Book Reviews: The Diviners by Libba Bray, The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan & The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

1920’s New York roars to life in The Diviners – the first in a new series by Libba Bray.

Combining history, mystery, spine-chilling horror, a dash of heartwarming friendship and just a sprinkling of romance, The Diviners follows the journey of the exuberant Miss Evie O’ Neill who has been unceremoniously uprooted from her small-town Ohio life and transported to the bright lights of New York City via a party trick gone wrong.  Of course, New York is where it’s at, and it’s where Evie wants to be, so really things couldn’t be more right in her life.  Evie envisages a whirlwind party-filled jazz age lifestyle, but in a book that opens with an unsettling séance, we know that Evie’s time in New York is not going to be all about dancing the night away at speakeasies.

Soon Evie finds herself involved in a murder mystery to which she may hold the key.  Along with a motley crew of characters, including her uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and The Occult a.k.a The Museum of Creepy Crawlies, and his mysterious assistant Jericho, Evie must uncover clues before the murder strikes again. Who might his next victim be?

The Diviners is a meticulously researched book – 1920’s New York in all its flapper finery pos-i-tute-ly comes to life on its pages which contain a wealth of characters, all with their own secrets never to tell.  I must say that none of the characters quite held my attention the way Evie did – she shines like a star here – but I am looking forward to finding out more about aspiring actress Theta,  her best friend Henry, and Memphis, the poet of the piece, in future books.

For readalikes I recommend The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman – the books are not similar in setting or theme, but both have a similarly foreboding vibe and cross-mix of genres, while the level of research in both books is nothing short of astounding.

The Diviners by Libba Bray.  Publisher: Atom.  Release date: Sept. 18th 2012.  Ages: 14+
My Rating: 4/5.  Source: Received from publisher for review.

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Last year Tim and Vanessa spent eighteen hours together snowed in at an airport hotel, where they had breakfast for dinner and built an igloo.  The feelings that developed between them during that time would go on to affect the rest of their time at the prestigious Irving school, and maybe even their whole lives too…

When Duncan arrives back at Irving for his senior year, the events of the previous year still play on his mind, as do his feelings for Daisy, his crush with whom he messed things up royally months before.  Duncan doesn’t explain to us what happened between Tim and Vanessa the year before, nor does he offer any clues as to why things went so wrong with him and Daisy,  that’s for us to figure out as The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan unfolds. 

We find ourselves quickly immersed in the story when Duncan inherits Tim’s old room, where its former occupant has left a stack of CD’s for Duncan.  As he listens to the CD’s, Duncan uncovers the truth behind last years events at the Irving school and also finds himself equipped with the all the tools he needs to write his Tragedy Paper, Irving’s take on a senior thesis.

 The Tragedy Paper is a compulsively readable tale that takes a ‘story within a story’ form. Tim, a thoughtful, self-conscious albino, who never thought he’d have a chance with popular girl Vanessa, tells a poignant tale of self-doubt and missed opportunities, which Duncan can take valuable lessons from in his own life.  A slow burn of a book, The Tragedy Paper is an accomplished debut and well worth a read, but for me, the ending failed to pack a punch.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan.  Publisher: Random House.  Release date: Jan. 8th 2013.  Ages: 12+.   My Rating: 3.5/5.  Source: Received from publisher for review.

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+ Contains spoilers for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

See that warning right there? Don’t read this review unless you’ve read the first book!

So, we all remember that killer cliffhanger in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, right? Turns out that Jude, Mara’s very shady ex, and the guy she thought she killed is very much alive.  According to Mara, that is.  But nobody else believes her, nobody but lover boy Noah that is, who believes in Mara no matter what.  Noah is painted as a reckless bad boy in the first book, but here he never falters. He’s steady as a rock for Mara, even though the romance of their relationship is often overshadowed by the mysterious goings on in Mara’s life.

So, who is Mara Dyer? After all this time, we still don’t really know, but we’re getting there as little by little Michelle Hodkin feeds us tiny morsels of clues that may or may not help us discover what exactly is up with Mara.  I loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer – did I know what was going on? Heck, no, but I loved it anyway.  Atmospheric and eerie, MARA creeped me out and kept me reading late into the night.  This one is a page-turner too, but for me, it wasn’t as haunting as the first book, maybe because everything isn’t so unknown anymore.  The Evolution of Mara Dyer provides us with some answers, but there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding Mara, Noah and Co.  Oh, and this one also ends on a killer cliffhanger, which may or may not have made me just about cry.

Also, you need to know about the beach scene in this book which features Noah Shaw in a tux. I know I’ve mentioned this before, way too many times, but, oh, that is such a hot scene!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer provided me with some answers and left me in total suspense. I can’t wait to see how this all plays out when the third and final book in the series, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, releases later this year.

 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin.  Publisher: Simon & Schuster.  Release date: Oct. 23th 2012.  Ages: 14+.   My Rating: 4/5.  Source: Purchased.

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