Libba Bray

The Diviners are back and facing ghosts in this thrilling and eerie third instalment in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, set against the backdrop of 1920s New York City and the mysterious mental hospital on Ward Island.

Before the Devil Breaks You

The Diviners are back in this thrilling and eerie third installment by #1 New York Timesbestselling author Libba Bray. 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. Heart-pounding action and terrifying moments will leave you breathless in the third book of the four-book Diviners series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray.

Diviners Series: Book 03

Annabella

The Diviners are back in this thrilling and eerie third installment by #1 New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray. 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. Heart-pounding action and terrifying moments will leave you breathless in the third book of the four-book Diviners series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray.

Meg Ma. Guerrero 

** spoiler alert **
           will just share some of my notes (mostly used to help me remember what happened because i know i won't remember by the time i get the last book) because i don't wanna have to actually review the book lmao (these are not exactly in order of how the book progresses so take what you will)

- "ling hella gay"
- "jericho in jake's house getting jacked"
- "boys be kinda 📯y"
- "mabel is annoying"
- "MABEL IS GETTING ACTION??????"
- "henry’s got a bf named david and they write songs together <3 AND HE’S ALSO GETTING ACTION go gays! bye louis"
- "sarah snow is a BITCH"
- "GHOSTS IN THE STREETS"
- "sam took evie home aND THEY’RE FINALLY A THING !!!! WE CHEERED !!!!!! they’re so cute i love them"

last point was the best part of the book i must say ok thank you

Lisa Sepulveda

This story moved me in ways I didn’t think was possible for a fiction to do. The portrayal of our country’s ugly history of racism and bigotry was so accurate and I love that libba bray included that in her story she didn’t shy away from it for gloss over it but she used it to propel her story forward. This whole series was amazing and I need that 4th book ASAP !!

I find all of the characters to be fleshed out, with distinct voices, wishes, desires, and fears. They feel as though they are real. 

I really liked this book because I felt like a lot of the plot threads are beginning to be pulled together and forming into the Final Answer to all the mysterious laid out in the previous two books. 

One thing I really appreciate is how much the book discusses immigration, segregation, sexism, homophobia, and disabilities. I feel like the author has found such a great way of pointing out what times were like back then, while keeping the viewpoints modern and open-minded. 

The ending was pretty shocking and there's a lot of things I did not expect, that I don't know yet if I'm really happy about. I will have to read the final book to decide if the characters getting killed off are really worth it/justified by the ending. 

Overall, this series is quickly becoming a favorite.

Emma Lechner

I am very in love with this series.

I find all of the characters to be fleshed out, with distinct voices, wishes, desires, and fears. They feel as though they are real. 

I really liked this book because I felt like a lot of the plot threads are beginning to be pulled together and forming into the Final Answer to all the mysterious laid out in the previous two books. 

One thing I really appreciate is how much the book discusses immigration, segregation, sexism, homophobia, and disabilities. I feel like the author has found such a great way of pointing out what times were like back then, while keeping the viewpoints modern and open-minded. 

The ending was pretty shocking and there's a lot of things I did not expect, that I don't know yet if I'm really happy about. I will have to read the final book to decide if the characters getting killed off are really worth it/justified by the ending. 

Overall, this series is quickly becoming a favorite.

alexandra

REREAD 2/11/20:
HOW DID I FORGET HOW GOOD THIS IS?!!!! MY PAST SELF DIDNT KNOW WHAT WAS UP THIS IS DEF A FIVE STAR BOOK AND SERIES OH MY DJABSIAJA


4.5/5 —

i might change my rating to 5 but can’t decide. I LOVE MY HUGE CAST OF CHARACTERS. i had so much fun reading this and i’m emo

Lacy W

"We are the Forgotten, forgotten no more..."


tw: slurs against those with mental illness, rape (attempted), racism, sexism, ableism

This book was good. It certainly had its ups and downs. I think it suffered from a pacing issue. There were times were I was super enthralled and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. But then there were times where I was bored to tears and skimmed paragraphs. 

But I cannot lie. I missed my little Diviner family. Even Jericho. Every single character had fantastic growth. They all are truly coming into themselves. I would have love to see more page time for Henry and Ling. They didn't get enough, in my humble opinion. But overall, in terms of the characters, I'm so happy and satisfied with the way they are growing. 

One of the things this book does so well is the diversity and how well it sticks to the 1920 era. The cast of characters were incredibly diverse in ethnicity, religion and sexuality. It's always so great to see that in historical fiction books like this. It needs to be more of a thing in the genre. 

