Review disclaimer:
I am not an expert book reviewer and these are just my own opinions about the books. Whatever is said in these blogs is not meant to insult or harm the authors or the audience of the book. Feel free to contact me about any issues or inquiries at sunnyday.vlogslife@gmail.com
Although most part of the review is spoiler-free *this review may contain spoilers* but I do write a warning before this happens and it is just a small section of the blog.
Is this review too long for you? Read this!
My rating of the whole series:
5/5 stars
Was it worth reading?:
Yes, definitely.
Things I liked about the book:
- diverse characters
- the overall pace of the series
- the overall plotand atmosphere
I would recommend this book if you are someone who:
- enjoys reading historical fiction, especially reading books set in
the 1920s America
- loves reading multiple perspective books that follow many different
characters
- likes to read a character-focused and/or a plot focused book (believe
me, this series has both)
- loves to solve mysteries and get scared when readingThe Diviners is a young adult historical fiction series written by American author Libba Bray. It consists of 4 books, the first book The Diviners was released in 2012 and the last book The King of Crows was recently released in 2020.
The whole series is set in 1920s America and it follows a group of characters who have a unique and strange supernatural power. Eventually, throughout the series, they realize that they have to work together to be able to defeat the dark force that is planning to take over the world. We start by slowly getting to know each of the characters while they also get to discover more about their origins and powers. All of the books are full of mysteries and action and fights where the characters have to test their powers and learn how to use them together. In each book they encounter different enemies as they are trying to survive and defeat them they start to learn more about the sinister mystery behind the origin of their powers and the truth. The series is full of action, emotions, very interesting and diverse characters, and an engaging plotline that had me hooked in from the beginning.
The series had been very popular among YA readers and I remember seeing a lot of good reviews about the first book back when it was released. Since then the series has gained a lot of popularity and more fans have been following the characters' stories since they first made their appearance in 2012. I picked up this book mainly because I wanted to come out of my comfort zone. I have never really liked reading historical fiction and the idea of reading a book set in the 1920s and the book being part of a 4 book series was not really something that I was interested in. I actually had The Diviners sitting on my shelf for so long until I decided to pick it up last year.
When I finished the first book, I just knew that I NEEDED to read the rest of the series. I will be talking bout the three things that I enjoyed about the book. These include the characters, atmosphere and writing style of the book.
Characters
All the characters presented were very unique and diverse. I believe that Bray manages to introduce us to such a big group of characters who are very complex. I believe that having a diverse cast that included characters of colour, characters with disabilities, characters of different sexual orientation, characters who are recovering from trauma and abuse, really represents the wide variety of individuals living in America and all over the world. The book is narrated by many different characters and we are constantly changing our perspective. I will be including some information about the characters.
After hearing and reading some other reviews I have noticed that many people seem to dislike the fact that there are many characters and that they seem to be more interested in one character more than the other and therefore do not enjoy the multiperspective aspect of the books. Each book focused on a number of characters and throughout the series, you can really get to learn about all of them. Some people would argue that Evie O'Neil is the main character, however, I would say that that is not the case since we do follow each character in depth throughout the whole series.
The main issue about having a lot of characters and having books that are multiperspective is that sometimes some characters can get lost and may be difficult to differentiate but in this series, you could clearly tell who is speaking or whose voice or story we are reading about and I just think that Libba Bray is very talented for being able to manage such thing.
*This section might contain some spoilers as I will be pointing out their powers and adding a little bit about their past. Skip to the next section of the blog if you don't wish you read spoilers.
Evie O'Neill
Evie is one of the first characters we get to meet in the series. She definitely is the charming American doll with her blonde hair and looks. Evie is able to read objects when she touches them or holds them in her hand. Evie loves to party and drinking a lot but most of the time she is just trying to drown her grief. Throughout the series, she starts to learn more about the truth behind the death of her brother, who was also a diviner.
Theta Knight
Theta is a woman who had been abused in her past marriage and managed to escape by using her powers. She is trying to reinvent herself and be her own person. She is such a strong woman and her voice is very unique. Theta is able to set things on fire and throughout the book, she learns how to control her powers and come to terms with the person she is in the present day.
Jericho Jones
Jericho is an interesting character. I can't imagine how hard it would be to know (or think) that your life literally depends on another person. After an accident, Jericho was saved by a scientist who was trying out a new "formula" that would create the "best American". Jericho was injured but after his surgery, he has to live with a mechanical aid in his body that helps him breathe. Although at first he is not considered a diviner, he soon finds out that he might also be connected to the diviners group because of his extraordinary strength.
Henry DuBois IV
Henry depicts a community of people that at that time (and even in modern times) is not quite accepted by society. Henry loves to write music and perform. He also escapes from home because of the repressive relationship he had with his father. Unable to be accepted as a homosexual man, he tries to live his own life in New York where he meets Theta. Henry is able to walk in dreams and interact with them in some ways.
Memphis Campbell
Memphis the poet. Memphis works for a crime boss in Manhattan. He is one of the black characters in the series (along with his little brother who is also a diviner). Memphis is able to heal people when he touches them. After the death of his mom, as he tried to save her with his power, he stopped using his power but eventually starts gaining more confidence in it and using it to help the other.
