The King of Crows

I’m glad I finished this series. I loved the characters (although Evie gave me fits sometimes)—their diversity of backgrounds and powers, their distinct voices, their love stories—and I was rooting hard for them. What I didn’t love was their getting hammered and bested by the bad guys for hundreds of pages, their blindness to how/why this kept happening, and their sudden revelations of how to fix things toward the end. Jake Marlow’s motivations make absolutely no sense in this book, and neither, really, do the King of Crows’.
I usually do these on audio, and I missed January Lavoy’s portrayal of the characters. I don’t know if doing it on audio would have raised my rating, though, since the characters are still what I show more liked most in this book. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but Sam, Theta, Ling, and Henry are high on my list.
The first half was really good and had me turning pages and blowing through. I loved how the characters were combined in unexpected groupings when they were on the run, and the circus business was a fun surprise. There were some actual wins in that first half, and I was excited when the Diviners all came back together. And then it became a bit of a slog, and I really started feeling like it could have been a shorter book. The time at the farm seemed to go on forever. And how they didn’t figure out Sarah Beth earlier, I don’t know.
And let’s talk about Jericho. A lot of people were mad at what seemed like character assassination in the last book, and in this book, it’s like Bray decided she needed him, so she just glossed over the attempted rape of the last book as down to the serum, and all the characters should just get over it. And Evie still sort of wanting his attention and not fearing him or hating him? And Sam not hating him? And all the others not even thinking about it? None of it rang true. Bray is willing to tell some hard stories, but I don’t think she followed the logical hard conclusion that Jericho would not have been accepted back in the group, no matter what his excuse was. I wish the attempted rape had never happened. I don’t know her motivations for writing it, but it seemed a clumsy way to end the love triangle. And as happy as I am that Jericho got a little bit of happiness at the end (because I thought the rape plotline was bogus, and I thought he deserved better), I don’t think there was enough fallout from his actions in the last book.
Do I recommend the series? Yes, I still do. It’s imaginative, it’s timely, it’s scary, and I’d hate for anyone to miss out on meeting these characters. show less

Powerful and poignant ... but it also hit home for me that while the King of Crows was the "big bad" of the series -- he was absolutely the least interesting part. Given a larger speaking role, he became more of a character and less of a metaphor for white supremacy, and thus more of a cardboard villain than a terrifying adversary you can't even figure out how to begin to fight.

For me, the supernatural elements of the whole series were at their most powerful when they were used to highlight and explore the oppressions various characters faced: Henry losing his lover to homophobia, Ling learning about the sexual slavery of Chinese immigrant women through her dream walking; Theta's rage and protective instincts represented by her fire show more power, which kept her alive and yet she's afraid of & demonized; Sam's "don't see me" ability as a metaphor for passing as white. They lost their power for me when they took center stage.

That being said, it was still an excellent and really emotional ending to the entire series. show less

The end of a great series. I even teared up a bit towards the end. The conclusion was satisfying, it didn't feel rushed or underwhelming, like the big finale sometimes feels. This entire series addressed issues, that we are still dealing with today, in a thoughtful manner. Really my only complaint (and it's totally a me, not the book issue) is that I feel like it took FOREVER to read. I think I just prefer shorter books.

Where to start with this? I guess I'll confirm the rumors. This book is, in fact, a huge disappointment. There was nothing in this I liked, and I am honestly so annoyed by that. I feel like I wasted my time listening to this audiobook when I could have been listening to other, better things. And I hate saying that because up until this book, this series was one of my best examples of brilliant audiobooks out there. January LaVoy still does a great job as the narrator, don't get me wrong, but the story itself just does not hold up.

The thing I think I am most genuinely disappointed in is the characters. I didn't care about a single one of them in this book. Not even my three favorite characters (Theta, Henry, and Memphis) were exceptions show more to this. I'm not sure what it was, any emotional attachment I had to them was completely missing for the entirety of this book despite being invested in them in the previous three. This extended to the dynamics between all of the characters as well. Take Sam and Evie, for example. In previous books, I really enjoyed their scenes together, but in this book, I just found myself cringing at their interactions. I'd say I'm devastated, but it's worse than that. I am entirely apathetic.

As for the plot, that was a whole other disappointment. Our main cast spends the majority of the book separated and traveling across the US, while nothing fucking happens. And then when stuff finally starts happening, it is the most obvious plot twist imaginable. Once again, I did not care.

This one is a minor pet peeve, but I also felt like this book suffered from having today's social justice standards imposed on it, despite taking place a century ago. These narratives have always been a part of the books, sure. However, in this book, it felt different. Sentences and lines that felt forced. I don't disagree with the messages, but some of the instances of the egregious pandering in this book could have been cut.

Don't even get me started on the "witchcraft" in this book. It falls in line with the previous criticism, and I wouldn't even have mentioned it except for that it felt like the author didn't even try when it came to this, and that annoyed me more than the pandering. (And, TBH, the witchcraft felt like part of the pandering itself.)

The only reason I didn't DNF this was out of stubbornness and respect for how good of a job the narrator has done with the audiobooks for the series. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend reading this. If you're interested in the series and you're okay with skipping book four altogether, go ahead and read the previous three. They're worth it. This one was not. show less

I don't really like YA as a genre, but I love Libba Bray for her creativity and unique style of writing. However, I found this book to be a little long winded. It kept my attention and definitely was a quick read, but I find romance boring and her descriptions of "the dead" were kind of confusing. They were like ghost zombies? They were tangible and also not tangible? I feel like some of her ideas got kind of muddied. But the part with Isiah and Sarah Beth (no spoilers, I promise) was the strongest part of the novel. What Bray does best is create believable and well rounded characters, so I really enjoyed watching them grow and learn, just felt like the story as a whole was lacking something.

3.5 stars.

I love how far the characters have come and how much they've changed since book 1. I love the relationships and friendships and romances. I love how this series is about stories and dominant narratives as much (if not more) as it is about the actual plot.

Yet this book dragged quite a bit because nothing much happened for the majority of it. I had also guessed some of the bigger twists especially Sarah Beth working with the King of Crows and Isaiah dying (though I loved how that one turned out in the end), though that usually doesn't hinder my enjoyment. I can't quite pinpoint why this series just somehow isn't a favorite, even though it ticks so many boxes for me.

I would still highly recommend these books (especially the show more audiobooks) to everyone! January LaVoy's narration is such a joy to listen to and I love the detailed look at the United States in the 1920s. show less

The fourth and final book in The Diviners series. The story picks up where the last book ended - after the explosion at the World's Fair. The Diviners are accused of collaborating with the bombers. The FBI, the KKK, and Jake Marlow's men are hunting for them all over the United States. The Diviners travel together to Death Valley to destroy Jake Marlow's Eye -- the machine that opens doorways between worlds - and to kill the King of Crows. The story of the ghosts of New York City becomes a story of the ghosts of "America": slavery, racism, poverty, the struggles of those that work the land, and the evils of Capitalism.
I listened to the audiobook at bedtime. January LaVoy's voice was perfect for lulling me to sleep at a time when I show more thought it would be impossible to sleep. I had to rewind this story every day until I finally heard the entire thing. show less