Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners, 3) Hardcover – October 3, 2017

Good series of books

4.5 starsPlot: Holy mother of God, this series is pure genius! Before the Devil Breaks You served more as a two-parter for the epic finale between the Diviners and the King of Crows, but nothing felt unnecessary or like filler. The hard part about writing reviews for sequels is that you have to be insanely vague because NO ONE likes spoilers, so let me take a stab at it!This was the novel that Evie and company got their answers. We learned more about Project Buffalo, how Diviners came to be, and how Will and Sister Walker were connected; I don't think I could count the times my mouth fell open in shock. Where Before the Devil Breaks You differed from The Diviners and Lair of Dreams was that there wasn't an entity that the group had to destroy. There were ghosts who committed terrible crimes and set New York City on edge, but they mostly served as puppets for the Ultimate Boss Battle, because of that, I felt that the focus wasn't so much on the paranormal. Instead, there was a lot of backstory to each of the Diviners and what purpose they had.Characters: Like all of these books, it's the characters that stole the show in Before the Devil Breaks You. I was happy to see Ling join the group and explore her own struggles. This was the time for decisions and all of the Diviners had sacrifices to make. Surprisingly, the character who I enjoyed reading about the most was Theta. Before the Devil Breaks You explored her past before she became Theta Knight, and how she fit in with the group of Diviners.I'm still waiting for Evie's full transformation. In Lair of Dreams, it felt like she hit rock bottom and I was hoping that Before the Devil Breaks You would lead to her growth, but it looks like The Sweetheart Seer has a bit more growing to do.Another character I was happy to see in Before the Devil Breaks You was Mabel. Her previous story arcs made it seem like she was destined to play the side character, but it was good to see her take charge of her life in this book and choose right from wrong.And now lastly, the romance. The subtle love triangle between Evie, Sam, and Jericho wasn't so subtle in Before the Devil Breaks You and I didn't like how quickly Evie could go from one or the other. I have always been Team Jericho and I have a few choice words about his arc in Before the Devil Breaks You (none are good). At this point, I would rather Evie be alone as it seemed that she was just jumping from guy to guy as a distraction.Worldbuilding: I'm under the impression that Libba Bray is a literary genius; she makes writing seem so easy and effortless!I What I loved about Before the Devil Breaks You was the subtle jabs at current American politics and how we're fated to repeat our atrocities. I don't want to know how much research this series requires, but I appreciate Libba Bray for writing the glitz and glam of 1920s America while never forgetting the genocide, inequality, and blood that helped pave the way for a small percentage of those who deemed themselves "true Americans." There was a line in the author's note that really made me sit and think; Libba said that she wrote Before the Devil Breaks You to acknowledge the ghosts of America's past and for all of us to realize that we live in a haunted house. I think that line will stay with me for a long time.Short N Sweet: Before the Devil Breaks You will leave you wanting more. If you haven't read this series yet, now is the perfect time to start!

This book is near perfection. It blows my mind what Libba has done with this story—from a writing perspective and a topical one. She somehow manages to balance a beautifully diverse, uniquely voiced ensemble cast of characters with a chilling storyline full of thrills, socio-political commentary on America in the 1920s, our treatment of mental health, political leanings, and how a person can be coaxed into extremism or passivity. She's not afraid to point out the gaping wounds of America's history and the subsequent ghosts we must not forget. It is a book—a series—SO necessary under today's leadership, and one I truly hope makes waves when it comes to an end.On a story level, Libba is a master weaver. She highlights the colors of each character, creating their unique struggles, hopes, dreams, ambitions and then spins a whole tapestry in which they are worked seamlessly together without losing that which makes them unique. She shows their personalities vividly through their dialogue and responses to a situation, the way they cope with tragedy and victory, the way they interact with the world around them. She makes me die laughing in places (usually at Sam and Evie's tomfoolery), swoon and blush (again usually at Sam and Evie), weep profusely, and grit our teeth in anger. Her world is incredibly immersive, the 1920s grit of New York painted in a few simple words.My first time reading this book, I was holed up in a London hostel holding tight to my phone with each passing page on my kindle. This second time, I listened to the audiobook—something I cannot recommend enough—which added brand new depth and made me pause in places I hadn't before. I look forward to years of rereads with this series and this book in particular, and am not even a little prepared for The King of Crows to drop.

