The Diviners - Libba Bray

Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
800 pages
ISBN: 9780316126113
Source: ARC on loan from the wonderful JPR!

Move over Da Vinci Code and Shades of Gray; I’ve got your next banned book, right here!

Ok, that’s a terrible comparison because those two are horrendous examples of the written word while Diviners is simply marvelous. I mean, it’s Libba FREAKING Bray, what do you expect?

In what I felt was a bit of a return to the magic, both dark and light, from Gemma Doyle’s story, Bray weaves this incredibly wonderful tale of 20′s glitz and glamour with old-time folk-lore and a dash of universal magic. The adventure and satirical wit which routinely make Bray’s books so gosh darn good are out in full force for her latest jaunt into the world of other-worldly Young Adult fiction.

I’m a sucker for Prohibition stories and I have, over the years, dropped my anti-magic guard when it comes to reading, even sometimes seeking out the supernatural. Along with those elements, Diviners also has, as I mentioned, some seriously clashing of cultural views on everything from women’s rights to communism to the end of days. And that bit there, that political and social commentary, that stuff I laugh along with and ultimately live for, is why I pick The Diviners as the next hottest Banned Book.

I mean, it’s the 20′s, for heaven’s sake! There’s illegal rum running, speaking easy and lots of lusting. There are also, if I may be so bold as to preview a bit, some fairly gruesome murder scenes and a whole heck of a lot of suspense. So, sex, drinking, violence, magic, cults and some pretty overboard renditions of “church” folk and I say we’ve got ourselves a winner!

I, of course, will be recommending this to everyone I know, be they likely to love it, ban it or both. It comes out in September so hold tight, Sheiks and Shebas; it’ll be here before you know it!