Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2015), Edition: 1, 624 pages
Description
"After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner and has become a media darling. In the meantime, a mysterious sleeping sickness has hit New York City, and the Diviners must band together to find the cause and the cure"--
Media reviews
*** 3 out of 5 stars
Review by: Mark Palm
Dreams and Nightmares
The Diviners by Libba Bray was an exceptionally tense and scary YA novel that was essentially the story of Evie O’Neill, a young woman from a small town who ended up in the bustle of 1920’s New York, staying with her uncle, who
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operates the unusual Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult. There she meets a diverse crew of characters, and discovers that she has supernatural powers that help her Uncle solve the crimes committed by a serial killer who is more than he seems.
Lair of Dreams takes up the story a bit later. Evie, now famous now for her talents, is a radio star called The Sweetheart Seer, and is trying to stay atop the fiercely competitive world of showbusiness any way that she can. Most of the supporting cast from the first book is back, and it is large and diverse; Theta, Sam, Jericho, Henry and Ling and Memphis; they all have stories, though Henry and Ling take center stage a lot more here, and Ling is the breakout character, stealing the show with her determination and drive. Together the two of them travel through a realm of dreams, trying to solve an epidemic that is making people fall asleep and never awaken. Ms. Bray is excellent in bringing this world to life, (though I found her 20’s slang a bit over-used), and every scene comes to life with exceptional detail. This is a book that you can taste and feel. The plot was well-structured, and it was often genuinely scary it has so much going for it, and taken together with The Diviners I think it’s quite effective. I am giving it a high rating, but I felt that there are some issues that I must address. Although not much longer, Lair of Dreams felt a lot longer than the Diviners.
There are something like eight storylines going on, as well as frequent shifts in point-of view. Ms. Bray also deals with a plethora of social and class issues, which however laudatory, further slowed the pace for me. My last real complaint was that I had to go back and look up a substantial part of The Diviners to be able to find my feet here. If I came to this novel without first reading The Diviners I think that I would have found the going even a bit tougher. Lair of Dreams feels to me like a second part to a three part story, and unless I am wrong that is what it is. When you take the two works together, it’s quite impressive. As a stand-alone novel however, I was not blown away. I have read four of Ms Bray’s novels, and I think that she isn’t capable of writing a bad book, but Lair of Dreams left me eagerly waiting for the next book, but not quite thrilled with this one.
Full Reviews Available: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.com
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Aly_Locatelli
EDIT: 02/09/2014
Yay. We have to wait until NEXT YEAR now. Why just NOT announce a release date, if it's going to be constantly pushed back?!
AUGUST?! WHAT INSANITY IS THIS?!
Yay. We have to wait until NEXT YEAR now. Why just NOT announce a release date, if it's going to be constantly pushed back?!
AUGUST?! WHAT INSANITY IS THIS?!
LibraryThing member krau0098
I got a copy of this book through Edelweiss to review. This is the second book in the Diviners series by Bray and has been a long time coming. There are four books planned in this series, hopefully they won’t all be released three years apart. I ended up enjoying this book; for the most part
Evie O’Neil has outed herself as a Diviner and is enjoying increasing fame on her radio show as the Sweetheart Seer. Meanwhile a mysterious sleeping sickness has taken hold in Chinatown and Ling, a Dreamwalker, gets involved in trying to figure out what is going on. Henry is also walking dreams with way too much frequency and when him and Ling meet in a dream they both get involved with hunting down the source of the Sleeping Sickness.
There were some things I really enjoyed about this book and some things I didn’t. I continue to really enjoy the flapper era 1920’s setting to this series; Bray did an excellent job researching this and the scenes and surroundings feel very authentic and really come alive for the reader.
We have some new characters that we spend quite a bit of time with, the main one being Ling. I enjoyed Ling as a character. In fact most of the story centered around Ling and Henry. Evie, Sam, and Jericho are in the story some...but they definitely aren’t the focus. In fact at times I found the portions of the story with Evia and Sam in them to be completely unnecessary to the progression of the story.
