Before the Devil Breaks You
Ratings41
Average rating4.1
Another great, escapist instalment. Thank God for The Diviner's and The Office for distraction during this crazy time
This installment seemed to really drag for me. I still really love the world and the characters but this one seemed a little bit too much filler. Cannot wait for the final book next year though!
Upsides: I'm really enjoying the direction she's taking this series, and this might be her best work (saying something, because she came up with Going Bovine!), as she pulls wider on the story and reveals that everything is really about the brutality of America's history, with (sadly) thoroughly modern parallels. Downsides: Not all characters got plot action this time, which made it a little forced that the only time with checked in with all of them was some sexy-time vignettes. But the biggest issue is that book this clocked in at almost 600 pages, and that combined with it being the third in a now planned 4-part series will be a hard sell for all but the most dedicated teen readers. I've gotten a few kids into Book 1, but I have yet to get anyone through all 3. I'll work on it, though, because this series is great and deserves lots of teen eyes.
What a fever dream of a book. I'm so scared for all my children but mostly just want Sergei to be happy and safe
Recensie van het audioboek
Deze serie blijft ongelofelijke verhalen afleveren en de kwaliteit van het audioboek was opnieuw van de bovenste plank.
“Before the Devil breaks you, first he will make you love him.”
Dit is boek 3 van 4 en we beginnen meer en meer de mysteries van de vorige boeken te ontrafelen. Het aantal verschillende plots en subplots dat in dit boek de revue passeert, zonder overbodig te zijn of onbevredigend afgehandeld te worden, is indrukwekkend.
Alle personages krijgen elk hun spotlicht moment dat niet alleen bijdraagt aan het hoofdplot, maar ook aan de ontwikkeling van hun identiteit.
Eerder sprak ik al over hoe heerlijk griezelig deze serie is, en dit is in deze aflevering zeker en vast ook het geval, maar de menselijke interacties en de romances geeft dit alles de nodige luchtigheid en schattigheid.
“We are the Forgotten, forgotten no more.”
De inzet is hoger, evenals de risico's, wat alleen betekent dat de gevolgen in verschillende gevallen buitengewoon hartverscheurend zijn. Dit boek brak mijn hart toch wel een paar keer, maar deed me ook glimlachen en grinniken.
“The land is old, the land is vast, he has no future, he has no past, his coat is sewn with many woes, he'll bring the dead, the King of Crows.”
Ik ben echt helemaal verliefd op deze serie, die absoluut zijn weg heeft gevonden naar één van mijn favorieten aller tijden.
i was genuinely scared reading this omg
i'm soooo glad i put it off for nearly 2 years, because now i don't have to wait for the next book lol
“This is a book about ghosts. For we live in a haunted house.” DAMN. I love how Libba Bray was like “oh yeah?! You think a 1920s supernatural mystery with teens with X-Men powers would be a great read? Well you're right but also you're going to learn about eugenics and how a lot of Americans were into them at that time! enjoy!”
Also: Mabesie!
I made a point to listen to this on audiobook because I loved January LaVoy's narration on previous books and thought it really added to the story. (Plus the different voices she does makes it a little easier to keep track of all the characters.) The audiobook is 20+ hours but I listened to it all in a week because I would frantically put it on any time I had even 5 minutes to plug in.
Anyway, I love this series, I love these characters, I love all the historical context–Libba Bray does a remarkable job of using all of her research to frame and add depth to the story without getting Outlander disease (which causes your book to break out in long lists of #herbs). I'm so on board for all of this. It's great historical fiction, it's great ~paranormal~ fiction, it's great government conspiracy fiction, it's great romance (including queer and potentially-asexual-figuring-it-out romance), IT'S ALL SO GREAT AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FINAL BOOK AHHHH
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
–
re-listened to, still fucking loved it. Listening to all of them in succession makes me admire even more how Libba Bray went from the smaller more personal stories to this big conspiracy...ugh! The narrative structure! The character development! The intersectionality! Simply no choice but to stan!
Usually when it takes me forever to a read a book that's a bad sign. But this time it took me a while because I had to put it down due to my anxiety. It was a really good book but very high drama and I just have not been in a mood for that kind of story. Can't wait to read #4. Will probably wait a while.
The Diviners: The Lemon Chapters
If life gives you lemons, make a YA book
The story went from PG13 to R18 in a matter of chapters, can't say I complain, but it was certainly unexpected. The series turned way more mature in many different aspects, and for the best, in my opinion. I can't wait for the fourth book!