Before the Devil Breaks You - Libba Bray

Title: Before the Devil Breaks You
Author: Libba Bray
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 Stars

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New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them face-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.

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There are so many words that I could use to describe my feelings about this book. I'm angry, sad, broken, completely and totally wrecked.

This book was an amazing continuation of the Diviners series. There were many things I loved about this book (and one big thing I HATED!!!!)

The Characters: were absolutely amazing as usual. In this book, they really all started coming into their own even more. They were all so well written and well developed as in the previous books. But in this book, they all seemed to really develop a sense of who they were and what they wanted in life. Evie really started to mature in this book and developed into a young woman is strong and vocal about things. There were a few wishywashy moments, but she's definitely started making more effort on different things. Mabel changed into a young lady who's not afraid to speak for herself even when she's scared as hell. Theta became someone who stood by Memphis even when her ex (sort of) was hounding her and trying to control her life again. And Memphis and Isaiah! Wow these two are becoming so strong and learning so much about how to tell when someone is using them and taking advantage of who they are.  Ling, the dear sweet ace, has become a woman who knows the odds are stacked against here, but who is finding love anyway and learning to trust others in a way she didn't before. All these characters are so special and so important, and I loved watching them grow throughout this book.

The plot of this book was definitely darker than the previous two books in the series. Readers can tell that Libba Bray is gearing up for something intense in The King of Crows. There is so much great buildup and foreshadowing in this book. There is plenty of action and each chapter flows well into the next one. The story is so well written, and the events of the story build up so well to the intense and very climactic ending. Each event builds upon the previous event until it all just blows up in your face. 

I loved the way the characters learned to separate themselves from each other as well.  Mabel realized she needed independence from her friends, Theta realized she was having more trouble getting away from her husband than she thought, Memphis found a way to help remedy Mabel's situation, Bill Johnson found a way to extricate himself from a potentially deadly situation in a way that saved two other people as well. It all was so amazing and so well done.  

The settings of this book worked well in the context of the book as well. The asylum was the perfect place for these kids to learn about who they were and what they should do for themselves and for each other to keep the city and themselves all safe.  The Hotsie Totsie club, the Museum of the Paranormal, even the radio station Evie worked at. All these places worked together to add to the story and give more depth to what was happening, because so much of these places is built into what these kids want to do to keep more people safe. 

 This was a wonderful book and if you haven't read it yet, you absolutely need to!  If you have read it, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below!

The Karen Walker Ranking System

Karen Walker was known for her bluntness.  So, today, I'm taking some of my favorite Karen Walker quotes and using them to rank characters I don't like, from least favorite to most loathed.

Let's have some fun!

Honey, What's Going on Here?

Clary Fray 
Simon Lewis
Alex Lightwood

Puke

Jacob Black
Haymitch Abernathy

Vomit

Draco Malfoy
Bella Swan
Isabella Lightwood 

Puke and Vomit

Severus Snape 
Albus Dumbledore
Lucius Malfoy
Anastasia Steele
Edward Cullen
Jace Wayland
Jeanine Matthews (Divergent)
Caleb Prior (Divergent) 

He Should Be Shot

Javert
Dolores Umbridge
Voldemort
Christian Grey
Bill Johnson (The Diviners)
Madame and Monsieur Thenardier (Les Mis)
President Snow
President Coin
Joffrey Baratheon 
Cersei Lannister 

Ranking Diviners

 

The Diviners series is full of wonderful, magical characters. So, for my second tier ranking post, I'm going to have some fun and rank the characters in this wonderful, amazing book series.

Here We Go!

The Bee's Knees - save them all!

Mable Rose 
Theta Knight
Ling Chan
Isiah Campbell 

They're Nifty

Henry DuBois
Jericho Jones
Memphis Campbell

They Might Be Full of Applesauce 

Evie O'Neill

Send them to the Asylum

Sister Walker (At least for a couple weeks.  She was like mediocre to me and did some shady stuff to the diviner kids.)

Let Jake Marlowe Have Them

Blind Bill Johnson
Uncle Will (I said what I said)

Feed Them to The King of Crows 

Jake Marlowe
Evie's Parents (Fight me) 

The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: TJ Klune 
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 Stars 

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A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours

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There are not even enough words to describe how much I love this book. I was drawn in from the moment I started reading, and didn't want this story to ever end.  This book made laugh and broke my heart. Hearing about what the kids had to go through just because they were magical beings was horrifying, but knowing they had Arthur on their side was absolutely wonderful.

The characters in this book were absolutely divine.  I loved the way they spoke, the way they interacted with each other, the way they lived and loved.  The kids were wonderful - so funny and so strong considering what they had all gone through.  Lucy, AKA the Antichrist, was so funny. I laughed so hard when he would talk about the things he wanted to do to Linus. I loved watching the fascination on Linus's face when he met the kids and when he learned everything they could do. The development of the characters was great. Arthur and Linus especially learned so much about themselves over the course of this story. They both learned about why it's so important to be who you are, to fight for what you want. Linus learned to come out of his shell, and to break free from the mundane life he was living before, and that was so good to see. 

