The Diviners by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
ISBN: 9780449808764
Publisher: Little, Brown/Listening Library
Released: September 18, 2012
Series: Diviners #1
Duration: 18 hours, 14 minutes
Source: Audiobook from my public library

Summary:
"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. . . ."
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First Lines:

"In a town house at a fashionable address on Manhattan's Upper West Side, every lamp blazes. There's a party going on - the last of the summer."
Page 1 
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Review:

To be honest, I actually own a paper copy of this book. But it's just. so. huge. So I opted for the audio - in hopes of being able to listen to it more quickly. I'm going to assume that was successful :).

Evie has a special gift for getting into trouble. Well, and an actual special gift that usually goes with the trouble. She's shipped off to live with her uncle to live a glamorous life in NYC. Only, there's a killer on the loose. Her uncle gets called to help with the investigation and she tags along. Before long, she's fully involved and finds her life in grave danger. Plus there are parties, dancing and cute boys.

Everything about this 1920s setting lends itself to wonderful costumes, characters, and craziness. I really enjoyed delving fully into the time period. And it is quite the chilling mystery. I made the mistake a few times of listening right before I went to bed. Man! The author does a great job of the suspense - I had no idea the ending would turn out the way it did. She's a gifted story teller, for sure.

There were a lot of characters to follow. A few times I got a little lost - and it would have probably been worse if I had been reading a paper copy of the book. Luckily, the reader did a great job of keeping voices straight so I was able to figure things out based on that. I got worried every time a new character was introduced. But those characters are what really made this story move - all of the different experiences and perspectives. Not to mention, a few of those characters only existed for a chapter or so. Ahem.   

I cannot review this book without talking about the audio. The reader for this book was fantastic. There were all sorts of crazy voices and songs that she did a wonderful job with. I was very impressed. She made it feel like I was totally transported back to the 20s. The lingo sounded natural and I imagine that she had a lot of practice with the various characters. It was just really well done and I highly recommend it.

If you're a fan of mysteries, then this book is totally for you. There's a bit of stuff about mysticism and the occult - which I have always found very interesting. It was just another part of this book that made me intrigued. So, I think if you can get over the size of the book, this is definitely one to give a shot. Or listen to. That's what worked for me on this one. But I'm a big fan of Libba Bray, so I might be jaded.
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Other Blog Reviews:

Candace's Book Blog
The Midnight Garden
The White Unicorn
Steph Su Reads
Rescue Reads
Words on Paper
The Quiet Concert
Confessions of a Book Addict
Wild Heart Book Reviews
Supernatural Snark

Out This Week (March 31-April 6)

There are some great sequels coming out this week. Can't wait to get my hands on some of these!

•  04.02.13 The Rising (Darkness Rising #3) by Kelley Armstrong
• 04.02.13 Rise (Eve #3) by Anna Carey

•  04.02.13 Fearless by Cornelia Funke
• 04.01.13 Oblivion (The Gatekeepers #5) by Anthony Horowitz

• 04.02.13 Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers
• 04.02.13 If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

•  04.02.13 This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
• 04.02.13 My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi

•  04.02.13 Captives (The Safe Lands) by Jill Williamson
• 04.02.13 In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Title: Carrier of the Mark
Author: Leigh Fallon
ISBN: 9780062184825
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: November 29, 2011
Duration: 7 hours, 58 minutes
Source: Audiobook from my public library

Summary:
"Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRis.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction."
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First Lines:

"My first day at a new school... again. I pulled on the school uniform and eyed myself critically in the mirror. A uniform! I couldn't believe it."
Page 1
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Review:

Girl meets boy. Girl falls madly in love with boy within six seconds. Boy is mysterious, but for a good reason. Girl gets pulled into his world and finds out she belonged there all along. It's a pretty solid base for a teen novel :).

So, Megan is new to Ireland. She's used to moving and changing schools, but the life in Ireland is totally different. And for some unknown reason, she has attracted the attention of Adam - a guy every girl fantasizes about. She soon finds out that his family is shrouded in mystery and there are lots of urban legends about them. But once she starts to get to know the family, Megan realizes how much deeper that legend goes - and how much of it is true. But little did she know that she has her own mysteries. She can only tap into her potential if she sticks with them.

Ah, love. Young love. I know this is a staple for every teen novel of all time. And this one fits firmly into that category. It almost takes on its own persona in the story. The beginning of the relationship happens so quickly at the start of the story that it hardly seems possible. But such is a teen novel. :) Adam and Megan are the living embodiment of love at first sight. By the end, they are willing to die for each other. It's sort of sweet, I suppose. Very Romeo and Juliet without the star-crossed bit.

