On My Shelf #1

Hi everyone! I’ve had this idea for a while that I would like to do random spotlight posts on books that are on my shelves, not only to give them some love, but also to see how much I know about them and if I’ve read them or not! I won’t be choosing the books myself, but instead I will be using a random number generator.

I have 5 total shelving units, but two are half sizes so for this series I’m going to combine the two half shelves into one. I also have about 6 shelves per unit, and then about 20 books per shelf, so those will be the max numbers I will be using each time. If I get a shelf with less books, then I’ll just count again until I hit the generated number.

For the first On My Shelf post, my randomly generated numbers are…..*drumroll please*…. 1, 4, and 9! That means I’ll be talking about THE DIVINERS!

The Diviners
by Libba Bray
Series: The Diviners #1
Release date: September 18th 2012

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal

SOMETHING DARK AND EVIL HAS AWAKENED… 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-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries her uncle will discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho is hiding a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened…

Have I read The Diviners?

I in fact HAVE read The Diviners, so this is a great book to start out with for this series of posts. I finished this book last year in June, and ended up really enjoying it. Originally I was a little worried because it was urban fantasy and it had been a while since I had read an urban fantasy that I enjoyed, but this was such a great book.

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What were my thoughts?

The one thing that still stands out to me over a year later is the atmosphere. The care that went into creating this version of 1920’s New York really showed, and it didn’t shy away from the last than savory aspects of that time. Add the joy and free spirit of the twenties, with horrifying and terrible real life movements (eugenics, the KKK, the Pillar of Fire Church) and add in a dash of paranormal activity and you’ve got a extremely eerie and creepy book!

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Would I recommend it?

I would, especially during this time of year if you’re looking for a creepy read! I think that a wide variety of readers would like this because it’s got enough fantastical elements to hook a fantasy reader, but it’s set in a contemporary setting and is historical, so if you’ve been wanting to pick this up or you’re just finding out about it, I recommend it!

Have you read The Diviners? What were your thoughts, and what do you think about this new spotlight series?