The racism and sexism along with the horrible treatment of mentally ill persons are shown in a way that isn't offensive while staying true to the time period. It all made me so mad! The rampant disrespect for those that aren't the perfect race is so disgusting. It made me see red when Jake Marlowe would talk about how Blacks, Jews and immigrants were considered un-american and basically horrible. If you live in America, no matter you ethnicity, religion, sexuality, etc, you are American. Don't let anybody tell you different. 

(view spoiler)[ One thing I have to talk about is the love triangle. I couldn't stand it! There really was no need for it and almost made me want to quit the book. I didn't like Jericho with Evie. I think he would make an excellent friend for her but they were just so mismatched. Jericho was too quiet and broody for outgoing Evie. Evie needs someone to reign her in like Sam. Sam helped her and kept her emotions in checks all while accepting her for who she was. I wasn't a fan of the competition between Sam and Jericho. I thought that they were a little bit bigger then that. Hopefully, this stops in the fourth book. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I'm not upset at this book. I'm glad I read it. It has many important things that need to be talked about and included in the historical fiction genre. I just think it could have been better. The pacing was off, like I mentioned. A lot the book seemed to be filler. But I still highly recommend this book and the series.

mercy

many thoughts head full ahhhh i don’t know what took me so long to pick this up because now i’m overwhelmed by how much i love this series and these characters (except for jericho he can choke) and libba bray... the powerful mind that she has

Jamieson

REREAD 2020 i lov my bitches so much


  “The land is old, the land is vast, he has no future, he has no past, his coat is sewn with many woes, he'll bring the dead, the King of Crows.”


okay I love this series so much and just thinking about how it could be 2 years until the finale comes out makes me want to check out and live in a cave and this was me favourite of the series, which is an unpopular opinion. But oh my GOD the payoff !! the character development !! the threads coming together !! 
  THE PLOT THICKENED THE FUCK UP AND I LOVE IT


So I've already explained why y'all should read this series in my review of both The Diviners and Lair of Dreams. BUT IM GONNA DO IT AGAIN BECAUSE THIS SERIES IS UNDERRATED AND DESERVES BETTER. 


  “Before the Devil breaks you, first he will make you love him.” 


so what is this series about? a group of unique teenagers who unique powers. who become super involved in occult things accidentally. there's demons and ghosts (that are trying to kill people). and it's all set in 1920's america (YES, there's an abundance of flappers, bootlegged gin and jazz age slang) im sorry did you just hear me say it's a ensemble cast of superpowered kids who hunt demons and ghosts IN THE ROARING TWENTIES how does that premise NOT SELL YOU. But also, Libba Bray is sure to remove her rose-tinted glasses when writing the setting. She examines prohibition, Jim Crow laws, the eugenics movement, the resurgence of the KKK, segregation, poverty, racism, police brutality, gang crime and more. And doing so makes this book, overall, so much better. It's much more well rounded, and depicts America as it IS, not as it would have you think it is. 

okay so the best thing is the characters. 
Evie, a flapper with a drinking problem who's a bit of a mess, but has a good heart. Memphis a black boy from Harlem who just wants to be a poet. 
 Mabel Evie's best friend, who's overshadowed by her famous socialist parents. Theta a girl with a mysterious past who wants to be an actress
her roommate Henry who's just trying to write songs and live his best gay life. 
Ling, a Chinese, lesbian-asexual girl with a disability who's trying to make it in Chinatown. Sam a jewish boy from Russia who'd do anything to find his missing mother
Jericho an ex-soldier with a dangerous secret. 

and I love them all SO MUCH. Seriously, if you love character driven stories, or just stories where the characters are really, really well fleshed out YOU'LL LOVE THIS BOOK. Also, they're all SO FUCKING FUNNY. The banter is amazing! Especially between Sam and .. well anyone. But all of them have awesome one liners and quips and things and oh my gOD I just love them all as a group so much. 


  “But isn’t that strange and wonderful unpredictability part of humanity? Aren’t all of our differences what already make us a great nation?” 


so some thoughts about this book specifically I pretty much enjoyed every single second of this. I LOVE how Libba Bray just feeds us bits and pieces of the puzzle, it made trying to piece the whole thing together so fun and I'M STILL UNSURE WHAT TO THINK. 

And I just LOVE how many different plots and subplots are tackled, it keeps it so interesting. the scope is truly impressive. I adored every.single.subplot. Mabel's story? LOVE! Memphis and Blind Bill? INCREDIBLE. Theta and Roy? AMAZING. Jericho at the mansion? ENTHRALLING. 

This book shattered my emotions too many damn times. ESPECIALLY THE ROMANCE. and listen, I complain about book romances literally non-stop because they usually let me down. BUT THIS HAD ME SQUEALING LIKE A BABY. Seriously, everyone is too sweet and I want them to be happy. I literally said (screamed) "oh my goodddd they're so cuteeeeee in my car while listening to this AND THAT SAYS A LOT. I love these romances and that makes me so happy because I never do!