Now for the things I didn’t like. There are a lot of points of view throughout...and I mean a lot. This makes the story progress very slowly and at times makes it hard to follow. Seriously there are so many characters and plotlines here that this book can be compared to a lot of epic fantasies I have read as far as the number of characters and plot twists you need to follow. I also thought all these different points of view made some parts of the story just outright boring.
The next thing I didn’t like some people will probably disagree with. I think that maybe Bray tried too hard with this book; some plot points are just too cute, too contrived, too clever and it was just too much...it really took away from the story. There were so many times when I would just roll my eyes and think “really did that really need to be in there?”
The above complaints aside this is a very readable and mostly engaging story. I did struggle to stay interested in the beginning of the book and I did find some of Sam and Evie’s scenes to be boring and unnecessary; but overall it was a well done book. The plot is interesting and complex, if not nearly as creepy as the first book and the characters are well done and easy to engage with.
Overall this is a decent addition to the Diviners series but not without its flaws. I love the setting and world and the characters, but thought the story was unnecessarily long and at times straight out boring. If you loved the first book I would still recommend this book; it’s not as good as the first one but it’s still very entertaining and readable.
A quick side comment, I did read this as an advanced reading copy (ARC) so I do expect some typos and errors. However, this ARC was absolutely riddled with misspellings, dropped words, and poor punctuation. Hopefully all those errors will be fixed in the final release because the editing was poor enough in the ARC that it was actually somewhat distracting.
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it’s well written and engaging...although there are portions that just feel long.Evie O’Neil has outed herself as a Diviner and is enjoying increasing fame on her radio show as the Sweetheart Seer. Meanwhile a mysterious sleeping sickness has taken hold in Chinatown and Ling, a Dreamwalker, gets involved in trying to figure out what is going on. Henry is also walking dreams with way too much frequency and when him and Ling meet in a dream they both get involved with hunting down the source of the Sleeping Sickness.
There were some things I really enjoyed about this book and some things I didn’t. I continue to really enjoy the flapper era 1920’s setting to this series; Bray did an excellent job researching this and the scenes and surroundings feel very authentic and really come alive for the reader.
We have some new characters that we spend quite a bit of time with, the main one being Ling. I enjoyed Ling as a character. In fact most of the story centered around Ling and Henry. Evie, Sam, and Jericho are in the story some...but they definitely aren’t the focus. In fact at times I found the portions of the story with Evia and Sam in them to be completely unnecessary to the progression of the story.
Now for the things I didn’t like. There are a lot of points of view throughout...and I mean a lot. This makes the story progress very slowly and at times makes it hard to follow. Seriously there are so many characters and plotlines here that this book can be compared to a lot of epic fantasies I have read as far as the number of characters and plot twists you need to follow. I also thought all these different points of view made some parts of the story just outright boring.
The next thing I didn’t like some people will probably disagree with. I think that maybe Bray tried too hard with this book; some plot points are just too cute, too contrived, too clever and it was just too much...it really took away from the story. There were so many times when I would just roll my eyes and think “really did that really need to be in there?”
The above complaints aside this is a very readable and mostly engaging story. I did struggle to stay interested in the beginning of the book and I did find some of Sam and Evie’s scenes to be boring and unnecessary; but overall it was a well done book. The plot is interesting and complex, if not nearly as creepy as the first book and the characters are well done and easy to engage with.
Overall this is a decent addition to the Diviners series but not without its flaws. I love the setting and world and the characters, but thought the story was unnecessarily long and at times straight out boring. If you loved the first book I would still recommend this book; it’s not as good as the first one but it’s still very entertaining and readable.
A quick side comment, I did read this as an advanced reading copy (ARC) so I do expect some typos and errors. However, this ARC was absolutely riddled with misspellings, dropped words, and poor punctuation. Hopefully all those errors will be fixed in the final release because the editing was poor enough in the ARC that it was actually somewhat distracting.
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LibraryThing member Goldengrove
Free book for review via Net Galley.
'Lair of Dreams' takes the reader to New York City, 1927, where some strange things are happening...
Using contemporary slang, and a detailed knowledge of different ways of life and beliefs, Libba Bray very successfully evokes the atmosphere of 1920s New York. The
The story centres around a group of young people who have discovered that they can walk in dreams, and 'divine' truths about people from objects. There is a tangled, sad ghost story, and a real sense of fear and lurking horror.
