Author: Libba Bray (Page 1 of 2)

Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3)
by Libba Bray
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that early claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough of lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over, and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them fact-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.

 

A thin stream of tears trickled down his cheek. He tapped his head gently against the back of his chair: “The land is old, the land is vast, he has no future, he has no past, his coat is sewn with many woes, he’ll bring the dead, the King of Crows.… He’ll bring the dead, the King of Crows, King of Crows, King of Cr—”

Tell me. Tell me what’s next. Tell me what to do. Tell me what to do with my life. I spent a month reading this series, and it’s almost as if I’ve lost a family member now that I’m all caught up. And, more than that, I have no desire whatsoever to read. It’s as if food has lost its taste. As if the wind and the trees and the birds singing are nothing. Life has lost all meaning.

This was what Henry ran from. This was what the jokes masked. It wasn’t callousness. It was pain and loss so great he could only let it in a little at a time, filtered through the safety of melody and rhythm.

Okay. Whatever. I’m eating a home-baked cookie right now that defies all logic of deliciousness that I just found the recipe for BUT YOU GET MY POINT. I don’t know what to do with myself anymore.

I had a whole list planned for the month of October-no real set reading order, I just knew that I at least wanted to get Hidden Bodies and The Diviners read-I’d heard nothing but amazing things about the The Diviners, only that it was scary-ish and beyond addiciting, so I knew I had to save it for now, when I had an excuse to scare the living crap out of me. So I decided to start it first-seemed logical? Then I could read the second one in the middle of the month and the third at the end, for Halloween.

“Why would somebody put that here?” Memphis said. “It doesn’t look like the others. The others are hopeful. This…” He shuddered. “This is a nightmare.”
“Hey! Come see what I found,” Jericho called.
Sam turned to Memphis. “See, when somebody says that to me in a dirty, creepy hole of a cellar, my first inclination is to run.”

Well *bleep* sakes, I couldn’t wrap my head around any other book after I had put down the first and I just knew what I had to do-Binge read for the first time in YEARS. And see? SEE WHY I DON’T DO THIS?? Well, and, to be fair, no series has made me WANT to binge in this manner in forever. Like…WHY.

Jericho glared. “It’s more complicated than black and white, good and evil. Don’t forget: Jake Marlowe saved my life once upon a time.”
“And for that you owe him your blind loyalty?”
“Okay. You two crazy kids,” Sam said, laughing nervously. “Tell me the truth: What have you both got against fun? Was it a childhood trauma? There is no prohibition against fun. Yet.”

And here I am writing an incoherent review that really isn’t necessary but really is necessary because this is my last outlet for fangirling about my lovable and amazing FAMILY. Yeah. I’ve upgraded them. They are truly my life my love and my sole reason for living, atm. But then there are darker things that surround this series, such as the wait for the final book, the sadness at the end, and, once again, how scary it was and the many, many deaths.

A guard waited at the front gate. He frowned. “Only Miss Knight is expected.”
“Oh, but I’m her sister and her chaperone,” Evie bluffed, putting a hand to her chest as if the idea of Theta going into the Hollywood viper pit unaccompanied was unthinkable. “And this lovely lady is her secretary, Miss Ling Chan, and this is her personal seamstress, Miss Mabel Rose.”
“I’ve made all of Miss Knight’s costumes for the Follies,” Mabel said, falling right in. “I love to sew.”
The guard eyed Ling suspiciously. “And I love to… secretary.”

These are some dark books, and I think people should know that. It’s YA, but I think it pushes that envelope. I mean, it’s not TOO much, but it just is very dense and it covers a lot of topics. I never expected that-I never expected to care about so many things…yet here I am, loving every little thing about it-aside from the darkness of animals. I just do not like the mauling of innocent things. And perhaps I’m too tender-hearted, but I refuse to think any differently. If this was gotten rid of, and less child death (I don’t have any specifics for you, just know that it does happen and it is NOT shied away from), I really would have zero complaints besides wanting to sleep with all the lights on.

