The Diviners (Bray novel)

Plot

Evie O'Neill, a young girl in the 1920s, is sent to live with her uncle after another in a series of disastrous events in her hometown. At the same time, an ouija board has awakened the spirit by the name of Naughty John. After hearing of numerous mysterious murders she uses her powers of object reading with the help of her uncle to defeat the spirit serial killer. Along the way, she discovers more people of her kind with supernatural abilities and they unearth mysteries that deepen their suspicions towards a bigger plan behind the murders. The sequel 'Lair of Dreams' picks up the pace, reveals more about characters central to the plot, and opens doors to new horrors. The third book is yet to be announced.

Evie O'Neill

She is thoroughly a flapper, and she has the ability to read objects. In book two, she becomes America's Sweetheart Seer. Sam and Jericho are her two love interests. She often says "positutely."

Mabel

Evie's reliable friend who Evie gets into trouble every once in a while. She has poor fashion sense. She has a crush on Jericho.

Will

He runs the museum of the Creepy Crawlies, the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult.

Sam Lloyd

(real name: Sergei) He is a talented thief and liar. He has the ability to say "Don't see me!" and not be seen. This save's Evie's life in book two.

Jericho Jones

After being hit by a bullet, he is revealed to be part machine.

Memphis

He has a healing power and is a poet.

Theta Knight

She is a Ziegfeld girl with a hidden power of burning things down. She loves Memphis. Previously known as Betty Sue Bowers; is running from her past.

Henry

He can walk in dreams and change people's dreams. When Theta arrives in New York, he takes her in.

Naughty John

His name is John Hobbs. He is a serial killer who is killing to become an anti-Christ for religious reasons.

Isaiah

Memphis's little brother. He can predict the future.

Blind Bill Johnson

He has the Diviner power to kill.

The Proctor sisters

They are two old ladies who kill cats and perform small 'magic' of sorts and occasionally giving warnings to Evie and Jericho.

The homeless veteran

He delivers a warning to Evie and tries to kill her in book two.

Arthur

He helps Mabel escape from a raid on a speakeasy. He is too revolutionary for Mabel's parents' likes.

The King of Crows

He is arranging some master plan and appears in dreams.

The crow

The crow follows Memphis around and occasionally scares him. It is believed to be Memphis's mother.

The girl with the green eyes (Ling)

She is only mentioned once in book one as the girl with the green eyes, but she is a key part of book two. She is the other dream walker and can talk to the dead in dreams. Her legs are paralyzed.

Development

Book two of The Diviners was published in 2015 with book three expected to be released in 2017.

Bray has stated that she wrote the first novel because she was a "horror fan" and because she "wanted to write another series, something historical, but also supernatural".

Reception

Critical reception for The Diviners was positive, with the book garnering positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist. The Star wrote a mostly positive review, stating an overall positive opinion while expressing frustration that the ending didn't "feel more solid". School Library Journal lauded The Diviners, marking it as one of their best books of 2012.

Film adaptation

Film rights to The Diviners were purchased by Paramount Pictures, with an intent to have Bray adapt the screenplay. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have been named as the film's producers.