Before the Devil Breaks You - by Libba Bray

Title: Before the Devil Breaks You
Author: Libba Bray
Published: 3 Oct 2017
Series: The Diviners #3
Rating: 5 stars
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.

We are a country built by immigrants, dreams, daring, and opportunity.
We are a country built by the horrors of slavery and genocide, the injustice of racism and exclusion. These realities exists side by side. It is out past and our present. The future is unwritten.
This is a book about ghosts.
For we live in a haunted house.

I listened to this as an audiobook.

Theta and Memphis are my adorable mixed couple, Sam and Evie are my sweethearts, David and Henry are my passionate pair, and Ling and Alma are my cuties. I also loved Conor and Mabel and Isaiah. However, Roy can go die in a hole please and thank you.

I still absolutely adore January's voice in the narration of this series too, plus all of the voices she can do for them. In this one, she was even able to do a young Sister Walker voice and a robot voice. Her singing voice is pos-i-tutely divine and when the argument in the library happens, there's no "said so-and-so" but you can still tell exactly who's who because of how well January does their voices. I'd also like to think that the character Alma LaVoy, has the same surname as January as a sort of thank you. 

The sex scenes seemed pretty meh to me, possibly because they all happened at the same place in the book. It was good that Ling wasn't thrust into those scenes though as that is definitely not the way her character would behave.

Henry looked from Ling to Alma and back again. His mouth slid into a sly smile. "Oh my."

I do have a theory though. Maybe Theta and Sam are related in some way? I could be completely wrong though, but I'm probably going to think that until the next book comes out and I can find out.


Henry's fake songs are also quite nice to listen to, even though they're made up on the spot at random times. Also, at one stage we'd barely hear from or about Jericho which I noticed, but it didn't phase me too much as I was more invested in the other characters at the time.

I seem to see new sayings in each book in this series that I have yet to hear too but sticks with the 1920s feel. "She's a real tomato", "then you're all wet", "something left-handed about him".

Libba Bray read the author's note at the end which was a nice touch.

He put a hand to the cool, painted stones bearing witness to so many names, so many histories. In the mural, there were painted lines for the Underground, like scars stretched across the skin of the infected nation. There were wounds and then there were wounds. Some were so great Memphis had no idea how they could ever be healed.

Spoilers!

Yes, I did indeed cry when Mabel and Conor died.


I also guessed that Blind Bill was Geome Johnson.

The part about making more Diviners was an interesting twist though. I also noticed the foreshadowing we'd seen, after we'd found out that the Fitter Families tents were the ones finding the Diviners.

End Spoilers!

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All books in this series:

    1 | The Diviners
    2 | Lair of Dreams
    3 | Before the Devil Breaks You

    4 | The King of Crows

Lair of Dreams - by Libba Bray

Title: Lair of Dreams
Author: Libba Bray
Published: 25 Aug 2015
Series: The Diviners #2
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
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?

Evie: I've spent the last two hours worried that you were bleeding o death in a ditch. Now that I know you're okay, I just want you bleeding to death in a ditch.
Sam: Aww, Lamb Chop, you missed me.

I listened to this book as an audiobook.

The sleeping sickness was an interesting thing to red about, and it reminded me a bit of Freddie Kreuger.

George was so sweet that I just wanted to cuddle him. It was nice to see that Ling's parents were a mixed couple - her mother was Irish and her father was Chinese. It was nice to see all the main characters that we'd been introduced to meet each other too and how they interacted.

January LaVoy does such a great job as the narrator. Every time she did the dream voice or the creepy ghost voices, I literally needed to turn a light on as I was starting to get that creeped out. But when she had to sing was absolutely beautiful, especially the Slumberland song. I did also nearly forget that Adelaide Proctor existed though which I was a little miffed at myself for.

I do have a question though, what's with the Goodly Heritage people? They've been mentioned a few times and I'm beginning to wonder why.

Reading about Nora and was super creepy too! I could just be turning into a bit of a wuss by now instead though.

It's good that there were multiple sayings from the time period too - such as "it's the elephant's eyebrows", "you're the berries", "let's ankle", and "nothing doing".

I loved getting to see Henry's backstory and Will's past though as it made me connect with those characters a bit more.

Spoilers!

I didn't cry when Louie was leaving, but I did tear up quite a bit. I'd guessed that he was maybe dead, but I didn't want to believe it.

I also guessed that Wai-Mae was dead and the lady with the veil too. Quite glad I got that one right. But I also guessed that Blind Bill was the cursed man in the story that he was telling, and by now I feel like that was sort of easy to guess.

End Spoilers!

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All books in this series:

    1 | The Diviners
    2 | Lair of Dreams
    3 | Before the Devil Breaks You

    4 | The King of Crows

The Diviners - by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Published: 18 Sep 2012
Series: The Diviners #1
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: 
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 he’ll 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 hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

I listened to this as an audiobook.

The introduction was read by Libba Bray which was a great personal touch to the book.

January LaVoy did a pos-i-tute-ly wonderful job of narrating this audiobook. Her voice changed for each of the characters and you get the vibe of 1926 in her tone of voice. She's even able to make Naughty John's song sound creepy enough that I had to turn on a light while listening to it at night.

Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones.

There were multiple points of view, but it didn't feel like it took anything away from the story. I also quite liked the backstories of the characters.

I'm somehow amazed that Evie doesn't remember the party she hosted at the start with the creepy Ouija board they played with where they let out Naughty John in the first place.

I originally liked Blind Bill, but at the end I wanted to punch him in the face a bit. I no longer like him because of what he did during the book.

Any librarian or scholar will tell you, close is not the same as accurate.

The walrus without a zoo comment made me snort. I'll have to try and remember that one.

The language made it feel like you were there in the 1920s with the characters. Saying things like 'the cat's meow', 'old girl', and even one I hadn't heard before: 'things will be jake'.

Will: Mothers love all their children equally.
Evie: No they don't. That's just what we all agree to say

I think Sam Lloyd or Memphis Campbell might be my favourite characters.

I love the sarcasm and the sass in the book. Also how the magic and realism join together well.

I salute your spunk. But I question your sanity.

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All books in this series:

    1 | The Diviners
    2 | Lair of Dreams
    3 | Before the Devil Breaks You

    4 | The King of Crows