“You see him?” Sam asked as they peeked around a noisy boiler.
“Huh-uh. And I don’t like basements. Nothing good happens in basements. That’s where one-toothed murderers always live,” Evie whispered. “In basements.”
“Well, my mother used to put pickled herring in our basement,” Sam said, inching forward.
“See what I mean? If it’s not ghosts and one-toothed murderers, it’s pickled herring.”

And it’s no secret that I am in a legion of rabid fans who would DIE to see Sam and Evie together…but do we get to see that in this book? Or does she end up with Jericho? Or neither? And what the heck happens at the end that effected everyone so? These are the questions that should plague those who haven’t gotten around to this beauty yet (or so I think AHHAAHA).

He opened the door and held out the rose. “Welcome.”
“Aww, Freddy, you shouldn’t have,” Sam said, taking the rose and threading it through the buttonhole of his coat. “This is so sudden! I don’t know what to say. Oh, okay. You’ve won me over, you big brute. The answer is yes.”
With that, Sam jumped into Jericho’s arms.

I honestly was expecting something a bit…bigger. But, as always, I am a peril loving fiend and, though this was dark as dark gets, it wasn’t big enough to make me go crazy-though I did love it wholeheartedly all the same. I’m sorry, I’m just waiting for some hero saving the damsel in distress to happen, and I haven’t gotten that yet-and I don’t think I’m likely to…and it kind of bothers me. I don’t know why, but I just really expected that to happen, at least once. And the two opportunities where I expected it to happen, it didn’t. Poo.

But nothing was braver than letting somebody really know you, warts and all. Nothing was braver than trying to love and be loved.

No, Libba is more about the subtle chaos and mayhem and destruction of our souls-and this seems to really resonate with people. I don’t know, something about it being more realistic *mumbles to self* Hmph. That’s not to say I didn’t love the ending, though, because I did. Either way, this book is by far the darkest, and I suppose I never expected it to be so bleak.

And I really really really wouldn’t be me if I didn’t say something about my baby Sam-What?! I’ve been so so good, haven’t I? I love all my characters, I really do, but Sam and Evie just shine. They are my absolute favorites and they never cease to make me smile. And I think their character growth over the last three books has been wonderful-if not even separately, together.

They have the most wonderful relationship and it radiates warmth and glows like the sun, even as Evie rolls her eyes and acts as if she can’t be bothered by it all. She has her eyes set on Jericho this whole book…and it literally kills Sam. My heart. I LOVE IT SO HARD.

“Well, maybe you can give him a noodge?”
“A what?”
“A noodge. A little prodding,” Sam explained. “I’m getting antsy here.”
“Fine. I’ll send him an urgent letter.” At the door, she wrinkled her nose. “Noodge? Is that a real word?”
“It’s Yiddish. Like… Ikh hob dikh lib.”
Evie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “What does that mean?”
Sam smiled. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”

Their friendship, despite the banter (or maybe because of it), is so strong and they clearly have a strong connection-something that has grown from the last book that they never wanted, needed, or anticipated. It just…it rings wonderfully authentic and precious and you can’t help but love them, even if they don’t end up together, and even more if they do. He will always support her no matter her horrible decisions, and he’ll always implore her to be herself, because who else should she be but the girl he thinks is just the best? And it’s for this reason I am ride or die, and I it really makes my love for this series infinite with it’s exponential growth-and don’t even get me started on how wonderful Evie is and how she has become someone to love and admire, even when she’s being silly (which I’ve always loved).

“But I got my own kind of smarts, from the streets, and when I go after something, well, just try’n shake me off. I’m an odd fella, but I know I’m an odd fella. What I can’t figure out is why you gotta make yourself crackers trying to be somebody you can’t ever be instead of just letting yourself be the one and only Evie O’Neill.”

And, lastly, I wanted to say that this one will be hard for some-there are a lot of deaths, and some I just didn’t expect-one for sure. I never would have guessed…because it’s such a BIG deal!! And man…it shook me. I am shooketh. Though….eh, I won’t say it. But I’m certainly thinking it lol. Sad as it may be! And another…like wtf? That was soooo not expected, but maybe because it was so out of left field-I don’t know! It was like oh lots of death la la la these people are off to the side, I’m sure they’re fine and then BAM!!! HE/SHE GONE! Like WHAT?! Libba, you devious Minx. And then…a couple were so grisly like….omg poor poor souls :/ Oh, and one death?! HAHAHA BRING IT ON. TAKE THAT, YOU-YOU-YOU WHATEVER YOU ARE!

