Scan barcode
coltenb's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
carlaabra's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
There’s a reason you don’t hear about the genre “literary suspense”, which this book purports to be. That’s because it’s an oxymoron - it’s very difficult to combine suspenseful thrills, which classically rely on fast pacing and tight prose to keep the reader engaged, and literary fiction, which leans towards flowery descriptions and slower, reflective pacing. This book is a great example of why this genre usually doesn’t work. It’s too bogged down in long-winded descriptions to be thrilling, and it’s too crippled from having to pay lip service to a suspenseful plot to be literary.
Beyond that, there are other issues. Cass as a MC is just unbelievably stupid. The ending is guessable from about 30% into the book, and she still doesn’t put it together. Once you learn some of her backstory/past later on, the answer becomes even more obvious, yet she still has no clue. Her wunderkind twins are perfect and have the rationality and common sense normally belonging to adults (except Cass, apparently). Her friendship with Niles was bordering on the romantic and made me uncomfortable. And one of my biggest pet peeves—her name. Cassandra. For someone that can see future events that are usually negative and rarely believed. Hmm, I wonder what other famous Cassandra shares those traits /s.
Beyond that, there are other issues. Cass as a MC is just unbelievably stupid. The ending is guessable from about 30% into the book, and she still doesn’t put it together. Once you learn some of her backstory/past later on, the answer becomes even more obvious, yet she still has no clue. Her wunderkind twins are perfect and have the rationality and common sense normally belonging to adults (except Cass, apparently). Her friendship with Niles was bordering on the romantic and made me uncomfortable. And one of my biggest pet peeves—her name. Cassandra. For someone that can see future events that are usually negative and rarely believed. Hmm, I wonder what other famous Cassandra shares those traits /s.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, and Death of parent
indecisivespice's review against another edition
I got about halfway through this when I got to a scene of the lead character being molested as a child and honestly, I don’t think I’m ever going to sit through another book where a male author writes scenes of a woman/young girl being assaulted. I’m over it - and that may mean I skip a lot of books, but I just don’t want to read it anymore.
cnorbury's review against another edition
2.0
This was listed in my audiobook library as being in the mystery/thriller/suspense genre, but although it contains a mystery that was eventually solved, I thought it to be more in the literary fiction genre. Style was fine, consistent throughout, and the writing was evocative, but pacing issues and bland characters detracted, when read in the context of a mystery genre. I might have had a higher opinion of this book if I'd assumed it was a literary book from the start.
hyzie's review against another edition
I've managed to get through more than 1/3 of this book, and I'm throwing in the towel. I'm just...done.
It's not strictly terrible, but I'm so bored. The main character just grates on me. Her relationship with her (married!) male best friend is awkward at best, and her children are also kind of unbelievable. She kind of wanders around in this strange floaty haze where even finding a dead body doesn't liven things up. How can that be?
I've checked this book out from the library four times now, and this is as far as I have gotten. Every time I check it out I read a little bit and then set it down, remembering why I set it down last time. I just can't anymore. Too many books I want to read, not enough time.
skevs1583's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't come across such an eclectically written novel in quite a while and this one takes the cake. Unfortunately the ending was a tad disappointing and felt like it was quickly wrapped up. Regardless, Marrow brought so many literary elements into this piece and I loved that it was a stark contrast to the mainstream. The lack of quotation marks was a tad off-putting but as I started getting deeper into the main character's, Cassandra Brooks, divine plight, I like the lack of quotation marks because it allowed me to read in one continuous flow. In regards to the first 2/3's of the book, it was a beautifully suspenseful novel that tied in 18th century history to create a narrative unlike any other.
etoiline's review against another edition
4.0
The Diviner's Tale is an interesting take on the mystery genre. The very act of divining, or dowsing for water, has paranormal overtones, and so does this book. It took me a while to read, because at times there isn't much action, and pages can be taken up by only one or two paragraphs. But the story is intriguing and twisty, and I wanted to know what happened, so I stuck with it.
Cassandra Brooks is the latest in a long line of diviners, but she starts seeing things that aren't there, unlike the water that is. Her family, friends, town, and long-lost acquaintances become involved in the situation, and it all ties up very neatly at the end.
The action is a little end-heavy, which made it easier to finish, and some revelations are left until the climax, but they further the story, so it works. If the author has other books similar to this one I would consider taking a look at them.
I received this book as an e-ARC from Netgalley.
Cassandra Brooks is the latest in a long line of diviners, but she starts seeing things that aren't there, unlike the water that is. Her family, friends, town, and long-lost acquaintances become involved in the situation, and it all ties up very neatly at the end.
The action is a little end-heavy, which made it easier to finish, and some revelations are left until the climax, but they further the story, so it works. If the author has other books similar to this one I would consider taking a look at them.
I received this book as an e-ARC from Netgalley.
careless's review against another edition
3.0
I actually quite liked it. After the first few chapters, I wasn't so sure, but I carried on and am glad I did.
It's an interesting combination of murder mystery and meandering memoir and I totally didn't intend that alliteration but those are the best words. I can see how one might find it a frustrating read, but at the same time, clues and hints are uncovered at the same pace as they would with your traditional grubby private detective/cynical cop/cynical ex-cop/local genius protagonist. It's just not quite the spoon-fed comforting porridge of your standard pulpy crime novel. You have to sit back and let the narrator take you along with her.
It's heavy on the classical name-checking, which gave the classicist in me some great opportunities to Read Way Too Much Into Everything. If you don't know anything about ancient Greek mythology, I'd recommend you at least look up the name Cassandra. As a result, even my cynical self could go along with the whole divining thing.
One additional interesting thing is that for me, the characters refused to conform to their physical descriptions in the book. I'd read about someone's hair and go 'um, no.' I've never really had that before, at least not so strongly.
It's an interesting combination of murder mystery and meandering memoir and I totally didn't intend that alliteration but those are the best words. I can see how one might find it a frustrating read, but at the same time, clues and hints are uncovered at the same pace as they would with your traditional grubby private detective/cynical cop/cynical ex-cop/local genius protagonist. It's just not quite the spoon-fed comforting porridge of your standard pulpy crime novel. You have to sit back and let the narrator take you along with her.
It's heavy on the classical name-checking, which gave the classicist in me some great opportunities to Read Way Too Much Into Everything. If you don't know anything about ancient Greek mythology, I'd recommend you at least look up the name Cassandra. As a result, even my cynical self could go along with the whole divining thing.
One additional interesting thing is that for me, the characters refused to conform to their physical descriptions in the book. I'd read about someone's hair and go 'um, no.' I've never really had that before, at least not so strongly.
leticiatoraci's review against another edition
1.0
This book was recommended to me by someone who really liked it and it was written in an interesting, very character driven, way, but what made me not to like it was that it was extremely slow-paced, as in 'you-will-read-every-possible-thought-of-the-main character' slow.
Still, some people might like it, not me unfortunately.
Still, some people might like it, not me unfortunately.