Rachel Rambles About The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray
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.

The Diviners is told in third-person, and the point of view alternates between several characters. The one who narrates most of the story is Evie. She fully embraces the culture of New York City in the Roaring Twenties. She wears the flapper dresses and the short haircut and goes to speakeasies and runs around causing trouble. She's full of wild energy and enthusiasm, and she usually doesn't stop to think about the consequences of her actions. With some main characters, this quality would annoy me, but it was really endearing with Evie and it just worked for her.

The setting of this book is so vivid and real. Libba Bray captures this reckless and magical and exciting time period effortlessly. In the past, I've had a bit of a hard time getting into historical fiction, because I always felt like there was such a huge gap between my world and the world of the book. But I didn't have any problem whatsoever immersing myself in The Diviners. It never felt like I was reading a book set in the past. It just felt like I was reading a great book I couldn't put down.

The Diviners is a lot creepier than I expected. In a good way! The supernatural elements are so thorough and detailed and genius, and I couldn't see any of the plot twists coming. The murders scared the crap out of me. Each one of them is unexpected and reaches a whole new level of creepy. Especially since parts of the book are told from the point of view of the victims right before they're killed. I really shouldn't have been reading this in the dark before bed, because I totally convinced myself that I was going to be murdered by Naughty John any second. So that was great.

I know the idea of picking this book up is a bit daunting. It's huge (like 578 pages huge!) and it's historical fiction, which I think a lot of people have a hard time getting into. But guys, you need to read this book anyway because it's absolutely brilliant. It's easily one of the best books I've read this year.

If that didn't convince you, then here's a little threat: READ THIS BOOK OR I WILL SEND NAUGHTY JOHN TO KILL YOU. *laughs evilly* Sorry. I can't help it. This book did things to my brain.

(Oh and be sure to watch the awesome book trailer!)

-Rachel