I became aware that I was reading the second volume in a series (and there is scope for a third, with tantalising unresolved mysteries at the end) because previous adventures are referred to, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. In fact, the references to the past, and the development of the relationships between the characters, added to the pleasure I had in the book: the people are rounded and real, and their emotional entanglements enhance the story rather than taking over or feeling added on. I will definitely read the first volume - 'The Diviners', and look forward to the next.
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'Lair of Dreams' takes the reader to New York City, 1927, where some strange things are happening...
Using contemporary slang, and a detailed knowledge of different ways of life and beliefs, Libba Bray very successfully evokes the atmosphere of 1920s New York. The
Show More
bibliography and acknowledgements show how much meticulous research has gone into this book, but it is very skilfully deployed to give a vivid sense of the time without ever making the reader feel that she is being fed undigested facts. The story centres around a group of young people who have discovered that they can walk in dreams, and 'divine' truths about people from objects. There is a tangled, sad ghost story, and a real sense of fear and lurking horror.
I became aware that I was reading the second volume in a series (and there is scope for a third, with tantalising unresolved mysteries at the end) because previous adventures are referred to, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. In fact, the references to the past, and the development of the relationships between the characters, added to the pleasure I had in the book: the people are rounded and real, and their emotional entanglements enhance the story rather than taking over or feeling added on. I will definitely read the first volume - 'The Diviners', and look forward to the next.
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LibraryThing member Goldengrove
Free book for review via Net Galley.
'Lair of Dreams' takes the reader to New York City, 1927, where some strange things are happening...
Using contemporary slang, and a detailed knowledge of different ways of life and beliefs, Libba Bray very successfully evokes the atmosphere of 1920s New York. The
The story centres around a group of young people who have discovered that they can walk in dreams, and 'divine' truths about people from objects. There is a tangled, sad ghost story, and a real sense of fear and lurking horror.
I became aware that I was reading the second volume in a series (and there is scope for a third, with tantalising unresolved mysteries at the end) because previous adventures are referred to, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. In fact, the references to the past, and the development of the relationships between the characters, added to the pleasure I had in the book: the people are rounded and real, and their emotional entanglements enhance the story rather than taking over or feeling added on. I will definitely read the first volume - 'The Diviners', and look forward to the next.
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'Lair of Dreams' takes the reader to New York City, 1927, where some strange things are happening...
Using contemporary slang, and a detailed knowledge of different ways of life and beliefs, Libba Bray very successfully evokes the atmosphere of 1920s New York. The
Show More
bibliography and acknowledgements show how much meticulous research has gone into this book, but it is very skilfully deployed to give a vivid sense of the time without ever making the reader feel that she is being fed undigested facts. The story centres around a group of young people who have discovered that they can walk in dreams, and 'divine' truths about people from objects. There is a tangled, sad ghost story, and a real sense of fear and lurking horror.
I became aware that I was reading the second volume in a series (and there is scope for a third, with tantalising unresolved mysteries at the end) because previous adventures are referred to, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. In fact, the references to the past, and the development of the relationships between the characters, added to the pleasure I had in the book: the people are rounded and real, and their emotional entanglements enhance the story rather than taking over or feeling added on. I will definitely read the first volume - 'The Diviners', and look forward to the next.
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LibraryThing member ShellyPYA
After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O'Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. 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?
LibraryThing member starsandscribbles
The adventure continues for the Diviners as they learn Henry has powers of his own. A woman promised a husband and a new life in America was betrayed by men of greed. In the aftermath, she kills the men and promises that no one will ever take her dreams away again. The Diviners then must help the
I loved the rich, historical detail that Bray weaves into the story. However, it was a bit hard to get into the story with the perspectives constantly changing (as much as they do.) I understand that it's necessary in order to move the story along, but I would have liked Bray to explode Evie's burdens of learning everyone's secrets rather than just hinting at them when she fought with Sam. The pace is slow, and I liked how Henry's past was explored in more detail (yay for GLBT+ romance!). I seemed like Henry was a mystery in the last book, so I'm glad he was more visible in this volume.
