A review by angn_731
Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
So I’m currently a bit over a third of the way through King of Crows, but I felt a sudden urge to put my thoughts and predictions about this series into words. Libba Bray’s distinctive writing style truly encapsulates the vivacious spontaneity and irresistible vibrance of New York City in the Roaring ‘20s, and I absolutely love it. The first book set a great premise for a potentially fantastic series, but unfortunately for me, this series has fallen short of “fantastic” (at least so far). The bone-chilling supernatural feel of the first book carried into the second book, where the plot twist at the end left me both shocked and fascinated. By the third book, however, I felt that the ghost murders and creepy hauntings had become somewhat repetitive. Sure, the supernatural occurrences at the asylum were hella creepy and gave strong horror movie vibes, but it wasn’t anything new. Also, new details kept on being introduced sporadically, but no answers were provided, leaving me rather confused at some points. And now for my thoughts on the series’ large cast of protagonists …
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
First up the (ex-) Sweetheart Seer, Miss Evie O’Neill herself: spunky, outspoken, passionate, attention-seeking (and has a slight alcohol problem). She’s fierce and bold in ways that I admire but also just selfish and irritating most of the time (like when they were trying to save lives at the end of Lair of Dreams, and she was just stumbling around drunk and complaining—girl, like really?). She also can’t keep a secret for the life of her (especially when it comes to poor Mabel) and is too headstrong and self-centered. I really hope she has more character development in the final installment and learns to become less impulsive and more level-headed.
Next up Sam Lloyd (aka Sergei Lubovitch), expert pickpocketer and master con man. He’s a relentless flirt with a ridiculously obnoxious sense of humor, but it can’t be denied that he does bring the life to the party. His teasing jabs and (awful) attempts at flirting, yet unrivaled devotion towards uncovering his mother’s mysterious disappearance, were an interesting combination that had me anticipating his sections. Unfortunately, now that I have reached the last book, I find that the charm of his character has faded a bit—his ceaselessly joking attitude during serious situations come off as poorly timed and irritating. I hope he shows a more mature, honest, and sincere side in the final book.
And to complete the (entirely unnecessary) love triangle in this series, Jericho Jones, the brooding, pensive assistant of Evie’s Uncle Will, who somehow manages to attract the attention of several girls in the series. To be honest, I’ve never understood the appeal of his character—he’s rather dull, a wet blanket on the otherwise animated energy of the Diviners gang(?). Also, he’s just always given off the vibes of an older man to me (for whatever unexplainable reason), which of course has made some of his interactions with Evie especially distasteful to me. And that’s all I really have to say.
Now for Mabel Rose, Evie’s best friend who really is an individual woman of her own right who should not need to be associated with the Sweetheart Seer or her parents to have an identity. Kindhearted and moral, yet overshadowed by the more vibrant personalities in her life, it was sad to see how her path to individuality led to catastrophic tragedy. It would have been nice to see her fully grow into herself, but too bad she had to get involved with (that two-faced lying bastard up until his last moment—yes Mabel, the bomb was still ticking!) Arthur Brown…
Proceeding, we have (ex-) Follies girl and aspiring Hollywood star Miss Theta Knight. Bold, refreshingly blunt, and spirited, Theta can be quite a lot too handle but is loyal to her friends at heart. She’s fun and she’s witty, but she’s missing something for me to truly connect with her. I just hope she finally frees herself from her abusive, creepy, stalker husband Roy Stoughton…
One cannot mention Theta without mentioning her closest friend Henry DuBois the Fourth. Humorous, talented, and kind-hearted Henry always knows how to make people laugh and feel at home. He’s a ray of sunshine in the room, but sometimes his jovial attitude comes off as a bit much (like when Sam was kidnapped by Shadow Men, and he was still joking around casually—like um hello??). He can be stubborn and headstrong at times, but overall, he’s a cool character, and I hope he can finally have some luck with his musical ambitions.
Now for the pensive, caring, eloquent poet Memphis Campbell. He’s unshakably loyal towards his loved ones and willing to speak up for himself. I hold nothing against him, and nothing about him stands out to me. I am rooting for the Voice of Tomorrow’s success though…
And finally last, but assuredly not least, Ling Chan. Blunt, brave, and passionate, Ling has earned herself a proper spot at the top of my favorite characters list. Although she comes off as standoffish and brutally honest at first, her inner strength and loyalty towards friends and family become gradually apparent. Her internal struggle—loving and caring deeply yet discomforted by obvious displays of affection—made her an interesting and distinctive character. Plus she loves science. What more can I say?
