Books 1 & 2 - 2014
Book 1: The Diviners by Libba Bray - 578 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
It's 1920s New York City. It's flappers and Follies, jazz and gin. It's after the war but before the depression. And for certain group of bright young things it's the opportunity to party like never before. For Evie O'Neill, it's escape. She's never fit in in small town Ohio and when she causes yet another scandal, she's shipped off to stay with an uncle in the big city. But far from being exile, this is exactly what she's always wanted: the chance to show how thoroughly modern and incredibly daring she can be. But New York City isn't about just jazz babies and follies girls. It has a darker side. Young women are being murdered across the city. And these aren't crimes of passion. They're gruesome. They're planned. They bear a strange resemblance to an obscure group of tarot cards. And the New York City police can't solve them alone. Evie wasn't just escaping the stifling life of Ohio, she was running from the knowledge of what she could do. She has a secret. A mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first.
Thoughts:
I’ve read every Libba Bray book, and I love each and every one of them for different reasons. She writes very ‘different’ books, just in general, and from each of the other books she’s written. And yet, every single one of them is awesome - thought provoking, moving, and well paced. The stories are fascinating and the characters are engaging. The Diviners is no different. The Diviners is the story of Evie, a teenage girl from Ohio who is sent to live with her Uncle in New York when her secret divining powers get her in trouble once again. Evie is a great character, confident but frightened, desperate for adventure, to be something more than just another society figure in Ohio. She’s got balls, and she’s got charisma, and I love that. Around the same time she gets to New York, a series of murders commence, strange murders that result in the involvement of her Uncle, who runs a museum of the occult. At the same time, we hear the story of others in New York, other young people with powers. Through the story, they all come across each other, and its evident that there is a destiny for each of them. It’s a long book, but it flies past; it hardly feels like 500+ pages. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel - definitely recommended!
1 / 50 books. 2% done!
578 / 15000 pages. 4% done!
Book 2: Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter - 444 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Zombies stalk the night. Forget blood and brains. These monsters hunger for human souls. Sadly, they've got mine... Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong. After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things. She's never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her...from everyone. Now, with her best friend Kat at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole's secret and learn to fight the darkness. But the clock is ticking...and if she fails at a single task, they're all doomed.
Thoughts:
I read the first book in this trilogy last year, but I haven’t written the review yet (because it totally makes sense to write your reviews back to front). Anyway. Such as life. This is the second book in the series about Ali Bell, whose parents were killed by zombies and who now fights zombies with a merry band of slayers, headed up by her boyfriend Cole. The first book in this series really did a good job of avoiding the teenage stereotypes - this one, not so much. There was a lot of boyfriend angst, a lot of stupid decisions made, a lot of hiding things that should have been revealed in order to sort things out. It annoyed me, and I struggled to get through this one (at least until the last 200 pages, when I just made myself push through) because I was getting so frustrated. The story is still interesting, and how Ali healed herself was really clever, but some of the things she decides to do are just stupid, and the whole idea that almost overnight she’s become a martial arts extraordinaire just seems silly. I’m still trying to work out where the story is headed and what resolution I should be looking out for in the end (are they going to kill all the zombies? Will Ali die?) as its not really apparent. Good, but not great.
2 / 50 books. 4% done!
1022 / 15000 pages. 7% done!
Currently reading:
- The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory - 437 pages
- Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore by Bettany Hughes - 412 pages
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson - 746 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich - 290 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
It's 1920s New York City. It's flappers and Follies, jazz and gin. It's after the war but before the depression. And for certain group of bright young things it's the opportunity to party like never before. For Evie O'Neill, it's escape. She's never fit in in small town Ohio and when she causes yet another scandal, she's shipped off to stay with an uncle in the big city. But far from being exile, this is exactly what she's always wanted: the chance to show how thoroughly modern and incredibly daring she can be. But New York City isn't about just jazz babies and follies girls. It has a darker side. Young women are being murdered across the city. And these aren't crimes of passion. They're gruesome. They're planned. They bear a strange resemblance to an obscure group of tarot cards. And the New York City police can't solve them alone. Evie wasn't just escaping the stifling life of Ohio, she was running from the knowledge of what she could do. She has a secret. A mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first.
Thoughts:
I’ve read every Libba Bray book, and I love each and every one of them for different reasons. She writes very ‘different’ books, just in general, and from each of the other books she’s written. And yet, every single one of them is awesome - thought provoking, moving, and well paced. The stories are fascinating and the characters are engaging. The Diviners is no different. The Diviners is the story of Evie, a teenage girl from Ohio who is sent to live with her Uncle in New York when her secret divining powers get her in trouble once again. Evie is a great character, confident but frightened, desperate for adventure, to be something more than just another society figure in Ohio. She’s got balls, and she’s got charisma, and I love that. Around the same time she gets to New York, a series of murders commence, strange murders that result in the involvement of her Uncle, who runs a museum of the occult. At the same time, we hear the story of others in New York, other young people with powers. Through the story, they all come across each other, and its evident that there is a destiny for each of them. It’s a long book, but it flies past; it hardly feels like 500+ pages. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel - definitely recommended!
1 / 50 books. 2% done!
578 / 15000 pages. 4% done!
Book 2: Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter - 444 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Zombies stalk the night. Forget blood and brains. These monsters hunger for human souls. Sadly, they've got mine... Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong. After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things. She's never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her...from everyone. Now, with her best friend Kat at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole's secret and learn to fight the darkness. But the clock is ticking...and if she fails at a single task, they're all doomed.
Thoughts:
I read the first book in this trilogy last year, but I haven’t written the review yet (because it totally makes sense to write your reviews back to front). Anyway. Such as life. This is the second book in the series about Ali Bell, whose parents were killed by zombies and who now fights zombies with a merry band of slayers, headed up by her boyfriend Cole. The first book in this series really did a good job of avoiding the teenage stereotypes - this one, not so much. There was a lot of boyfriend angst, a lot of stupid decisions made, a lot of hiding things that should have been revealed in order to sort things out. It annoyed me, and I struggled to get through this one (at least until the last 200 pages, when I just made myself push through) because I was getting so frustrated. The story is still interesting, and how Ali healed herself was really clever, but some of the things she decides to do are just stupid, and the whole idea that almost overnight she’s become a martial arts extraordinaire just seems silly. I’m still trying to work out where the story is headed and what resolution I should be looking out for in the end (are they going to kill all the zombies? Will Ali die?) as its not really apparent. Good, but not great.
2 / 50 books. 4% done!
1022 / 15000 pages. 7% done!
Currently reading:
- The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory - 437 pages
- Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore by Bettany Hughes - 412 pages
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson - 746 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich - 290 pages