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ghost before any more people get hurt.I loved the rich, historical detail that Bray weaves into the story. However, it was a bit hard to get into the story with the perspectives constantly changing (as much as they do.) I understand that it's necessary in order to move the story along, but I would have liked Bray to explode Evie's burdens of learning everyone's secrets rather than just hinting at them when she fought with Sam. The pace is slow, and I liked how Henry's past was explored in more detail (yay for GLBT+ romance!). I seemed like Henry was a mystery in the last book, so I'm glad he was more visible in this volume.
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LibraryThing member KEFeeney
An unusual ghost story. Very imaginative. Twisty and dark with sparks of Jazz Age brightness.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Narrated by January LaVoy. Dream walkers, spooky wraiths, flapper girls, Irish mothers: LaVoy performs these and all "Lair of Dreams" characters with an energy and liveliness that makes 1920s New York the place to be and its dank, dark subway tunnels to avoid. Notes to self for sequel *SPOILERS*:
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At the end, Theta/Betty gets flowers from her abusive husband who has tracked her down. Sam/Sergei's mother is alive and being held captive related to the "project." Sam and Evie are "engaged" but so far it's not broken off. Show Less
LibraryThing member BillieBook
I have the hardest time writing reviews when I really love a book because I just want people to go read the book itself and not worry about what I thought of it. I also want to avoid spoilers, but there are people for whom it seems everything is a spoiler. ("Evie's in this book? Gah, I hate you.
And, I've managed to ramble and say absolutely nothing of significance about the book. Ummmm...I don't like Evie very much. She's self-absorbed and selfish and I don't know why her friends are still friends with her. But, she's a compelling character, which makes her interesting to read about. The little bits we get of the larger mystery are compelling and tantalizing and creepy. I can't wait to see how they all come together and how our little band of Diviners combines their powers to save the world.
Oh, and there's a cameo from Gemma Doyle. Well, Gemma Doyle Rao now. Hi, Gemma! (Does this mean she's maybe going to show up again later? Does she have some part to play in whatever's going on? Because that would be cool.)
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Warn me next time you're going to get all spoiler-y like that." You know thatperson.) So, what can I say that is fairly neutral? Hmmm...The whole gang from 'The Diviners' is back and we're introduced to some interesting new characters. Bray does a fine job of referencing events of the first book as they are pertinent to the goings-on in this one so that readers who haven't read 'The Diviners' won't feel lost and those of us who forgot some of what happened can be subtly reminded. 'Lair of Dreams' introduces a new mystery to the mix, making this feel more like a traditional mystery series--new mystery gets solved every book, but there are recurring characters and an ongoing, overarching story to which new pieces are added with every book. I like the idea that each book in this series will have a resolution to its central "A" plot. That doesn't happen often in YA series and I think the feeling of satisfaction I had with the ending is what pushed the book to five-star status.And, I've managed to ramble and say absolutely nothing of significance about the book. Ummmm...I don't like Evie very much. She's self-absorbed and selfish and I don't know why her friends are still friends with her. But, she's a compelling character, which makes her interesting to read about. The little bits we get of the larger mystery are compelling and tantalizing and creepy. I can't wait to see how they all come together and how our little band of Diviners combines their powers to save the world.
Oh, and there's a cameo from Gemma Doyle. Well, Gemma Doyle Rao now. Hi, Gemma! (Does this mean she's maybe going to show up again later? Does she have some part to play in whatever's going on? Because that would be cool.)
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LibraryThing member LongDogMom
I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this second Diviners novel...learning about the pneumatic train and the difficulties of the Chinese immigrants to the US, New York City, in particular with the speakeasys and clubs living alongside those preaching against the dangers of alcohol, dancing
The sleep-sickness was interesting and I like how the story took its time unfolding and revealing it's various parts, but the slang became really tiring after a while.