So that is a wrap-up on my thoughts about Before the Devil Breaks You. It is left to be seen whether my hopes and desires for the characters will be met in The King of Crows…
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
First up the (ex-) Sweetheart Seer, Miss Evie O’Neill herself: spunky, outspoken, passionate, attention-seeking (and has a slight alcohol problem). She’s fierce and bold in ways that I admire but also just selfish and irritating most of the time (like when they were trying to save lives at the end of Lair of Dreams, and she was just stumbling around drunk and complaining—girl, like really?). She also can’t keep a secret for the life of her (especially when it comes to poor Mabel) and is too headstrong and self-centered. I really hope she has more character development in the final installment and learns to become less impulsive and more level-headed.
Next up Sam Lloyd (aka Sergei Lubovitch), expert pickpocketer and master con man. He’s a relentless flirt with a ridiculously obnoxious sense of humor, but it can’t be denied that he does bring the life to the party. His teasing jabs and (awful) attempts at flirting, yet unrivaled devotion towards uncovering his mother’s mysterious disappearance, were an interesting combination that had me anticipating his sections. Unfortunately, now that I have reached the last book, I find that the charm of his character has faded a bit—his ceaselessly joking attitude during serious situations come off as poorly timed and irritating. I hope he shows a more mature, honest, and sincere side in the final book.
And to complete the (entirely unnecessary) love triangle in this series, Jericho Jones, the brooding, pensive assistant of Evie’s Uncle Will, who somehow manages to attract the attention of several girls in the series. To be honest, I’ve never understood the appeal of his character—he’s rather dull, a wet blanket on the otherwise animated energy of the Diviners gang(?). Also, he’s just always given off the vibes of an older man to me (for whatever unexplainable reason), which of course has made some of his interactions with Evie especially distasteful to me. And that’s all I really have to say.
Now for Mabel Rose, Evie’s best friend who really is an individual woman of her own right who should not need to be associated with the Sweetheart Seer or her parents to have an identity. Kindhearted and moral, yet overshadowed by the more vibrant personalities in her life, it was sad to see how her path to individuality led to catastrophic tragedy. It would have been nice to see her fully grow into herself, but too bad she had to get involved with (that two-faced lying bastard up until his last moment—yes Mabel, the bomb was still ticking!) Arthur Brown…
Proceeding, we have (ex-) Follies girl and aspiring Hollywood star Miss Theta Knight. Bold, refreshingly blunt, and spirited, Theta can be quite a lot too handle but is loyal to her friends at heart. She’s fun and she’s witty, but she’s missing something for me to truly connect with her. I just hope she finally frees herself from her abusive, creepy, stalker husband Roy Stoughton…
One cannot mention Theta without mentioning her closest friend Henry DuBois the Fourth. Humorous, talented, and kind-hearted Henry always knows how to make people laugh and feel at home. He’s a ray of sunshine in the room, but sometimes his jovial attitude comes off as a bit much (like when Sam was kidnapped by Shadow Men, and he was still joking around casually—like um hello??). He can be stubborn and headstrong at times, but overall, he’s a cool character, and I hope he can finally have some luck with his musical ambitions.
Now for the pensive, caring, eloquent poet Memphis Campbell. He’s unshakably loyal towards his loved ones and willing to speak up for himself. I hold nothing against him, and nothing about him stands out to me. I am rooting for the Voice of Tomorrow’s success though…
And finally last, but assuredly not least, Ling Chan. Blunt, brave, and passionate, Ling has earned herself a proper spot at the top of my favorite characters list. Although she comes off as standoffish and brutally honest at first, her inner strength and loyalty towards friends and family become gradually apparent. Her internal struggle—loving and caring deeply yet discomforted by obvious displays of affection—made her an interesting and distinctive character. Plus she loves science. What more can I say?
So that is a wrap-up on my thoughts about Before the Devil Breaks You. It is left to be seen whether my hopes and desires for the characters will be met in The King of Crows…