AND DO NOT GET ME GOING ON THAT MENTAL ASYLUM OKAY?! I thought it was going to be the whole book, but turns out Libba wanted things to come to a head, to get darker…and oh boy, they so did. I did not expect that plot to change…but I’m glad it did, because that hospital killed me. IT WAS WAY TOO SCARY I COULDN’T EVEN READ IT! So, for those of you scared of the asylum…get past a certain point and you’re good! (I mean…kind of) lol

One minute, they were a group; the next, they were a mob. And that was what scared him about the dead things inside the fog: They were the blood-fever of those wild nights on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. They were the dark corners of the refuge where the priests didn’t bother looking.

**

We wish you love. And dreams. And hope.
We wish we could keep you from making the same mistakes.
We wish we could extinguish your hate.
We wish we could walk among you just to be close to the living.
Sometimes, we do.

So yeah. This crazy review happened. I know it’s a little off the wall odd, but what review by me isn’t? When I love something, I love it with every fiber of my being…and this series deserves all the praise. I just hope I can last until that final book comes out…because Ms. Bray literally holds my heart in the palm in her hand.

We are the dead.
We are the keepers of the stories.
We hold the history of blood and promises.
We are speaking.
Are you listening?
Will you hear?

**********************

My heart. My poor damaged heart. My literal obsession and month long life is now over and my heart. There’s no release date for the fourth and my fucking heart. Now what?

RTC.

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Lair of Dreams (The Diviners)
by Libba Bray
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

In this heart-stopping sequel to The Diviners, Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray takes readers deeper into the mystical underbelly of New York City.

 

“I’ve spent the last two hours worried that you were bleeding to death in a ditch,” Evie continued. “Now that I know you’re okay, I just want you to be bleeding to death in a ditch.”
“Aww, Lamb Chop, you missed me.”

Annnnnd the hype is officially real. It’s not often I love a book as much as I did the first, but, here, I was a goner. At the beginning I was like eh, okay, LET’S GET TO SAM AND EVIE AND JERICHO AND WHAT’S UP WITH THAT DRAMA AGHHH BRING IT ON. But then, as the story progressed, I just…I died a little. All of a sudden I didn’t want to rush through everything (well…maybe the scary-more on that later) and I cared so deeply about dear Henry and even Ling, that you couldn’t pay me to put it down.

Yes, she liked this very much. She just had to get Sam on board.
The operator broke the silence. “I’ve got that call for you, Miss O’Neill.”
Sam’s voice crackled over the line, filled with smirk. “Well, if it isn’t the future Mrs. Lloyd.
“Daaarling,” she trilled. “I’ve missed you.”
There was a brief pause on the other end, then: “Uh-oh.”

And about that love-I loved it just as much as the first…but in a different way. It’s like, you can’t compare horror to romance, can you?

(joke lost on those who haven’t seen this episode/obsessed about Friends)

Hmm. Joey thinks so. But, my point is, aside from the fact that they are BOTH terrifying (albeit in different ways), it’s so much more than the mystery, to me. It’s the characters. It’s each new challenge they face. It’s everything that’s built up to that moment and why they feel the way they do and what they do together and how they become closer and start to become best friends and crime fighters, in their own way, yet they are all so different and come from all kinds of walks of life. Their motivations? All different. But, in the end, the goal comes down to one thing, and one thing only: Saving the world and keeping everyone they love safe.

Ordinary people were capable of extraordinary bravery. That was the only magic Sam knew or trusted.

***

…things you loved deeply could be lost in a second, and then there was no filling the hole left inside you. So she lived in the moment, as if her life were one long party that never had to stop as long as she kept the good times going.

