The Diviners

The Diviners (The Diviners #1)

by Libba Bray

3 stars

578 pages
Published Sept. 18, 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
 
I enjoyed this book, mostly. Sometimes the flapper language was annoying and too persistent and the book was a little too long - plus there is a developing love triangle (ick!), but I overlooked all that in favor of a great, twisted, and delightfully dark plot. There is some - no, quite a lot of gruesome killing scenes, so beware. I skipped most of them. All I needed to know was who got dead.

I haven't read many books set in the flapper and prohibition era, so this was a good introduction to speakeasies, spiritualism and old-time New York. What a crazy time.
I may pick up #2 when it comes out. We'll see.

Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)

by Kendare Blake

2 stars

316 pages
Tor Teen First Edition

Published September 2011 by Tom Doherty

 
I can't recommend this book based on a couple of things.

First the language is horrible. Really, really bad. I felt like I was with a bunch of Marines, not a couple of teenagers. The F-bomb is liberally slathered throughout the book - and for NO REASON! I found myself skipping whole passages in order to cut down on the number of curse words I had to read.

Second, there is quite a lot of guts and gore. People dying right and left. Police didn't do much, which was not believable, especially with WHO the victims were. They asked maybe 3 or 4 questions and decided that was fine. The gore was all very slasher movie-esque.

The ending was OK, but I'm not sure I understood exactly what happened. There was an epilogue, but it only gave information about what happens in the near future. I wanted to know what happens much later on.

I will not be reading any other books by this writer if the cursing continues to taint the stories.

One Hundred Candles

One Hundred Candles (Past Midnight #2)

by Mara Purnhagen

3 stars

240 pages
Published Feb. 15, 2011 by Harlequin

In all honesty, I probably should give this 2.5 stars, but since I liked the first one pretty well, I'll bump it up.

This book was not quite like the first one. It was much, much more dark. The "entity" bugging the main character was not a sad 16 year old.

The book was creepy, which if that's what you are after, it will fit the bill. I'll actually probably read the next in the series if I can find it.

Past Midnight

Past Midnight (Past Midnight #1)

by Mara Purnhagen 

3 stars

216 pages 
Published Sept. 1, 2010 by Harlequin Teen 

If you like the TV show Ghost Hunters, this book is a must-read. It has all the lingo used on the show - EVPs, apparitions, de-bunking, etc. So brush up before you pick this up.
I liked it pretty well. Ghost stories are always better when you read them. And this had a spooky, yet lovely plot.