The Diviners by Libba Bray

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

I have one word for what I thought of this book: Wow. Just wow. 

I loved this book through and through. I don't think I can stress that enough, although I was a little hesitant about it at first. I'm not a fan of paranormal YA, mainly because it usually entails the average-looking main character falling for some gorgeous supernatural bad boy within the first three chapters. However, I put aside the fear of this happening, and I sure am glad that I did. 

The dialogue was surprisingly clever for a YA novel, and the plot was surprisingly creepy. I wasn't expecting any of the twists in plot, which made it all the better. The villain, "Naughty" John Hobbes was by far one of the most sinister antagonists I've ever encountered. He's right up there with Voldemort. Just the mention of his name, or the little song he sings throughout the book, sent shivers down my spine.

I was simply blown away by the amount of research that went into making The Diviners the perfect flapper novel. Libba Bray nailed the "Roaring Twenties." She even added in the slang of the period, which annoyed a lot of the reviewers on Goodreads, but I personally loved it. I'm honestly surprised that the book was only 578 pages, with the amount of information piled in there. I'm also surprised that I finished it in a little over a week. 

If there isn't a sequel in the works, I will be highly disappointed. 

Overall rating: 5/5 stars. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to read, regardless of the genre.