The King of Crows (The Diviners #4) Review

Hello, all!

I read The Diviners series by Libba Bray a few years ago and fell in love with it, and only just now realized I never put up a review of the last book, The King of Crows (you can read my review of the third book here.) 

*Potential spoilers ahead*

Pub Date: 2-4-20
YA - Paranormal/Historical Fantasy

When a devastating explosion claims one of their own, the Diviners find themselves wanted by the US government and forced to flee New York City. As Evie and the gang desperately try to stay under the radar, Jericho returns after escaping from Jake Marlowe's estate, where he's uncovered the secrets behind the King of Crows plans and the machine Marlowe has built. In the ensuing chaos, the group is separated, but thanks to one of Isaiah's visions, they have one common goal: get to Bountiful, Nebraska and find the mysterious Diviner girl who may be their only chance at stopping the sinister King of Crows.

As each group picks their way across the country, they start hearing strange rumors of towns becoming deserted and the dead resurfacing with incredible power, leaving the Diviners to speculate that the war they've been preparing for is a lot closer than they anticipated. When they all finally reconvene in Bountiful, they expect their luck is starting to look up as they find Sarah Beth Olson, the Diviner girl who's been sending visions to Isaiah, and begin training together. But when yet another betrayal puts them right into the path of the King of Crows, will the Diviners be able to gather their strengths to destroy their enemy and save not only the nation but the entire world from darkness?

I've loved this series since the first book, so it pains me to say that this final book was disappointing. It was so lackluster. For most of this, all the characters are just meandering around the country, and it takes forever for anything substantial to happen. Then when you finally get to the action, everything gets conveniently wrapped up in a snap. Bray spent the last three books building suspense over the King of Crows and this supernatural war that's brewing and making it seem like a do-or-die situation, and when it came down to it, it was like, "Oh, that's it?" The resolution felt too easy and like a cop-out. It just didn't have the same feel as the other books. Besides the pacing, the dialogue felt off, and there wasn't that spunky banter I've come to adore. Even the characters themselves felt different. Every interaction between the group felt very surface level with no real emotional depth underneath. There were some sweet moments between characters here that didn't even impact me as much because they just felt like throw-away scenes. I did like seeing how different characters were forced to work together that haven't interacted much in previous books, but everything else I could take or leave. This isn't necessarily a bad book, it's just not what I was hoping for, and so it was a bit of a letdown.

Rating: 3/5