One thing I really loved as well as the SEX SCENES. Which I guess is a weird thing to pick out, but they were just written so, so well. They were so tender and sweet, and kind of awkward but in a good, realistic way. And I just think they were done so well. I'm gonna cry thinking about it. 

Okay, but can we also talk about how CREEPY THIS IS. The basement scene??? ruined my life. The scene where you know who appeared to them. Ruined my life again. Libba Bray needs to, stop. FINALLY, WHY IS THIS BOOK SO DEVASTATING. Okay, I damn yelled/whined NOOO when something happened and oh my god, this book seriously destroyed my entire soul like fifty times I'm so upset. AND CONCERNED FOR BOOK FOUR. SO CONCERNED. 


  “If I have to look through one more of these, I’m throwing myself off that balcony,” he moaned. “Let me know if you need help,” Jericho said.” 


Okay, I'm sorry this is so rambly. I'm so emotional I love my kids so much. And I'm literally desperate for book four (@LibbaBray if you're reading this .... DM me how much cash for the book 4 draft ... I'll send it)

ANYWAY I MADE A POST WITH THEORIES FOR BOOK FOUR SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT CLICK HERE

Izza

Siya S

This is posi-tute-ly one of the best books I've read this year! To full of laughter and tears. Very satisfying...and now I need the 4th book asap!

Alice Myles

“It’s Yiddish. Like…Ikh hob dikh lib.” Evie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “What does that mean?” Sam smiled. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”

UPDATE FROM REREAD SEPTEMBER 2022
Going into this one again was funny because I remember having such strong visceral reactions first time round. Happy to report that it still hits and I still found myself sobbing at moments that I knew were coming. I also forgot how sad it is at the end. This is a story of two halves, one half was very scary ghosts and the other half showing that humanity, even when you take the supernatural out of the mux can still be just as scary (if not more).
A few things to note: Memphis Campbell is an angel on earth, Evie O'Neill and Sam Lloyd supremacy always, all of the sex scenes HIT so thank you libba bray (view spoiler)[sam's masturbation scene ending with 'Jesus', jesus didn't hear him - literally the funniest thing she's ever written (hide spoiler)], still willing to risk it all for young will Fitzgerald, lings asexuality being covered super positively, oh and jake marlowe can CHOKE. 

I have no adequate words to describe my feelings about this book. I just absolutely ADORE every single one of these characters and I'm honestly just not okay right now.

THIS👏IS 👏HOW👏YOU👏WRITE👏AN👏ENDING 

god this was amazing… like. i’m stunned… i wish i had read this in 2017 when it came out.. the parallels with modern day America…

her writing is so good that you feel like you’re really in new york city in the 20s.. it’s so magical i felt like i was right there in the middle of everything.

if this ending was good, this finale’s going to scalp me

miss bray can write, folks

Kirsten Simkiss

I loved it. I loved every word of this book. I wish this book was three times as long as it was and I am absolutely mourning the fact that the next book doesn't have a release date yet. This book is getting 5 stars from me and I have absolutely no problem with that. It deserves it. I had so much trouble putting this book down.

This is one of the few book series where I love all but one of the main characters, of which there are several. My favorite is Sam, by far, and my least favorite is Jericho. Now, being that they're both involved in a love triangle with Evie, I must insist that that isn't the cause. I think Sam is a fun and interesting character while Jericho is - and especially so in this book - a list of poorly made life choices. But even Jericho is still better than most YA novel protagonists. I would fight someone on the well being of these characters and, despite the era they live in, all I can think to hope is that the end of the fourth books gives at least some of them a happily ever after. Because good lord do these kids deserve it.

I think my favorite new character - sort of - is the King of Crows. Before, he was just a hinted at figure. In this book, he finally makes an entrance onto the stage and he is truly terrifying. I don't want to give too much away, but he is literally all that we should fear.

I love the poetic way Libba Bray writes things in this book. Especially when it comes to intense, emotional things, I just want to keep reading them. If she ever comes to my area to do a reading, I would love to hear her read one of the dramatic scenes in these books just to see how she paces the wording in her own reading. It's like spoken word poetry to me sometimes. It's both sobering and enchanting at the same time and I love it.

I also love how she unabashedly calls out the hypocrisy of both the early 1900s and the parallels in our own time on a number of topics - most notably racism, but also of other topics that are equally still present in our current world discourse. It's so fantastically done that it isn't preachy. I adore it.

I will say this book had more sex in it than I expected, but it wasn't really a bad thing. It was all just kind of pocketed together for a bit there, but it wasn't particularly graphic or anything. PG? Sure, but so are the rabid ghosts devouring and possessing people.

