November 11, 2010

REVIEW: The Diviner's Tale by Bradford Morrow


Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (January 20, 2011)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547382634
ISBN-13: 978-0547382630

Walking a lonely forested valley on a spring morning in upstate New York, having been hired by a developer to dowse the land, Cassandra Brooks comes upon the shocking vision of a young girl hanged from a tree. When she returns with authorities to the site, the body has vanished, leaving in question Cassandra’s credibility if not her sanity. The next day, on a return visit with the sheriff to have another look, a dazed, mute missing girl emerges from the woods, alive and the very picture of Cassandra’s hanged girl.

When Cassandra’s dark forebodings take on tangible form, she is forced to confront a life spiraling out of control. And soon she is locked in a mortal chess match with a real-life killer who has haunted her since before she can remember.


This book was definitely an interesting read for me. I picked it up because I loved the cover - I thought it was mysterious and fascinating, and I wanted to know what was going on in those woods.

I love Morrow's writing style; this book is slow-paced, but in a good way. It's well thought-out and has a lot of great stories-within-stories. It also has major action points, but if you're looking for a book that's jam-packed with action, this is probably not for you.

I would say that this novel borders on paranormal - as it has to do with a Diviner (a person who can locate things just by using their senses/feelings). I was fascinated by how detailed the author was in describing everything that a Diviner does and feels as they work. At the same time, though, this book is also very credible and authentic. It's actually so thought-out that you would believe it's a true story if someone told you so.

Alright...bottom line: if you're looking for a super action-packed novel, this is not for you, although there is lots of action/mystery/suspense in it. If you're looking for a great storyline with fun characters and a little bit of paranormal - then this is definitely for you :)

3 out of 5 stars

3 comments:

  1. Nice review -- I have this in my review queue but my ARC has a weird intro from Otto Penzler that sort of put me off.

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  2. Why only 3/5 stars? You had nothing negative to say about this book, except that it was not super action-packed but, as you pointed out, it's not that kind of book. Not every book is supposed to be action-packed. I'm a little baffled by this review.

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  3. I'll have to check this book out - thanks for the review!

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