Throughout this love story, you've also got the magic and the mystery and the intrigue. I'm not going to give up what Adam's family can do, but it's very interesting that Megan showing up is what makes the circle complete. They are powerful, but with her around they are so much more. So it becomes more about the relationship with the entire family - not just the guy. I sort of liked that aspect of the book. It was a little less overwhelming with all the mush :).

I did listen to the audiobook on this one. The narrator did a really good job - especially with all of the various accents. Set in Ireland, so you have lots of that. The main character is American. And then you have various English accents that pop up as well. I was a little worried about that when I first started. Not nailing an accent could throw off the entire audiobook. But she did well and it was super believable.

In terms of recommending this title, I think you'll love it if you're into either YA fantasy or romance. It probably pulls in both of those audiences. It's a pretty epic love story, that's for sure. I would love to read a second book about one of the side characters. I feel like we've got a handle on Adam and Megan, so moving to a new perspective would be pretty cool. But I do think there is a second book scheduled to come out this summer. It will probably be worth checking out! 
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Other Blog Reviews:

A Bookworm's Haven
Read. Breathe. Relax.
Dreaming in Books
We Fancy Books
Confession of a Bookaholic
Gobbledygook Book Hooked
Imaginary Reads
The Bibliophile's Corner
Down the Rabbit Hole
One Librarian's Book Reviews

Out This Week (March 24-30)

The selection this week is full of things I really didn't know much about. I've heard about a few of these, but others were surprises. Check out what's coming out this week...

•  3.26.13 Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden
• 3.26.13 Period 8 by Chris Crutcher

•  3.26.13 Impostor by Jill Hathaway
• 3.26.13 Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

• 3.26.13 Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
• 3.26.13 Get Ready for War (Hollywood High #2) by Ni-Ni Simone

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Title: The Indigo Spell
Author: Richelle Mead
ISBN: 9781595143198
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Bloodlines #3
Released: February 12, 2013
Page #: 401
Source: My public library

Summary:
"Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do.

Then she finally tracks down the elusive, enigmatic Marcus Finch - a former Alchemist who the organization denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus's help, Sydney realizes that the group she's been loyal to her whole life has been hiding the truth from her. Is it possible that her golden lily tattoo might have more power over her than she thinks?

As she struggles to come to terms with what that might mean, Sydney is compelled to use her growing magical powers to track down an evil magic user who is targeting powerful young witches. Using magic goes against everything she always thought she believed, but she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her special blood - or else she might be next.

Forgetting her own way is harder than Sydney ever dreamed. Maybe by turning off her brain - and following her heart - she'll be able to finally figure out where she belongs."
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First Lines:

"This wasn't the first time I'd been pulled out of bed for a crucial mission. It was, however, the first time I'd been subjected to such a personal line of questioning. 
'Are you a virgin?'"
Page 1
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Review:

If you haven't read the first two books in the Bloodlines series, I highly suggest you do so. Especially before reading this review. I can't be responsible for any spoilers I accidentally let slip from those. Plus, they're really good. Especially if you were a Vampire Academy fan.

Sydney has finally come to terms with her assignment. She has to be friends with vampires - and sometimes more than friends - but she has started to realize that not all is well with the Alchemists. They are hiding things... and people. She realizes that there is a lot about her organization that she doesn't know. Now there is a rogue group who is trying to bring her in - to help her cope. Not to mention that some crazy witch is after her. It's a crazy time just when she was learning to cope with everything.

I really do love the Bloodlines series. Almost as much as the VA series. I think Sydney makes an awesome leading lady and the parallels to the other story are fairly seamless. You feel like you're still in the original story. Just looking at things from another perspective. Mostly I am thinking about the relationship between two that have the bond. This story is about someone outside of that bond and how it changes everything. I sort of like that aspect of this book.

There's a lot going on in this story. And plenty of things go unanswered, so I know they will come up in future books. I sort of wish I could just have them all at once, but I always have to read them when they come out... like a dufus. Ah well. At least they are reliably good books. And I can't help but get completely lost in the stories. There's a lot more romance in this book than the others. Things start to get figured out and Sydney has a bit of clarity about it all.

Can I just talk about the cliffhanger ending? I mean, not totally cliffhangery, but you definitely close the book wanting more. There's a huge change at the end and I can only imagine how things are going to turn out. Of course, I'm already hooked... so maybe I'm blinded by the awesome that is Ms. Mead. This is another great installment of a wonderful series. If you haven't started it yet, you should. You don't have to have read VA to get any of it, so don't let that deter you. Solid vampire stories.
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Other Blog Reviews:

I'm Loving Books Blog
Katie's Book Blog
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