The Diviners b yJulian White
Available now
What's it about?
"The woman swam closer. She twinkled as the light passed through her. Her fingernails had smoky tips. Her body was young but her eyes and mouth were pockets of crow's feet ...”
Four people in a small town find themselves persecuted in different ways by the same terrifying supernatural force.
Karen was happily married – until her husband became a religious maniac and set himself on fire. Since then, she has worked on her own to raise their daughter and establish an elegant seaside bistro – all by the age of 27. Now her husband's back, madder than ever, and she sees her polite, chattering customers transformed into a raving monster bent on destroying everything she loves.
Sandra holds down a tough job as a district nurse, looking after the sick and elderly in her neighbourhood. She has money worries, guilt over the death of her abusive mother and disturbing memories about a mysterious event in her past. Her life slides into chaos when one of her patients turns up dead in the boot of her car and she can't get rid of the rapidly decaying body.
Felix is a dull provincial solicitor – so dull, in fact, that his wife goes elsewhere in search of sexual fulfilment. When a perverse young couple hold her captive in a luxurious house, he comes to the rescue, only to find that something utterly evil and as ancient as civilisation itself lurks beneath the sparkling surface of their swimming pool.
Mick is still licking his wounds six months after being dumped by his girlfriend. In hopes of forgetting her, he goes to bed with an enigmatic lady whose hair smells of blackcurrants. As a result, he undergoes a transformation into a creature out of an insane nursery story.
And that's only the beginning. When these four stories converge, the stage is set for an earth-shattering climax.
Welcome to the world of the Diviners' Guild.
Who are they? The answer takes in cannibalism, deadly maggots, reincarnated cats, body horror, psychological chills, blood magic, black farce, breakneck action, a thousand-year-old secret, a silver coin and a supernatural threat to Creation itself.
My review:
3/5
This book started off really strong and I was enjoying it but I felt bout half way through it lost it's way a little, I felt that the crazy events that set the scene for the book were starting to drag and really want some info on why it was happening and who the diviners guild were. Then three quarters of the way in when I did find out who they were I had to read it twice to really get a grasp on who they were and what they were doing, I still finished the book a little confused, I just didn't feel like things were explained enough.
In itself thou it's a good book, there's always a lot going on as we follow the four main characters through their journeys and wonder who will come out on top and who will be less fortunate, I really had no idea how the book would end.
The writing was good, I felt the book was articulated really well and I didn't struggle to visualise things, bizarre as they were. There were a few points I felt it was trying to hard to be shocking and came off more as cheesy horror but that made the book more fun.
It was left open at the end which makes me think that the may be a sequel something I'd be interested in giving a go in the hopes to find out more about the elusive Diviners guild and just exactly what they're about.
My thoughts on the cover:
I really like this cover, the frozen girl is instantly intriguing, it also gives off a creepy feel. The water to is interesting and I like the dark blue at the top which is reflected in the water. It's a lovely cover that fits in well with the book.
Favourite quotes:
The needle had lodged itself a full inch under her nail. The whole length of her finger was red and hot, it's message of hurt pulsing like Morse code.
The sight of his flesh knitting together was so welcome it almost made him forget the girl.