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and divination. Bray does a good job of making history come alive through her characters and their tangled relationships. The plight of the Chinese immigrants and all the racism and prejudice that they had to endure in the 1920s, and even earlier, when unscrupulous men would pose as "matchmakers" and trick trusting Chinese into paying to send their young female relatives to the US on the promise of good lives married to wealthy businessmen. Sadly, these young and naive girls would arrive only to find that there were no wealthy fiances, and would be forced into a life of prostitution and drug abuse on the pretence of paying back money owed. It's heartbreaking to think of how many beautiful and inncoent young women wound up imprisoned in such nightmares with no one to help them. LIbba Bray is masterful at creating characters that evoke strong feelings of empathy at being trapped in situations that, at the time, were deemed socially inappropriate or, worse, were openly scorned.The sleep-sickness was interesting and I like how the story took its time unfolding and revealing it's various parts, but the slang became really tiring after a while.
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LibraryThing member EmpressReece
The Dreamwalking Diviners- 3.5 stars....
I fell in love with The Diviners. The story and the audio narration featuring January LaVoy was fantastic! The Lair of Dreams audiobook also features LaVoy so I decided to listen to it instead of reading. I guess because The Diviners was so good, I really
The story is primarily about Diviners with the talent of dreamwalking. There is a sleeping sickness occurring throughout the city and the Dreamwalkers have to figure out the cause and find a way to stop it. It just seemed to me like they spent an awful lot of time dreamwalking and so did I.
Really though, after I got past the introduction, the story did become remarkably better but it wasn't anywhere near as good as The Diviners. There wasn't anything in particular I didn't like, but the story line just fell flat for me. I know the Lair of Dreams had some pretty big shoes to fill, following in The Diviners footsteps, but unfortunately it didn't even come close. Hopefully book #3 will...
I fell in love with The Diviners. The story and the audio narration featuring January LaVoy was fantastic! The Lair of Dreams audiobook also features LaVoy so I decided to listen to it instead of reading. I guess because The Diviners was so good, I really
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went into this with very high expectations. I should know by now, not to do that so I'm not left feeling disappointed which is exactly what happened to me. I started listening to the introduction and it was so unbelievably boring. I was thinking you've got to be kidding me-this is not happening! I really almost quit listening, but decided to give it a little bit longer.The story is primarily about Diviners with the talent of dreamwalking. There is a sleeping sickness occurring throughout the city and the Dreamwalkers have to figure out the cause and find a way to stop it. It just seemed to me like they spent an awful lot of time dreamwalking and so did I.
Really though, after I got past the introduction, the story did become remarkably better but it wasn't anywhere near as good as The Diviners. There wasn't anything in particular I didn't like, but the story line just fell flat for me. I know the Lair of Dreams had some pretty big shoes to fill, following in The Diviners footsteps, but unfortunately it didn't even come close. Hopefully book #3 will...
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LibraryThing member lillibrary
Superb narration in this award-winning audiobook will keep listeners rapt. Despite the large cast of characters, voice actress January Voy does an outstanding job capturing the nuances of each character's accent, tone, and speech patterns. An ambitious combination of historical fiction and
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supernatural mystery, with a dash of romance, horror, and a government conspiracy to boot, this second book in the Diviners' series is even better than the first. Show Less
LibraryThing member marsap
Lair of Dreams is the second book of the 4 part Diviners series. At the end of the last book, Evie O'Neill, one of the main characters of The Diviner had exposed the existence of the Diviners (characters with supernatural abilities ranging from clairvoyance and healing to lucid dreaming and fire
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manipulation). Evie is now on the radio as "America's Sweetheart Seer” and in a arranged relationship with Sam Lloyd (who continues to look into his mother’s disappearance). Follies girl Theta struggles to maintain her interracial romance with Harlem healer Memphis while keeping her own abilities secret from him. And musician Henry DuBois's efforts to locate the boy he left behind in New Orleans leads him into friendship with fellow "dreamwalker" Ling Chan, whose Chinese-American community is being vilified as a deadly sleeping sickness sweeps across the 1920’s New York City. Into this supernatural narrative, Bray weaves into the plot xenophobia, industrial progress, Jazz Age debauchery, government secrets and religious fervor (similar to the previous book). I enjoyed the first of this series and the this book was no different. I look forward to the next in the series. 4 out of 5 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member annhepburn
Gah, so good. I loved and adored the first book, which left me eager for a sequel RIGHT AWAY. Then somehow I wasn't ready to read this when it actually came out. Which worked out well because I loved, loved, loved reading it now.
