My Thoughts: The Diviners by Libba Bray

3 spicy and soft snickerdoodles.

Cover Love:
Yes.  I think it's eye catching, and I love the color combination.

Why I Wanted to Read This:
Every review I read about this said it was so scary and creepy.  I was in the mood for that so I gave it a try.  Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:

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-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Romance?:  There is one that develops, and some good sparks in another one but neither is a focus of the book.

What I Liked (& Didn't):
I had a hard time getting through this book.  It was one of those that I liked but I wasn't compelled to pick it up every chance I could.  So while I spent more time on it than I would've liked I am glad I read it and I look forward to the next book.  So much was set up in this book that the next one should have lots of action and creepiness!

I think one of the reasons I didn't pick it up every chance I got was that I just didn't like Evie!  She was so annoying and selfish and just a girl looking for one party or another.  There was a reason for her attitude and she made some changes, but redemption almost came too late in the book for me.

I loved how we'd be introduced to a character a few times, but it took awhile to get the back story.  It made it more satisfying when it finally came.  And there were a lot of secondary and minor characters that I think will be beefed up in the second book that will make it more intriguing.  I really want to know Will's secrets and the old women who live in the Bennington.

This week as I was finishing this book I found myself waking up at around 4:30 am for no rhyme or reason.  So I would read.  This is not a book to read in the darkness when you are towards the end.  The action picks up and the spookiness and the weirdness.  Very intense!  The last 200 pages went much faster than the first 200 and I am glad I stuck with it.

To Sum Up:  Maybe too scary for my library I am going to recommend it to the high school library.  I look forward to book #2!

Galley requested and received from Little Brown.  Thanks Zoe!!