There was such fear in the world. But love was everywhere if you looked. It was the best thing about humans. That they could stare into the abyss and still open up their hearts. A spit in the eye to fear.
– Sam (Before the Devil Breaks You Libba Bray)
Synopsis…
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 early claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough of 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 fact-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.
All the times I say, ‘Don’t see me’? With you, I wish I had an opposite power: See me. See me, Evie. See all of me. There’s a fella who loves you right here. I’m not perfect. I’m a handful. But you know what? So are you. There. Not sugarcoating it.
– Sam (Before the Devil Breaks you Libba Bray)
My thoughts…
I really enjoyed the third installment to the Diviner’s rejoining my favorite cast of characters. One thing I can say about Libba Bray is she knows how to write a great group of characters. I love this series so much solely for the characters. My favorite characters are Theta and Memphis. Evie to me is somewhat unlikeable, I feel like she’s very selfish and continues to make the same dumb choices. Evie finds out hidden secrets about her brother James.
We find out the history of a few characters pasts and who they really are, which I loved. This book just there’s so much I want to say but it’s spoilers. I’m not going to say much more because it’s the third book also. There’s different forms of representation from LGBT+, disability, to diverse characters. I love that this story is set in the 1920’s that’s one of my favorite things about this series. If you love ghosts, magic, awesome friendships, different forms of rep and a series you’ll probably never forget. Pick this up. I rated this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
I hope you all enjoyed this review of Before the Devil Breaks you. I have also linked the gist from my Readerly if you’d like to check that out as well. Keep reading and dreaming, stay tuned for my next post coming Wednesday. 🌸✨🦋
Black Lotus Reads 