone else who enjoys a more deeply fantastical story? Probably. Am I that person? Absolutely not. I am a light fantasy type bitch and i thought you had me, but then you lost me. Rip my brain cells
I think I’m not the right audience. Is this something that could make sense to someone else who enjoys a more deeply fantastical story? Probably. Am I that person? Absolutely not. I am a light fantasy type bitch and i thought you had me, but then you lost me. Rip my brain cells
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Abortion, Racism, Animal death, Sexual assault, Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Misogyny, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
glens's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Minor: Abortion, Antisemitism, Death, Vomit, Animal death, and Rape
r1dh4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
For the time that I read The Diviners, I was almost completely transported into its world. The setting really came off the page for me, and I really enjoyed the author's writing style. I will say that Libba Bray seems to really like long-winded descriptions and discussions; however, I did not find it boring here and instead thought it was important in order to fully visualize the world she is trying to show. That being said, I feel like it's important to know this and have the right mindset going in, because I definitely wouldn't have been able to read this so quickly or deeply had I read it earlier last year since I wouldn't have had enough focus at the time.
The characters were also all really well-developed in my opinion. Even minor characters that did not show up for very long felt like real people. At times it did feel like there was just a lot of information on the character's backstory coming in at once, but considering the rest of Bray's writing style it didn't feel that out of place to me and it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book at all.
Additionally, the plot doesn't really pick up speed until about halfway through the book. However, even though the plot started a bit later, I still enjoyed the beginning because it provided some good exposition and allowed the reader to become familiar with the characters and their motives/personalities. When the plot actually does get underway, I found myself really wanting to know what happened next. Not only does the book feel rightly creepy, but there's a lot of movement between places and characters that was handled well and prevented me from feeling bored.
Along with this, the story itself also felt really well-crafted; you could tell the author had taken a long time to research and write this book, and you could see the carefully laid threads that allowed this book to finish completely while still leaving some great material for the next few books. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the romances; each felt either forced or too fast. I feel like some extra development would help this out, which I'm looking forward to seeing in the next few books.
Honestly, since I've heard that the subsequent books are better than the first, I definitely will be reading the next few, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series! I would also recommend this book to anybody, as long as they feel up to the longer page length and have checked out the content warnings (because there are quite a few). Overall, a great book to start off 2022!
The characters were also all really well-developed in my opinion. Even minor characters that did not show up for very long felt like real people. At times it did feel like there was just a lot of information on the character's backstory coming in at once, but considering the rest of Bray's writing style it didn't feel that out of place to me and it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book at all.
Additionally, the plot doesn't really pick up speed until about halfway through the book. However, even though the plot started a bit later, I still enjoyed the beginning because it provided some good exposition and allowed the reader to become familiar with the characters and their motives/personalities. When the plot actually does get underway, I found myself really wanting to know what happened next. Not only does the book feel rightly creepy, but there's a lot of movement between places and characters that was handled well and prevented me from feeling bored.
Along with this, the story itself also felt really well-crafted; you could tell the author had taken a long time to research and write this book, and you could see the carefully laid threads that allowed this book to finish completely while still leaving some great material for the next few books. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the romances; each felt either forced or too fast. I feel like some extra development would help this out, which I'm looking forward to seeing in the next few books.
Honestly, since I've heard that the subsequent books are better than the first, I definitely will be reading the next few, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series! I would also recommend this book to anybody, as long as they feel up to the longer page length and have checked out the content warnings (because there are quite a few). Overall, a great book to start off 2022!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault
davidrb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Just Okay. I think I'm just never gonna get into a YA fantasy, but the setting and lore both appealed to me! I'll probably continue the series, seeing as some characters (namely Memphis, Henry, and Sam!?) didn't have much of a presence in the story when it came to the main plot. (Poor Mabesie too!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and War
This book is much more graphic than I was expecting, especially when it comes to the child death, sexual and domestic abuse, and animal death. Watch out!er1nmoore's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
TO BE WRITTEN
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
vanesst's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Racism, Suicide, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Racial slurs, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Rape
genny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The audiobook is fantastic, one of the best I've ever listened to. I still cannot believe there's only one narrator - January LaVoy is so skilled that it sounds like you're listening to a full cast! If you like audio at all and are interested in this story, do yourself a favor and go with the audiobook. Anyway, this was so much fun! I felt immersed in the 1920's setting and loved the main cast, though we didn't see enough of Mabel or Henry (fingers crossed for character development in the next books). Evie is a darling protagonist, and I find her blossoming relationship with sweet, though it's pretty obvious we'll be getting a . The "mystery" was fine, just the right amount of spookiness, though I admit I cared less about it than getting to know the characters. Even side characters appear to harbor secrets of their own; I look forward to seeing how they're all connected as the series progresses.
Spoiler
JerichoSpoiler
love triangle with Sam, which I'm not mad about as he and Evie are adorable together
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Abortion, Misogyny, and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
hannah1734's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Rape
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
andreiitasc's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Welcome to the Roaring Twenties, ladies and gentlemen and gender non-conforming peeps! Right this way for a tale of magic, and murder, and ghosts, all set in the dazzling New York City!