And once again, the book wrapped up with a cliffhanger and I'm like
Sidenote: I've read both books in this sequence via audiobook and January LaVoy does a fantastic job with each of the wildly different characters, making each immediately identifiable.
And once again, the book wrapped up with a cliffhanger and I'm like
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NEED BOOK THREE RIGHT AWAY. The whole saga of 1920s basically X-Men with superpowers solving supernatural crimes is like Scooby Doo done with flappers. As important as the superpowers, though, are the various cultural backgrounds of each of the Diviners which are each fleshed out and made crucial parts of their characterization. Sidenote: I've read both books in this sequence via audiobook and January LaVoy does a fantastic job with each of the wildly different characters, making each immediately identifiable.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
Another fantastic book in this series. It's a veritable brick, but read fast thanks to the escalating tension across the character threads. I especially liked the focus on Henry and Ling, who I much prefer to Evie--whose love quadrangle was one the only annoying thing about the book. This is
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well-researched historical fiction with a horror twist. Show Less
LibraryThing member over.the.edge
The Diviners Series🍒🍒🍒🍒🍌
(Book 1, 2, 3)
By Libba Bray
2012, 2015, 2017
When an author is able to capture the spirit, vitality and culture of a period in history so authentically, and add characters that are true to life, unforgettable and sincere .....its beyond admirable.
Its
1920s...NYC...political and social climate...rise of eugenics and mysticism...mafia influence...racial tensions...Jake Marlowe...speakeasies...
One of the best series I've read. This one will stay with me!!
Highly recommended. It YA, but much better than most adult fiction.
(Book 1, 2, 3)
By Libba Bray
2012, 2015, 2017
When an author is able to capture the spirit, vitality and culture of a period in history so authentically, and add characters that are true to life, unforgettable and sincere .....its beyond admirable.
Its
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masterful.1920s...NYC...political and social climate...rise of eugenics and mysticism...mafia influence...racial tensions...Jake Marlowe...speakeasies...
One of the best series I've read. This one will stay with me!!
Highly recommended. It YA, but much better than most adult fiction.
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LibraryThing member cindywho
After reading the first book, I thought the audiobook would be fun with all the characters and 1920s slang. It was - it drew in more characters and creepy ghosts and set up a team for more adventures.
LibraryThing member stephanie_M
This audiobook series is BRILLIANT. January LaVoy is one of the most talented narrators I've heard in a long, long time. She literally had me on the edge of my seat, during the tense ending scene. Her grasp of the natural cadences of speech, and emoting while narrating, makes this second novel in
This second novel in Bray's Diviners series is just as good as the first one, if not slightly better. More secrets unfolded, characters developed, the plot line kept me rapt with attention, and I love it all! I can't wait until the third book in this series comes out in audiobook.
Highly recommended, and 4 stars.
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the series a real joy to behold. And her ability to keep each and every character fully realized, separate, and REAL-seeming is astounding.... It's a large-ish cast!This second novel in Bray's Diviners series is just as good as the first one, if not slightly better. More secrets unfolded, characters developed, the plot line kept me rapt with attention, and I love it all! I can't wait until the third book in this series comes out in audiobook.
Highly recommended, and 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member elam11
I'm on a bad streak with recent additions to series this month. :(
I know the author struggled with this one and publication was pushed back at least once. Unfortunately I think it could have stood to be worked on a bit longer still. I guess my biggest issue falls under the umbrella of pacing.
Similarly to the first book, we have a large-ish cast of characters getting uneven amounts of pages. Memphis and especially Ling, barely touched on in the first book, have been developed further and their roles in the overarching plot have become clearer. This was accomplished by having Will conveniently skip town for most of the book and mostly ignoring Jericho and Theta and Mabel.
Evie, of course, regularly appears but does basically nothing but party the entire book. Now, I know, flapper with a heart of gold who's really drinking to forget but... I would like to say that of course this a coping mechanism after already being screwed up the Naughty John trauma...and it is, BUT it hasn't gone anywhere. Evie neither hit rock bottom in her grief nor (of her own willpower or through an intervention) resolved to get her act together. She's regressed rather than grown.
