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Sunday, September 9, 2012

The Diviners – Libba Bray - Kobo

The Diviners opens with a group of teenagers in Manhattan in the 20s playing a game to summon spirits. They summon N-A-U-G-H-T-Y-J-O-H-N (who has work to do). So, of course, I had to continue. 

A very intriguing story with intriguing topics, such as New York’s history, including its underground business lords. All of this is rather vague and does not connect with the rest of the story, entirely, but keeps the reader guessing to grasp the intended meaning and symbolism. 

There are many characters and, at times, I lost a few of them. However, the main characters were unique and solid, especially the lead, Evie. Evie is psychic and has intense abilities, but she is also shallow, mouthy, determined, and very curious. She’s sent to live with her uncle (who owns an occult museum) in New York after being sent away from her hometown because of ‘bad behaviour’. She is curious to find out all she can – good and bad – about city life and its inhabitants and this leads her to the scene of Naughty John’s grotesque work. 

The Diviners definitely has a different feel to it. It’s horror, and seems a little risqué with some of its subject matter, which is not that obvious or subtle. This strangeness makes the novel and writing what it is, I suppose, and it creates a certain mood - one that’s not completely comforting to the reader. At one point, I felt it had an Alfred Hitchcock feel to it, but then this dispersed into something else. 

I did enjoy it and was happy to discover it is part of a series - although, I can’t find any information about the next book.  For more about the book and to view the trailer, visit:  www.thedivinersseries.com

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