Sure, Naughty John was one bad mother F*****. But this new ghost? Ummm Like. How. IN THE HELL. Am I. Supposed. To. SLEEP?! Like…gnashing teeth. Unhinged jaws. Glows in the tunnel. Flickering lights-ghastly and ghostly creatures there one minute, crouching low to the ground with their SHARP teeth chomping, and simply gone the next. A ghostly woman in a veil coming through the mist…and out of a tunnel? Again, I implore you, how the EFF am I supposed to sleep after that?

Argh this series, guys, this series will be the END of me.

“Nothing,” Jericho said, his brows sharpening. “Where are the Mystical Mediums?”
“The Third Eyes? I left ’em to play with the tarot cards.”
“You what?” Jericho said.
“Relax, Freddy. I told ’em the tarot cards can only be read by special people with special powers. Naturally, they think that’s them. Trust me: They’re as happy as clams.”
“That’s a ridiculous analogy. As if someone could gauge the happiness of a mollusk,” Will grumbled, pawing at his messy desk till he found his cigarettes.

What’s so baffling to me is, and it’s hard to explain, the layers and the depth written into these beautiful novels. They’re terrifying not only because of what’s coming, what’s watching, whatever, but the words haunt you almost as much as the picture they’re painting. It shows each and every murder, most times in great detail-or, in this case, each loss of life through DREAMS-and you just don’t realize how much that gets under your skin…not until the end.

Each moment seems insignificant. But, as each new death/murder happens, they become more and more intense until, at the very end, our tension level is so high we might burst without even realizing we had been so pent up-and at that point? It’s too late. Each moment builds up to make the ultimate moment-and it explodes and spreads the tingling fear from head to toe, into each finger and limb, until you’re numb and scared through every pore…and yet you can’t put the book down and stop reading so you can keep your sanity-and SLEEP.

But dreams can’t be contained for long. Their natural trajectory is forward. Out. Up. Away. Past all barriers and borders. Into the world.
This is true of nightmares, too.

Have I mentioned sleep a lot? Yes. Well. I’ve lost so much sleep reading this series-through both major feels and extreme fright-that I literally feel so bad today I don’t even have the will to do human things-I’m even skipping my workout. Like…this series has consumed my life. I’m not even joking. Even now, all I want to do is curl up with the book and read under a blanket on my soft and inviting couch. I’m so tired, and yet, I put reading above sleep. Talk about a sickness that could kill you. I might have a heart attack lol. Though, I’ve never said I’m not a wussy.

“Now is the only thing you can count on, Sam. It’s all we really get,” she said quietly, and felt that it was the truest thing she’d said in a long time.

Now, moving on from that, I finally got my Sam and Evie time. As I’ve said and will say many times over, I need more Sam and Evie, and I truly don’t think I could ever get my fill (fake relationships leading to true feelings for the WIN). And yet…..that ache? That hollowness that can only be filled when I get my every wish? It’s a vast craving that keeps me coming back for more like an addict-so the author must be doing something right because, even though I’m dying for more, I don’t want it.

“May I help you, sir?” he said, letting Sam know he’d worn out his sidewalk welcome.
“Pal,” Sam said, giving Evie one last, longing look, “I really wish you could.”

THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID IT: I’m so insane that I LOVE the tortuous slow burn that this author has created and I’m a fiend for it. When we get one or two chapters from their POV, I literally…well…my life is made in those moments. And when she takes them away to talk about other characters? I die a little inside. And the pining begins again. You see, it’s a vicious cycle-a vicious cycle that works. I may think about it 24/7 (crazy crazy), but it’s because I can’t just have what I want. And even if I got what I want, what’s the point of pining? So yes, I’m crazy…but I love it. I’m here for it. I’m ready for large declarations of love that will make my heart pound and my eyes water and I am a true psychotic follower.

“Done,” Sam said. He stared up at her with big peepers and a lupine grin. “We’ll have to make the chumps believe it. Moonlight strolls. Staring into each other’s eyes. Sharing the same straw in our egg cream. Dreadful pet names.”
“Not Lamb Chop,” Evie protested. “That’s hideous.”
“You got it, Pork Chop.”