Back to the repeated problem from before: lots of characters with lots of development but all spread out. Evie barely talks to or spends any meaningful length of time with anyone from the main group. Theta and Memphis get more page time together, but Henry is off with Ling and Louis most of the book instead of Theta or Sam or etc. I was thrilled when finally, near the end of the book, all the characters finally converged (for the first time in like 800 collective pages). Yay! You don't have to be the Ghostbusters, dears, but you do need to earn your keep in the story. Getting tired of all these people knowing each other and being friends to some degree but not communicating at all. But maybe it wouldn't help, since there were several moments of characters being outrageously dumb for the sake of ~mystery~. (E.g. Sam's secret project-involved-mother saying he wasn't special, the memory of being tested on his ability to predict cards-- WHAT COULD IT MEAN ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY let's forget all about this and talk about something else now.)
Which brings me to the other pacing angle: I noted when I was a little over halfway through the book that NONE of the characters was yet on the trail of the main plot. They were fielding some hints and clues here and there, but nobody was piecing anything together or even thinking, hmm, this sleeping sickness is kind of hinky, eh? Character development at the expense of plot. Not that the plot was great either, boiling down to "angry ghost can't rest in peace, causes trouble when body is disturbed." It resolves with laying the body to rest properly, no Diviners powers needed. This was veeeeerrrrrrry "middle book."
However, as far as I know, this is just a trilogy, and there are a lot of loose ends, not to mention all this set-up hinting at Big Time Apocalypse Battle For Mankind climax. More should have happened in this book. By the 50% mark, the characters should have had their acts together and started resolving the immediate plot (which, again, was super simplistic, and the characters wouldn't have had to do even the bare minimum of legwork if they'd used their brains/powers/communication skills at any point) while also aiming towards thinking about the Ultimate Plot.
Instead we get repetitive interludes of yet another person succumbing to dreams and then tales of yet more people succumbing to the ghost-ghoul-things. Point made, stop inflating the page count. Connections and realizations that should have been made were not, in ways that definitely spell Plot Hole. (Why couldn't Ling recognize ghosts suddenly?) Neither heebies nor jeebies were had this time around.
...............................
Oh, and since Gemna Doyle got a cameo at the post office looking for a package from Felicity Worthington, I'll note that this is the second Libba Bray trilogy I've read in which half of The Gay Couple is killed off (but still canoodled with magically before reality sets in). Stop killing off your Gay Protagonist's lover. The straights can learn to love again, too.
I know the author struggled with this one and publication was pushed back at least once. Unfortunately I think it could have stood to be worked on a bit longer still. I guess my biggest issue falls under the umbrella of pacing.
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Similarly to the first book, we have a large-ish cast of characters getting uneven amounts of pages. Memphis and especially Ling, barely touched on in the first book, have been developed further and their roles in the overarching plot have become clearer. This was accomplished by having Will conveniently skip town for most of the book and mostly ignoring Jericho and Theta and Mabel.
Evie, of course, regularly appears but does basically nothing but party the entire book. Now, I know, flapper with a heart of gold who's really drinking to forget but... I would like to say that of course this a coping mechanism after already being screwed up the Naughty John trauma...and it is, BUT it hasn't gone anywhere. Evie neither hit rock bottom in her grief nor (of her own willpower or through an intervention) resolved to get her act together. She's regressed rather than grown.
Back to the repeated problem from before: lots of characters with lots of development but all spread out. Evie barely talks to or spends any meaningful length of time with anyone from the main group. Theta and Memphis get more page time together, but Henry is off with Ling and Louis most of the book instead of Theta or Sam or etc. I was thrilled when finally, near the end of the book, all the characters finally converged (for the first time in like 800 collective pages). Yay! You don't have to be the Ghostbusters, dears, but you do need to earn your keep in the story. Getting tired of all these people knowing each other and being friends to some degree but not communicating at all. But maybe it wouldn't help, since there were several moments of characters being outrageously dumb for the sake of ~mystery~. (E.g. Sam's secret project-involved-mother saying he wasn't special, the memory of being tested on his ability to predict cards-- WHAT COULD IT MEAN ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY let's forget all about this and talk about something else now.)
