Book Review: The King of Crows by Libba Bray

After all these ghosts, are we ever never haunted?

After the horrifying explosion that claimed one of their own, the Diviners find themselves wanted by the US government, and on the brink of war with the King of Crows.

While Memphis and Isaiah run for their lives from the mysterious Shadow Men, Isaiah receives a startling vision of a girl, Sarah Beth Olson, who could shift the balance in their struggle for peace. Sarah Beth says she knows how to stop the King of Crows-but, she will need the Diviners' help to do it.

Elsewhere, Jericho has returned after his escape from Jake Marlowe's estate, where he has learned the shocking truth behind the King of Crow's plans. Now, the Diviners must travel to Bountiful, Nebraska, in hopes of joining forces with Sarah Beth and to stop the King of Crows and his army of the dead forever.

But as rumors of towns becoming ghost towns and the dead developing unprecedented powers begin to surface, all hope seems to be lost.

In this sweeping finale, The Diviners will be forced to confront their greatest fears and learn to rely on one another if they hope to save the nation, and world from catastrophe...

Back for the fourth and final book of The Diviners series by Libba Bray. I have only reviewed the even number of the series, it was not a conscious decision, just happens to be the ones I have received e-arcs of. I have given each book in the series 4/5 stars, so the average is pretty easy to figure out. In summary, I have liked all the books but had minor issues with them and was excited to see how this series finished. I'm gonna write this review on the basis that you have read the last three books, so expect spoilers for those but as always I will avoid spoilers for the actual book I'm reviewing.

They are a lot of major characters in this series, and Bray does handle the challenge well. This time the characters are forced to split up meaning that we get a lot of new interactions between characters that have not spent a lot of alone time with each other through the series.

Ling is the character I relate to the most being an asexual Disabled character, having a disabled character in a world where she could have been healed, has always been a little weird, but I have always been glad she wasn't magically clued as that is a hurtful trope when comes to disability. I mean I guess if she had been born with a disability instead of gaining one from illness, then she could not have been healed. For some reason, I felt more for her in this book, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm just feeling more sensitive than a few months ago when I read the third book. This book series continues to be Diverse and I think done well. I wish more books were like this, a Diverse group of people fighting ghosts; or more likely trying to save the day.

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this book like I consumed the last book in the series. I'm not been doing a lot of physical reading lately (finally getting back to reading my e-arcs) and being really excited for this book I ended up getting the audiobook once I had been missed the released date. The audiobook as read by January LaVoy is great and a good way to consume this book.

My only complaint is that pacing in the middle was a bit slow, but I also understand why it ended up that way. It just seemed very slow re-pacing to the main action.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Black Feathers. A satisfying end for this story and characters. They were things I wish we knew more about but I get that realistically not everything can be explored especially when we have so many major characters. This is a great series about ghosts literal and historical. Honestly, I'm not sure how to review the last book in series.

Read: 10/2/2020 to 8/2/2020
Reviewed: 12/2/2020
Published Date: 4th February 2020
Publisher: Atom
Source: Netgalley/Audible
I received this book as an e-arc from the Publisher for free, my reviews are always honest and my own opinion.
Content Warning for Book: Domestic Abuse; Death; Death of children; racism; hate crimes;

Book Review: Tonight the Street Are Ours by Leila Sales

Don't ask me why I choose to read books by authors who I've had a bad experiences with over the ones I love?

From Leila Sales, the author of This Song Will Save Your Life, comes a compelling and relatable story about the hazards of falling for someone you haven't met yet. Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose: it makes her feel like she matters. But she's tired of being loyal to people who don't appreciate her - including her needy best friend and her absent mum. Arden stumbles upon a blog called 'Tonight the Streets Are Ours', the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter, and it feels like she's finally found a kindred spirit. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him. During one crazy night in NYC filled with parties, dancing and music - the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does - Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was either.

I never liked the "This Song Will Save Your Life" so of course I had to pick up this book. In fairness, I do like this one better and there nothing wrong with it per say.

This novel was okay, I guess its about love, though not really romantic in my opinion. It's a character book with no interesting characters. There's something there with Arden and Lindsey's friendship but Lindsey is more like a side character and plot device more than a real person. Arden's family dynamic that's touched on and while the centre to the plot, we don't get a lot of time with her family so it didn't feel explored enough for me.

There isn't any romance in this book, despite slight love triangle action going on. Sure, the character has a boyfriend and developed a thing on someone from the internet from reading his writer. This doesn't work as the writer, Peter automatically becomes clear as being a pretentious, spoiled brat. I don't get why Arden decides she likes him.

The book ends the only way it could really and be satisfying, at least for me. 

Overall, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars for Just-Like-Me-Dolls. It was an okay read, it had interesting elements but they were overshadowed by romance elements that didn't really go anyway. While they do support the better elements, I just wish they had been more focus.

I got this book for review off Netgalley and it is publish by Pan Macmillan.

Book Review: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

America, the inventor of White people.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to 'read' objects, and therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the title, 'America's Sweetheart Seer'. But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners' abilities . . . 

Meanwhile, mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness. Can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld and catch a killer?

This the sequel to The Diviners, I sort of have a video review of it (the things you do for YouTube). We continue to be in the swinging 20s (we will be back there in less than five years so who needs a time travel. Also books). Bray does a good job of capturing this time period and shows all negatives whilst having fun with the setting.

While sticking to the same characters, this book forces more on Henry and Ling Chan in this novel, though probably not by much but it does feel like their novel, with Theta singing in the background. These characters on them on are entertaining, but together they are perfect and have a great plot behind them.

The plot is complex, whilst continuing the plot from the last book, there is a different threat to deal with. It feels a lot like crime/thriller which it pretty much is but with ghosts and stuff. It's a pretty good one. I think we get the right balance of the individual plot and overarching series plot.

Overall, I give this book four out of Fives stars for Yorick Performances. I am excited about the next book in the series which I'm hoping isn't going to have the same (or longer) wait time for that book. There is a complex backstory going on and I want answers. Also, the characters are compelling and I want to know what goes down with them. In summary, I want more and you should read this book if it all sounds appealing to you.

 I got this book for review from NetGalley and it is being published by Atom on the 25th August 2015.