Book Review: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

“Ordinary people were capable of extraordinary bravery. That was the only magic Sam knew or trusted.”

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (page 173)

My original review from 2015 stands in its entirety below. I’ve add a new pic and just a bit more to say as I’m currently re-reading this novel as part of my 2018 Summer of Re-Reads. First, I forgot how much fun this book (and the series) is! You’ve got to love a book with the opening line:

“Every city is a ghost.”

It’s just perfect and set the mood. My original review states that I found the book a bit slow for about the first 100 or so pages. I didn’t this time, and it may be because I went right from the first book to this one in the same day. There are a few spots that have lagged for me, but overall, it’s a great ride and I can’t wait to finish and step into book 3.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Lair of Dreams, the second novel in Libba Bray’s “Diviners” series continues the story of Evie O’Neill who has now become known as the Sweetheart Seer. As a reader, the first book of the series titled The Diviners held me riveted from start to finish. You can check out my GoodReads review of it here. However, Lair of Dreams started a bit slow for me. About 150 pages in, it started to pick up and then author Libba Bray had me again.

LairOfDreams

Step into Lair of Dreams and the world of the supernatural, where having a special “Diviner” ability doesn’t mean you’re safe from ghosts and creepy crawlies that go bump in the night (or hide in forgotten New York subway tunnels.) While Evie is a Diviner with the ability to “read” objects, divining the secrets of the person who touched the object, other Diviners have the ability to walk in dream, makes themselves undetectable, create fire from their fingertips and even heal.

To save the city from the Sleeping Sickness that has it in its grips and thwart the evil that threatens everyone’s lives, Evie and her friends will have to work together, each using their individual gifts. Libba Bray weaves multiple story threads together, from Evie and Sam’s complicated relationship to Henry and Ling’s dreamwalking escapades, Theta’s secret and Memphis’ personal struggles, plus we can’t overlook Mabel and Jericho with his past. There’ a lot going on, but Bray intertwines each story effortlessly.

I really like the characters in this series, but what I enjoy the most is the setting. I love that this story is set in the Roarin’ Twenties—from the fashion descriptions, to music and especially the era’s slang, it’s just fun and keeps this reader completely immersed from page to page. Libba Bray also creates vivid imagery with her words throughout Lair of Dreams.

I’ll admit it, I’m a fan of this author’s style and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the Diviners series, pos-i-tut-ly.

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