Sam Lloyd
Sam is a charming guy who we don't get to know much about until later in the book. Her mom was a Russian immigrant and she disappeared mysteriously. Sam is trying to find her and find out who is behind her disappearance. He is a total joker and is always trying to charm Evie. Sam is able to go without being seen when he wishes.
Ling Chang
Ling appears later in the series and she is a character that not a lot of people talk about (which is very unfortunate). Ling works at her parents' restaurant but her real passion is science. She is such a logical and intelligent character. Ling has a disability and she talks about the judgment that people have of her for being both Chinese and disabled. Ling, like Henry, is able to walk in dreams and interact with that environment.
What I love about these characters is that each of them has their own past and current struggles and goals but they learn how to help each other and solve these issues together. The characters of this book are all trying to reinvent themselves through self-acceptance and this allows for character development and growth in the series.
I also enjoy the fact that the characters don't necessarily represent a "stereotypical" population but instead interact with the societal and cultural background of 1920 America. For instance, through the characters, we can see the lack of acceptance of the largely immigrant population of America and I believe that it is important to point out that a lot of the things mentioned in the book are still an issue in today's society. We see the perspective of a homosexual man in an environment where he feels repressed and rejected by society, a Chinese woman with a physical disability who feels judged for being an immigrant, a black man living in America who is unjustly framed or criminalized for different things. You can definitely tell that there is character development throughout the series, you see these group of individuals go through very hard times and also growing tighter together and helping each other with their struggles, and emotional journeys.
I also found this interesting site that pairs each character with a zodiac sign. Check it out if you are interested!
Atmosphere
Bray does an amazing job at capturing the atmosphere of the 1920s. The books are so engaging and the atmosphere created is just gorgeous and at the same time very eerie.
I really appreciated the little bits of culture and history added to the story. I can definitely see the amount of research that Bray put into this book.
Politics and historical context also take a big part in the description of the setting of this series, which, to me, it seems like an essential aspect to set the tone of the book. It adds societal tension to the already existing plot mystery and character struggle. I don't think the talk about politics is overdone at all and it is actually a pretty important part of our understanding of the struggle of some of the characters. Because we are given such a good context of life in the 1920s in America, we are able to emphasize with the characters and get engaged in their character development.
In the author's note she explains that while most of the story is fictional, she did base some of the things mentioned in real-life 1920s articles. For instance, on top of the characters' struggles with their powers and against the enemy, they also have to think about their struggles with society. When Memphis is not able to go to certain places because of the colour of his skin, or when Henry struggles with his family because of his sexuality, we can see that these are characters that are struggling in the historical context of the series. And it shows the flaws of an America that has always claimed to be progressive. It helps us open our eyes to the realities that happened back in those times and makes us reflect on our modern times and how some of these problematic ideas and views have not changed.
I want to especially point out that the audiobook just makes the experience so much better. January LaVoy did an amazing job at giving each character their unique voice and making the setting come to life. I believe that the audiobook really adds an extra layer of eeriness to the story. I would definitely recommend anyone to listen to the audiobook along with the book because the experience is unique and extremely engaging.
Writing Style
I would describe the writing to be very practical, straightforward and economic. I wouldn't consider the writing to be poetic, but it was truly powerful. The Divers series can be quite lengthy but it does have a consistent pace. The author wastes no time on things that will not further add to the story or the character development. Hence, I would consider her writing to be very straightforward and practical, which works perfectly for the series. Every chapter, every description adds to the characters and the plot. I would definitely want to read more from Libba Bray if her writing is as consistent as in this series. Bray was able to add a lot of description but also keep the pace going, which is something that is difficult to do. I must also say that some of the parts of the books were actually really scary and it added to the overall tone of the series. Libba Bray pulls you into this mystery and engages their audience to try to solve the mystery with the characters. She puts us in situations where we really feel for the characters, or get scared with them and this really helps us remain interested in continuing the series.
Adding to this conversation about pace, I believe that the pace of the series as a whole was perfect. In each book we got to learn more about the overall story and mystery that persists throughout the 4 books and we always get a lot of action. We also get to start to connect plot points and continue to solve the underlying mystery throughout. Each book feels fresh because mostly they each have a different "enemy" that the diviners have to defeat until eventually in the fourth book they encounter their main and biggest enemy: the king of crows.
This book truly has everything! Romance, friendships, diverse characters, mystery, horror, different emotions, hopefulness, grief and more. It can make your heart jump with how scary some of the sections are, it can also break your heart with some of the characters. The cultural and historical connotations can anger you and frustrate you.
Lastly, I must add that the last book, The King of Crows does not disappoint. It was a truly good way to wrap up the series. The resolution for this series left me satisfied and I believe she addresses all the questions raised throughout the series and nothing remains unresolved. Both the external conflicts and the inner conflicts of each character are solved in a believable and effective way.
For me, it's been a really long time since I found a series that I truly enjoyed reading. I am not really a series reader, I have always preferred to read standalone books but these books were just really different. It really took me by surprise and I would definitely recommend anyone who is interested in trying out something new.