I am so looking forward to reading the next book. I can't even tell you how eager I am for it. If you haven't read this series yet, please give it your full attention. It is so, so worth it.

Megan Lowe

Again, I posi-tute-ly loved this book!
I liked how it seemed that everything was slowly coming together, and the characters meshed so well.
Ling, Henry, Memphis, theta, Sam, and my girl Evie were so great.
Side note: if Evie and Sam don’t even up together I’ll riot!!
I also love how raw and honest Libba is about the society at the time. As a biracial women it hits hard, but I also can’t help but notice how poignant it is for today as well.
I’m dying to know how it finished, but I’m also dreading it!

Anna Cashman

this one is definitely my favorite so faaaar! each book gets better, which is good because i wasn’t all in on the first one. Theta stole my heart in this one. and Mabsie 💔 i loved her in the second book but i’m so conflicted with her in this one. if there’s one thing Libba Bray can do, it’s write lovely yet flawed characters and i love that.

Livia

** spoiler alert **
           Oh dear. I did not expect many people to die at the end.

That aside, holy mother of heaven, this book is awesome. It really takes it time to develop our characters one by one, and give them much more depth. I admit I found some of the added characters felt like they were added just for the sake of our main characters having a relationship, which makes it all seem rushed. We also get to see much more on why The Diviners are the way they are, what had happened in the past, and also adding more mysteries.

The one thing that I would like to highlight is that Evie has grown so much in this book. I hate her in the first one, still didn't like her in the second one, but she really change in this book without losing her love for party and all things nice. I just didn't like the love triangle. Evie should have just ended up with Sam from the beginning of the book.

Okay but. Ling. I WANT TO SEE MORE OF HER, OKAY. PLEASE.

Flavia Louise

Libba Bray is an amazing author and this book definitely did not disappoint. Might be a 5 star upon reread. :)

Lorraine Fernando

I am 100% not okay.

This was awesome, it sheds light on topics often overlooked by history books. And the representation is amazing. Not only is there an asian character but she is mixed, and as a half-white and half-asian person, I really appreciate that. The characters are so diverse in so many different ways. Characters that could easily be one-dimensional have so much depth. Even the villains, like *rolls eyes* Sarah.

I've never been so conflicted over a love triangle before (other than The Infernal Devices). I get really emotional when I read books, I don't cry often but I will yell at the book I'm holding as if it is listening. While reading the ending of this book my parents had to check up on me multiple times to make sure I was okay.

When I finish a book I love often I feel as if I could run a marathon, and right now I'm up for doing an Iron Man.

Erin Russell

I’m over Sam, Jericho and Evie. I only found myself enjoying the chapters from Henry, Theta, Memphis and Ling’s perspective. More of them in the next book please. And maybe it’s just me, but I felt like there was a lot of nothing happening for the first 1/3 of the book, me thinks we should shorten the perhaps unnecessary page count.

Justine Travis

So many intense things happened in this book. I loved it so much and don't want the series to end.

Tatiana Alvarez 

This is a series that continues to get better the more it goes on. Libba Bray can write and she can do it well. Her descriptions are beautiful and her dialogue is believable and witty. Each character you come across is unique and memorable, unlike many other secondary characters created by different authors.

This is the darkest book so far. We had to say goodbye to a few of our characters and it was both beautiful and sad. Everyone is at their breaking point and the King of Crows is looming over them.

I'm so excited to see how this ends!

Maria

дичайше тяжело оценивать, потому что эта серия - любовь, no matter what

если по-чесноку, первая книга пока самая крутая - во всем саспенсом и расследованиями. вторая - медленная, рефлексирующая. а третья - третья предкульминационная, это очень чувствуется. наверное, если оценивать - она между первой и второй. мы много узнаем - ниточки из прошлого связываются, тайны открываются. мы кое-кого теряем - и это неожиданно. мы наконец понимаем, о чем вся эта история. и очень ждем развязки.

мне очень сильно нравится новая динамика "команды супергероев" - все они по отдельности и отношения между ними. наверное, я предпочла бы, чтобы (view spoiler)[корни их суперспособностей были бы волшебного свойства, а не результатом экспериментов (hide spoiler)] - но так, в целом, даже убедительнее. не знаю, когда там четвертая, но очень надо.

Toni Turner

Well I wasn't expecting to need o read the last book NOW. SO there goes my TBR for the month.

Elizabeth Garza

Holy Moley! This was fantastic. And terrible. Fantastic because it was such a compelling book to read/listen to (January LaVoy is a beyond talented narrator, like damn. There needs to be a audiobook narrator award program or whatever so she can get an award) and terrible because that has to be the mother of all cliff-hangers. 

I cannot process the many things I loved about this book coherently right now, so I'm gonna sit with my thoughts for a bit and try to get them organized.

Before the Devil Breaks You

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