However, I have to admit that I had difficulty getting into this book, and in fact I read more in two days than in the five days before. The rhythm at the beginning was slow, and the real plot needed some time to appear, so I was stuck with a lot of characters and stories I didn't particularly care about because I couldn't understand where everything was going. I'm glad I stuck through it, though. Once the plot appears, it's great!
The characters were absolutely fantastic. The author managed an impressive array of personalities, backgrounds, and wills, and she did it with aplomb and good writing. Each character, even the minor ones, was clearly defined and seemed real; this was definitely the strenght of the book.
I really appreciated Evie as a main character, even though I sometimes wanted to shake her to see if she would get her common sense back. She was brash, outskpoken and impulsive, but a very good person, funny, and even sweet. I loved her way of stomping through life, and the way she matured throughout the novel.
The background was impressive too: New York has always been a city of immigrants (the whole country, actually), and there were Irish people, Italians, Russians, etc. all around. The author also referenced real events, like the Chinese Exclusion Act or the Sacco-Vanzetti case, and Harlem was also a key place. I loved how much work was put into making this New York a real New York of the Twenties. The good and the bad, it's all here.
“..They [Immigrants] don’t share our American values. We believe in one hundred percent Americanism.”
“Which tribe?” Sam said under his breath.
Evie faked a coughing fit.
The author combined lush descriptions of the glittering city with gruesome murders and funny outcomes, which sometimes left me gasping. I wasn't expecting so many different things all condensed!
She also introduced the era’s way of speaking, which I loved. Sometimes, reading historical fiction can be like reading contemporary fiction but with petticoats, and I loved the way Bray made sure her characters even spoke like they were supposed to! This included some gems that had me laughing out loud, including but not limited to: (this is) the cat's pajamas, the cat's meow, the duck's quack, swell, I'm jake!, etc.
However, the style of narration wasn't really my thing. Even when I got into it and the plot started to pick up, all the different points of view from so many different characters were a lot to keep up with, and I sometimes struggled with that. I also think that the author squeezed this story all that she could, which made it a bit long and overwhelming.
<b>TO SUM UP</b>
This was a really good story with strong characters, but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series because I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment (I'm a too simple reader, I'm afraid). However, if you're not afraid of various interconnected stories, heavy backgrounds, and magic, this is for you.
• The best part: How researched everything was.
• The worst part: It felt a bit too long for me, like it dragged up unnecessarily.
However, I have to admit that I had difficulty getting into this book, and in fact I read more in two days than in the five days before. The rhythm at the beginning was slow, and the real plot needed some time to appear, so I was stuck with a lot of characters and stories I didn't particularly care about because I couldn't understand where everything was going. I'm glad I stuck through it, though. Once the plot appears, it's great!
The characters were absolutely fantastic. The author managed an impressive array of personalities, backgrounds, and wills, and she did it with aplomb and good writing. Each character, even the minor ones, was clearly defined and seemed real; this was definitely the strenght of the book.
I really appreciated Evie as a main character, even though I sometimes wanted to shake her to see if she would get her common sense back. She was brash, outskpoken and impulsive, but a very good person, funny, and even sweet. I loved her way of stomping through life, and the way she matured throughout the novel.
The background was impressive too: New York has always been a city of immigrants (the whole country, actually), and there were Irish people, Italians, Russians, etc. all around. The author also referenced real events, like the Chinese Exclusion Act or the Sacco-Vanzetti case, and Harlem was also a key place. I loved how much work was put into making this New York a real New York of the Twenties. The good and the bad, it's all here.
“..They [Immigrants] don’t share our American values. We believe in one hundred percent Americanism.”
“Which tribe?” Sam said under his breath.
Evie faked a coughing fit.
The author combined lush descriptions of the glittering city with gruesome murders and funny outcomes, which sometimes left me gasping. I wasn't expecting so many different things all condensed!
She also introduced the era’s way of speaking, which I loved. Sometimes, reading historical fiction can be like reading contemporary fiction but with petticoats, and I loved the way Bray made sure her characters even spoke like they were supposed to! This included some gems that had me laughing out loud, including but not limited to: (this is) the cat's pajamas, the cat's meow, the duck's quack, swell, I'm jake!, etc.
However, the style of narration wasn't really my thing. Even when I got into it and the plot started to pick up, all the different points of view from so many different characters were a lot to keep up with, and I sometimes struggled with that. I also think that the author squeezed this story all that she could, which made it a bit long and overwhelming.
<b>TO SUM UP</b>
This was a really good story with strong characters, but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series because I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment (I'm a too simple reader, I'm afraid). However, if you're not afraid of various interconnected stories, heavy backgrounds, and magic, this is for you.
• The best part: How researched everything was.
• The worst part: It felt a bit too long for me, like it dragged up unnecessarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Misogyny, Racism, and Violence
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