This story was not only well written, but so well developed. There was so much foreshadowing of things to come in this book, and such a great buildup of the relationship between Arthur and Linus. They were made for each other in so many ways. This book built up tension in so many ways, and it all weaved together into the story and added depth and dimension to an already wonderful book.  It was great to watch the way some of the villagers developed and realized that the kids and Arthur were really great people who deserved to be accepted (Helen kicked ass, and I think Merle cared more than he wanted to let on.) 

I loved the magic in this book, and the way the characters each had their own unique thing, Talia the gnome, Phee the sprite, Sam who could turn into a dog, Theodore the wyvern, and the delightful Chauncey who isn't really able to be identified as anything other than a green blob. I love that all these characters come together, live and learn together and grow into wonderful humans under the leadership of the fiery Arthur.  Not only was it easy to tell them apart because of their different species, it was easy to see that they each had such amazing and distinct personalities. The author did a great job of writing characters who are very well developed and distinct from each other, but who know they can and should rely on each other. 

I really cannot think of a single thing I don't like about this book. If you haven't read it yet, you need to.  If you have read it, drop a comment down below and let me know what you thought! 

Ranking Grishaverse Characters

 

As you have most likely heard, Leigh Bardugo's famed Grishaverse series is getting a Netflix series. It is based on Shadow and Bone, and Six of Crows, so there is going to be a mashup of things going on.  I'm hoping it will be great, but I'm also wishing they weren't mashing it all up.

Anyway, I thought I'd use this chance to rank some of my favorite/most well known characters from the series. My Ranks: 

Protect at all Costs: (Nothing bad can ever, ever, ever happen to these people. Never)

Kaz Brekker (Fight Me.)
Nina Zenick
Inej Ghafa
Jesper Wylan

Save them Uncertain Death: (These people are pretty awesome, but there are some who are better than them.)

Alina Starkov (I know, I know. Let me be in peace.)

Let them Eat I Guess: (These people are ok. Mediocre.) 

Genya

Kaz Should Drive His Cane into Their Kneecaps: (These people are pretty terrible. But there are people worse than them.)

Tolya and Tamar
Nikolai Lantzov (I said what I said...) 

Let Alina Kill Them: (These people are almost the worst. Almost.)

Vasily Lantzov

Send Them to Be Hunted By the Darkling: (These people suck. I hate them all.) 

Big Bolliger 
The Apparat 
Pekka Rollins

Send them to the Darklings mother to have their eyes ripped out and be killed by her bare hands while she laughs gleefully: (Reserved for the one character I hate more than any other in the series in spite of how much everyone seems to love him.)

The Darkling. (May he rot and fester for eternity.) 

 Title: The Once and Future Witches
Author: Alix E. Harrow
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 5 Stars

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In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

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There are few words I can think of to adequately describe how I feel about this book. This book is, hands down, without a doubt, THE BEST BOOK I've read so far this year. 

The book starts with suffragists, and turns in to a magic laced, witchy book that moves through the streets of New Salem and my mind like a wollop.  This book contains so much power, and love, and sapphic greatness, and there wasn't a single thing I didn't love.

The characters in this book drew me in first. From the moment we meet James Juniper at the beginning, I was hooked. I knew from the thoughts in her head, and the way she talked, and her very attitude and demeanor, that she was going to be a character I loved. And I did. I also loved her sisters Bella and Agnes. I loved the way they worked together despite their differences. I loved the way they each developed throughout the story and came to terms with certain things about themselves and each other. I loved that they all were so well developed and the way they grew into each other, into themselves, and into the world around them.  And they weren't the only characters I saw this with - there were so many side characters in this book, and they each added this amazing element to the book. Quinn, for example, brought out so much in Bella, helped her grow into her own and learn to accept herself in spite of what other people say and do. Even the worst characters in this book added so much depth to this story and made it just come alive.

The story - these women working to bring back witches, to bring back justice in all ways - is amazing and so well developed. The events of this novel flow together so well, and everything that happened led into a bigger thing, or into some character learning or growing into themselves even more. There was so much tension weaved throughout the book, in the best possible way. I was left surprised and in awe more than once. 

There was wonderful foreshadowing in the book, wonderful world building, and amazing writing throughout the entire book. The book built upon the events of the past when it came to witches, and showed how the current witches rising up both struggled with and became empowered by the past. 

This book weaves together the stories of the sisters, their struggles, their desires, into one amazing book. Each sister has a chance to be strong, to share her life with her sisters and the readers, and it all works and weaves together so well.  The book switches between each sisters journey while still showing their connection to each other and showing how much they cared about each other so well. 

I can't express how much I love every thing about this book - the characters, the development of the story, the surprises, the magic. It works and it's amazing. 

This is a book every single one of you needs to read yesterday!  If you have already ready it let me know what you think in the comments!