The Diviners series is one of my favorite ongoing series! Set in 1920s New York, this series follows several young Diviners, or people with supernatural powers, as they discover their abilities and battle ghosts from beyond the veil (or tear...?). The young group that we follow is an incredibly diverse mix of characters:-Evie O'Neill-Sam Lloyd (Russian and Jewish)-Theta Knight (Creole)-Henry DuBois (gay)-Ling Chan (Irish/Chinese, asexual who likes ladies, disabled)-Memphis and Isiah Campbell (African American)We follow each character at different points throughout the series and they each have such distinct voices. From the brash, selfish, and flashy Evie to the incredibly smart and no nonsense Ling to the poetic and protective Memphis.Aside from the characters, the author does an incredible job of building the atmosphere. Not only is it spooky and sometimes downright terrifying but it also discusses the identities of each of the characters against the political backdrop of the times. Libba Bray discusses issues of immigration, eugenics, disability, and race and ethnicity.It's a bit of spoiler to discuss the plot of this novel as it is the third in the series, but the plot does really slow down here, without the contained story line of the other novels, as we ramp up to the final installment of the series. There's a lot of exploration of the Diviners powers as well as trying to put some of the pieces from previous novels together. The tone does get quite dark as the community starts to turn against the Diviners.TW: sexual assault, somewhat graphic murder scenes, death, violence.

Dos 3 que eu li até agora, esse é o meu favorito. São varios personagens, todos importantes, muitas revelações, muitas partes bem sinistras. A escritora aborda questões sociais relevantes para a época em que a história é ambientada. Só elogios para esta série. RECOMENDADISSIMO

I fell in love with the first book in this series, quite disappointed by the second and LOVED THE THIRD.THIS IS A MUST READ ! I haven't felt so obsessed about a book in a long time and this one broke me out of my rut.

Came in good condition as described. Very happy with it

The biggest compliment I can give this book is that it made me cry. This third instalment in The Diviners series hurt me, it made my cold, brittle heart feel feelings, and all I wanted to do when I finished it was lie down in a dark room.Our mismatched group of friends are finally learning what being Diviners means, which has come at just the right time as they begin to learn they might not be able to trust who they thought they could trust and New York City is slowly being invaded by the dead.There are so many different story threads in this novel; now that all of the Diviners are together, it's the first book in the series that feels like it's about all of them. The Diviners is very much Evie's book whereas Lair of Dreams feels like Henry and Ling's book, but Before the Devil Breaks you is very much a novel about all of the Diviners. I love these characters so much, and I'm genuinely gutted that I only have one more novel left with them.Which leads me to the only real issue I had with this novel: I believe this series was originally going to be six books rather than four, and while I still loved this novel I don't think the pacing was quite as crisp as it was in the first and second books. Everything happened a little too quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I would have adored it if it had been even longer than it already is, or been split into two books, to give the various storylines even more room to breathe. Like a fine wine.Funnily enough, though, as much as I loved this novel being about all of the characters, I think Henry and Ling's friendship is possibly my favourite thing about this series. Henry in general is such a sweetie and one of those incredibly decent people who makes for a wonderful friend, but I love his chemistry with Ling. I also so appreciated Bray including an asexual protagonist in Ling; while I had my suspicions I didn't expect Ling to spell it out so clearly (without using the term asexual, as this series is set in the 1920s) and it was so refreshing to see that kind of representation on the page.We finally met the King of Crows in this novel, who gave me severe Dr. Facilier vibes, but what I love most about this series is that our villain isn't necessarily the real villain of this series. The real villain is the American government (it's obvious how much Bray has been influenced by American politics over the past few years); the King of Crows is terrifying but we know he can be stopped, but how do you stop an entire country from playing into the harmful stereotypes it was built on?I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bray writes the 1920s as they should be written, and her author's note for this particular novel deserves a Nobel Prize.I'll forever be surprised that this series isn't more hyped. If you haven't picked it up yet, please, please do. I only have the fourth and final book to reach for now and I'm so nervous - Bray isn't afraid to hurt her characters - but I can't wait to see how this series wraps up!

I've read this book twice now and love everything about it. The writing is gorgeous, the plot is compelling, the characters are multi-dimensional and the setting of 1920s NY provides so much atmosphere.I disagree with the other review that says this book is overly violent, I'm quite sensitive to violence and I didn't find anything that made me uncomfortable in here. I think it is a shame to discourage young people from reading, as there is a great deal of historically accurate educational information interlaced with the story, which young people could benefit from reading about (for example, the eugenics movement, working class conditions and treatment of the mentally ill during this time period).There is one scene that infers domestic sexual violence, but it is not gratuitous or descriptive.Ultimately, Libba Bray develops very real, flawed characters, who come with a back story. As in real life, these back stories are sometimes sad and imperfect. Teenagers are well aware of these realities and probably better equipped than most adults to deal with them.