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: 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.

Short Story: Running

 She walks steadily. She wanted to run. I could tell by uneven breathing that she couldn't hide. She was trying to stay claim. She was fighting the urge to look back, she kept flicking her hair around, but stopping herself before she could actually see me.

I couldn't decide whether I like it better when they're like this or when they run in panic with me following them slowly, knowing they could never out run me. She professional criminal, she used to being in stressful situations and escaping quickly before the police are even alerted. 

She wasn't expecting me. I watched her steal the diamonds and know she still has them on her. It's importantly she still does when I catch her. I run in front of her and run back. I enjoy the moment of startle on her face. 

I run around in a circle. I want her to run now.  She ruins this by tripping over a cardboard box in the alleyway she's walked into. She falls over. This is not how this ends. I run up, pick her up, and go back into the darkness. She shaking and looks like she might fall down again. 

Run. Run. Run already.

She turns in a circle looking for me, so I jump out of my hiding spot so she see the movement in the dark. 

She lets out a small scream and runs from me.

Yes. Yes.YES.

I make myself walk slowly. She is blatantly looking behind her as she runs now. I make leaps when she looks back forward. She is so scared now. It's brilliant. I wonder when she'll realise where I have been herding her.

She is in a full panic. Being loud and clumsy. I keep having to move her so she doesn't run into anything else. I get to the street. She goes to go the wrong way, so I circle her. Just to keep the panic steady. She screams, every time she gets a glimpse of me. She crying and begging me not to kill her. I fight the urge to laugh. That was the same thing the guard she had shot had done. I'm not sure if she still has the gun, but the diamonds should be enough. 

I appear right in front of her face. She screams. I turn her around so she can see the people that she had alerted and so that they don't see me. I let go of her and following basic human instinct; she runs towards them. She either doesn't notice their uniforms or she too scared to care. She knows what they'll do if they catch her and I'm just a terrifying unknown. 

They've started coming towards her. I got lucky and managed to time this perfectly for new patrol shrift is about to start. She doesn't stop when they meet and knocks into one of them. They both drop to the ground. She doesn't get up before she starts telling them about me: that some girl has been chasing her and that she too fast. 

"She not human," she plants out. It's odd that they always a accuse me of that, considering the monstrous things that they have done. Her description of me makes the standing cop straight. I guess I'm starting to get a reputation. He lifts her up by the arm and tells her she best get in the station. 

She might confess out of fear or maybe she'll be more calculating, thinking I won't be able to get to her prison, which is probably true, but I've never tried, but that's where she going. The other cop gets up and follows his partner back into the station.

She look back around and I wave, so she knows I'll be waiting for her if she comes out back alone. So far none of them have. I guess I won't be earning any archenemies anytime soon. I stay in blackness. I never let them get a good look at me and they will never work out who I am. Though, I wear red contracts, which really scares the christians and alter my face with latex and costume make-up to look more demon than girl. I'm waiting for my new fangs to arrive. A mugger latched out and broke my old pair.

Being called a vampire is kinda fun and I preferred that to being compared to one of those cape weirdos. I want to help people and bring justice too, but there's no way in hell I'm wearing spandex nor do I want the fame they have; I have a enough body images issues with going through puberty without that too.  

I run away from the station so I can go back to being me while I wait. 

***

I could have expanded this more, but I like the beginning. I hope you enjoyed this and I shall you see all next week, until I being ponder on being part of something that was shortlisted.

Book Review: Mind MGMT Volume 1 by Matt Kindt

Its the cover that gets you.

I bring to you my thoughts on collection of 6 comics that is Mind MGMT volume 1. Yeah, I just generally see more comic/graphic novel stuff as it been a while.

 Reporting on a commercial flight where everyone aboard lost their memories, a young journalist stumbles onto a much bigger story, the top-secret Mind Management program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she attempts to find the flight’s missing passenger, the man who was MIND MGMT’s greatest success—and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees?

It basically about this true crime writer trying to find material for her next book and basically her last chance before agent gives up on her. She investigating a plane fight where all the passengers lost their all memories.

The investigation leads into people with strange abilities and strange weird going ons.

I don't feel any strong feelings towards this graphic novel. I wasn't really that motivated by the plot or really at all cared about the main character (maybe its because she a Ginger). I'm not completely certain why.

I didn't perpendicular like the art,this might have been a factor, but it kinda grows on you after awhile. The colouring was just really wrong to me.

My favourite parts was the narration that goes on throughout the book, especially the times where you have no idea who the narrator is.  Also I quiet liked the case files, where you told the background of certain characters.

ALSO FORESHADOWING, who doesn't love foreshadowing (and random capitalisation).

It didn't leave me up all night wondering, however its good read and think the right person might love it. I'm just not its soul reader.  I gave it out 3/5 star and recommend it to people who like conspiracy side to mystery.