“’People always fear what they don’t understand, Evangeline. History proves that.’”

Evie O’Neill is sent from her home in Ohio to New York City to live with her Uncle Will as punishment, yet to her it is anything but. In the 1920s, New York is an exciting place with speakeasies, movies, and plenty of places to shop. However, living with her Uncle Will, curator of “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies” turns out to be a much different experience than she had anticipated. Evie’s uncle is called in to help the local police solve a series of murders that seem to be related to the occult. Evie becomes caught up in the investigation and has a secret ability that she may be able to use to help catch the killer before it is too late.

It took me foreverrrr to get through this book because, while it definitely held my interest, it was a whopping 592 pages!! It was definitely worth it though, because this is an exciting story with so much to offer. There is mystery, romance, humor, and a bit of horror. In my opinion though, the best part of this book was the characters. This book reminded me a bit of The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross because it has a kooky band of characters that are trying to solve a mystery, yet they each have their own little side plot that is actual vital to the main plot. It’s definitely a challenge to be able to develop so many characters well in just one book, but Libby Bray, like Kady Cross, does it perfectly. I found myself attached to each and every character and kept hoping that they wouldn’t end up as the next murder victim!

I loved all of the characters, but my favorite was the protagonist, Evie. Evie is a sassy character who speaks her mind even though it sometimes gets her into trouble. She sneaks out to go drink and dance at speakeasies and is not afraid to see a murder scene. She is extremely brave and rather than shy away from the murders her uncle is trying to solve, she decides to use her special power to help him find the murderer.

Another thing I loved about this book is the time period. The Diviners takes place during the Roaring Twenties, which seems like a fascinating time to be in New York City. Bray does an excellent job of describing the city during the 20s and even the dialogue reflects the slang of the time period. I really felt as though I was transported to the 20s every time I sat down with this book.

Overall, The Diviners was an excellent book with a great cast of characters, a thrilling mystery, and fascinating historical context. While it was a very long book, the pacing was good and there really wasn’t a dull moment. I really enjoyed it and I’m definitely looking forward to the next book!

The Diviners was released on September 18, 2012 and is the first book in The Diviners series. The second book is currently untitled and is expected to be released in 2014.