Monday, August 24, 2015

[Review: Lair Of Dreams by Libba Bray]

"Lair of Dreams"
Author: Libba Bray
Series: The Diviners #2
Pages: 624
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Date Published: August 25th, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for honest review

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Summary:

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to "read" objects, and therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the title, "America's Sweetheart Seer." But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners' abilities...

Meanwhile, mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness. Can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld and catch a killer?
-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Lair Of Dreams,

You started out pretty slow for me, but once you picked up speed I couldn't put you down. You're an interesting one, because you didn't suffer from middle book syndrome. Good for you. I'm glad. You're a complete and creepy story, that can almost be read as a standalone, even though you're also definitely part of a series. Plus, you're freaky, and I like that about you.

-The White Unicorn

I know that I have said on more than one occasion that I can't stand books with more than two POVs throughout, but there is something about the way that Libba Bray uses a ton of POVs that I actually like. Lair of Dreams, just like The Diviners is told from multiple POVs. Bray even added a few new voices into the mix, and I couldn't be happier with her decisions

The setting of this novel is just as well established as it was in The Diviners. Bray really did her research where the 1920s in New York are concerned and it makes you feel like you are a part of the world which she has created. I will say that some of the 20s lingo that she uses can be a bit distracting, but I also adore the fact that it is so authentic. You can't really knock it, even if it isn't your own cup of tea. 

This book wanted to be a 5 unicorn book for me, but I felt like the pacing was really slow in the beginning, and I also didn't think that the scary mystery in the pages was half as creepy as the one that was presented in The Diviners. It had it's moments, but the sleeping sickness just didn't freak me out as badly as Naughty John did. Though I can't wait to find out who The Crow Man is. That dude seems freaky as hell. 

It was nice to get to know some of the seemingly secondary characters in book one a bit better this time around. Henry is featured as a main character, and I really liked his story. It's sad, and it's real, and it makes him make a lot more sense. We also meet Ling, who is another dream walker. It's fitting since this book is all about some really bad dreams. I really loved Ling. She's a really dry character, where most of the others are really flashy. It's a delightful contrast. 

There are so many mysteries wrapped up in this book that have nothing to do with the main plot. Which makes things really interesting. I find myself intrigued by the things that I don't know. And there are a lot of things that we don't know as the book trucks along. 

And can we take a moment to draw attention to the fact that Bray went ahead and snuck Gemma Doyle into this book. It's a moment that comes and goes rather quickly, but I'm so glad that it's in Lair of Dreams. Gemma Doyle is in Lair of Dreams! How cool is that?

If you haven't picked up this series by Libba Bray, you're missing out on some of the creepiest, historical fiction that I've read in awhile. So go pick them up, and hopefully we won't have to wait too long for book three!

Rating:
   4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!

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