That being said, I didn’t realize how obsessively in love with this series I was until I finished book one, wanted a break, yet couldn’t concentrate on anything else. What a remarkable feeling. I haven’t felt this way for a series in FOREVER. I can’t even tell you the last time I binge-read a series in this fashion…so, here I am, exclaiming my love (a bit repetitively, but who’s keeping track?) for this scary and tremendously addicting series.

“Pos-i-tute-ly isn’t a real word,” she said.
“Why, it pos-i-tute-ly is! It’s in the dictionary, just before prob-a-lute-ly.”
“You’re doing that simply to annoy me.”
“Abso-tive-ly not.” Henry’s smile was pure innocence.

I love Henry. I love Theta. I love Jericho and Sam and Evie and Ling and Memphis and even his brother…I won’t go into it, but I HATE that dumb Uncle Bill. I want to stab him. I HATE HIM. I do NOT get his moments and I loathe manipulation in that manner.

I fear something dark is coming from his involvement and I do. Not. Like. IT. But, I digress. I love almost every character, so every chapter just seeps into my pores and I was made again as I blazed through this story.

“Theta, I’d feel a whole lot better if you stayed here,” Memphis said.
“Nothing doing. Henry’s my best friend, my only family. He’s all I got.”
“You’ve got me,” Memphis said softly.
“Poet, I didn’t mean it that way.…”
“Mabel shouldn’t go. Theta shouldn’t go. Why is no one being chival… chivaroos… how come none of you bums is looking out for me?” Evie pouted as she sprawled across her chair..
“I am,” Theta said. She yanked Evie to a sitting position, put a cup of coffee to her lips, and practically poured it down her throat.

And the banter? Again, it was off the charts hilarious. In fact, it was equal parts hilarious, sigh-inducing, eye-roll worthy, and HAWT. Depends who was bantering, haha, but every bit of it was worth your time. I am an avid fan of each person in this series and their banter makes me a permanent stalker in their lives. Yikes. I fit right in with the creepy crawlies! 😛 Oh, and, even I can’t believe it, but I had SIXTEEN ‘review highlights’ for this one!!! ‘twas agony choosing which to use *dramatic back of hand against forehead*.

Theta had been trying to figure out how to talk about this with Evie for weeks. She narrowed her eyes. “If you breathe a word of what I’m about to say, I swear I’ll hunt you for sport and wear your skin as a coat.” 
Evie opened one eye. “It would have a satin lining, though. Promise me it would.”

I feel like I could go on and on and on again….but the point is-if you didn’t catch it-this series is a winner. And I know I missed some things I was going to say by rambling on like I do, but it’s how I feel and I just think everyone should give this series a shot. I even tracked down the third book and found a SIGNED copy to order. #Obsession. So read it. Don’t read it. Either way, your loss. You’re either missing out….or you’re going down a path that I can’t pull you away from…and it’s terrifying (100th use of the word in my Diviner reviews HA).

**********

Oh Gahd, guys-it’s happened. I’ve been complaining for months that, while I’ve read plenty of excellent 4 or 5 star books this year, it’s been a while since a series has consumed my soul, made my heart pound, stolen my every waking thought-and now the time has come. And, wouldn’t ya know, it’s a fucking TERRIFYING series that, as mentioned above but in different, individual ways, makes my heart pound, steals my every waking thought, and consumed my soul…with evil.

That’s right. I am an obsessed love-sick puppy that craves this series (it’s crack) when I can’t be reading it. I think about it all day until I can pick it up again. I toss and turn long after I finish because I am completely obsessed and here for Evie and Sam and mayhem and peril, but also because I am terrified of ghosts and this series is f-ing with my head. I have lost more sleep since I started this series than when I just plain have a bad week of sleep.

These books? TERRIFYING. I don’t care what people say-they are scary. They are deep. They are romantic and addicting and so much fun. They. Are. EVIL.

I cannot wait for book three, but I don’t know if I can wait for book 4 when that day comes and I don’t have another book to jump to. I keep saying, oh I’m guna read another book inbetween, or two, and save these for near Halloween, yet I find my dumb ass running to the next book, curled up on the couch with every light on, absorbing my latest hit of adrenaline before attempting sleep again.

Dumb dumb dumb girl.

RTC. Yes, MORE review. I have LOTS to say.

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