The Diviners and the King

The King of Crows

By: Libba Bray

With this book I’ve finished five series this year! Which considering how the rest of the year (crap) is going I’m taking that as reading win. I am a little torn on this one though because while I give high marks to the series overall and loved books 2 and 3 I hate to admit this one has some issues.

With the law and the Shadow Men on their tails the Diviners take to the country leaving New York and attempting to find a young girl whose contacted Isaiah through her powers and claims to have the ability to stop the King of Crows.

Meanwhile the King himself is going around and sucking towns dry of all life and leading that idiot Marlowe to the final confrontation.

I spent a lot of the book thinking I love these characters so I don’t care about spending all the time in the world with them but I also can’t lie… the book lagged at times and the characters dealing with their demons got major league repetitious. By the time we did get to the end it was like everything happened so fast there was barely any time to take it in and a lot of the things that had been set up throughout (James, Miss Addie) I didn’t feel like they had time to breath.

But I did continue to appreciate Bray’s use of stories being the most powerful weapon. And the dichotomy between the story we tell ourselves of the country and the actual story that the land bleeds when you listen to it. I couldn’t help but apply that to everything going on in this country today.

So overall while I didn’t love the end I did enjoy the series well enough to recommend it.

Recommend The Diviners Series: Yes.

SPOILERS

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I was totally bummed about Jericho’s fate. His moving on and having a nice relationship with Lupe and making friends with Ling was a nice removal from Evie (and I admit I got tired of the Sam and Evie show at this point) so it was disappointing that his was the death that stuck.

Same with Bill.

That was an awful brutal horrible scene with Isaiah but even then I couldn’t help thinking she’s not leaving the kid dead he’s coming back somehow so Bill making amends for his wrongs by sucking the power out of that little bitch at the expense of his life wasn’t worth it to me… especially when they lost their powers at the end anyway.

The moment with James seeing Luther and breaking the cycle was a nice moment. But then again I can’t believe Marlowe croaked “off-screen” after everything!

And speaking of death. I was sure when Isaiah put the baseball in her coffin at the end of the last book it was going to come to something but nothing happened. Poor Mabel! She just got screwed all around. And for once I go through a series in time to remember all the little details and nothing comes of it 🙁

But like I said above overall great series, great characters I just felt like she rushed the ending and it could have played better. Although I did like the scene of everyone sitting around the cafe and listening to the Hitler broadcast over the radio. A nice unsettling moment that their fight isn’t over and the world is still bleeding.