Which brings me to the other pacing angle: I noted when I was a little over halfway through the book that NONE of the characters was yet on the trail of the main plot. They were fielding some hints and clues here and there, but nobody was piecing anything together or even thinking, hmm, this sleeping sickness is kind of hinky, eh? Character development at the expense of plot. Not that the plot was great either, boiling down to "angry ghost can't rest in peace, causes trouble when body is disturbed." It resolves with laying the body to rest properly, no Diviners powers needed. This was veeeeerrrrrrry "middle book."
However, as far as I know, this is just a trilogy, and there are a lot of loose ends, not to mention all this set-up hinting at Big Time Apocalypse Battle For Mankind climax. More should have happened in this book. By the 50% mark, the characters should have had their acts together and started resolving the immediate plot (which, again, was super simplistic, and the characters wouldn't have had to do even the bare minimum of legwork if they'd used their brains/powers/communication skills at any point) while also aiming towards thinking about the Ultimate Plot.
Instead we get repetitive interludes of yet another person succumbing to dreams and then tales of yet more people succumbing to the ghost-ghoul-things. Point made, stop inflating the page count. Connections and realizations that should have been made were not, in ways that definitely spell Plot Hole. (Why couldn't Ling recognize ghosts suddenly?) Neither heebies nor jeebies were had this time around.
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Oh, and since Gemna Doyle got a cameo at the post office looking for a package from Felicity Worthington, I'll note that this is the second Libba Bray trilogy I've read in which half of The Gay Couple is killed off (but still canoodled with magically before reality sets in). Stop killing off your Gay Protagonist's lover. The straights can learn to love again, too.
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LibraryThing member Menshevixen
So THAT'S why it's called Project Buffalo.
A fun follow-up to The Diviners. Henry and Ling were a highlight; would've loved more of the Memphis, Isaiah, and Bill plotline.
A fun follow-up to The Diviners. Henry and Ling were a highlight; would've loved more of the Memphis, Isaiah, and Bill plotline.
LibraryThing member Dairyqueen84
My quick and dirty review of Lair of Dreams. I enjoyed it. At times I loved it. I still love the characters from The Diviners and the new characters like Ling Chan. There may have been too many plot points such as Evie having feelings for both Sam and Jericho and being the Sweetheart Seer, Theta
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and Memphis's deepening love story but Theta trying to keep her "fire hands" secret from him and the rest of her friends, Mabel's love for Jericho, Sam and Project Buffalo, well, you get the idea. The book could have been shorter if the main plot, the sleeping sickness and Ling's and Henry's dreamwalking abilities, had driven the story. By the time of the denouement I forgot about some of the details of the story. The writing was strong and at times lyrical. (Disclosure: I received this book as an arc and have not been paid for this review.) Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
Complicated enough that I wanted to re-read the first one just to get the characters sorted and try to get a handle on all the sweeping plot backdrop.
Another ghost, this one very different from the first, but the consistent characters and speech patterns for 20's New York remain charming. We lose a
Another ghost, this one very different from the first, but the consistent characters and speech patterns for 20's New York remain charming. We lose a
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lot of Evie in this book, but she is struggling, don't it's an apt reflection. Love triangles persist, old enemies are not yet given the just desserts, and it's all winding up for a giant confrontation. Jake. Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnMPK
I really enjoyed being back with these characters. They are definitely changing and growing as the story progresses. Characters who were either mentioned a few times or side characters in the first book are front and center in this second book. Even though there are a lot of viewpoints I feel that
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each one is unique and brings something to the story. Looking forward to reading the next one soon! Show Less
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Best Female Narrator — 2016)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — Young Adult Fiction — 2016)
CCBC Choices (2016)
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (Fiction)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2014-08-05
Physical description
624 p.; 6.5 inches
ISBN
0316126047 / 9780316126045
Local notes
Now that the world knows of her ability to "read" objects, and therefore, read the past, Evie has become a media darling, earning the title, "America's Sweetheart Seer." But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners' abilities and mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness.