When the Divine Are Dead

By: E.K. Barnes

Narrated by: Jason Larsen

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

“You are a survivor,” Bradley’s mother said to him the day his brother was shot.

Bradley Chambers has gone through hell. Death has been chasing him since he was five—first with his diagnosis of type I diabetes, followed by the time he was kidnapped by a man who wanted to feed him to a lion. Then there was a car crash that killed his childhood best friend, followed by the introduction of a new friend who would later try to kill Bradley’s five-year-old brother. There was no escaping his curse. He was doomed to experience death and destruction over and over again.

When Bradley’s family moves to Indianapolis, he is less than hopeful that the move will do anything to remove the curse. Even with diviners like Serena Lindt and Frank Lantern to keep him on the straight and narrow, Bradley doesn’t see an out. Maybe he’s right. After all, Serena’s been digging for secrets—secrets that could expose them.

Will Bradley be able to help save the diviners in time? Or will his presence only make things worse?

In this young adult fantasy novel, 14-year-old Bradley learns the history of his people. When he realizes their tumultuous past could be far from over, he must bring forth both his confidence and his courage to fend off their enemies.

©2020 E.K. Barnes (P)2022 E.K. Barnes

Fast-Paced Urban Fantasy

When the Divine are Dead by EK Barnes follows Bradley, a fourteen-year-old boy with special Diviner abilities, Type I diabetes, and a string of deadly kind of bad luck.

We follow Bradley as he endures a school-shooting and a death of a family member, and then his family tries to start over in a new city with other Diviner families. We get bits an pieces of the horrible things that have happened to Bradley, his difficulty with his abilities, and the internal survivor's guilt that plagues him as his family tries to start anew.

I really thought the author nailed Bradley's authentic lower-YA voice, and I really felt for him as he tried to learn how to cope with his situation. Learning about the Diviners' ability was super interesting, and in general, the tension and tight writing kept my attention straight through the end.

There were a lot of characters and siblings to keep track of, and I did find myself wishing we got a little more development from some of the other main characters. There were also a few strands I was expecting to get answers to that we didn't quite get. However, this definitely seems like the first of the series, so they could have been left for future books.

I also really enjoyed the audiobook narration, and the I think the narrator did an excellent job of telling this story. Would definitely recommend for all fans of YA urban fantasy. Thanks so much to the publisher for the free audible code! When the Divine are Dead by EK Barnes follows Bradley, a fourteen-year-old boy with special Diviner abilities, Type I diabetes, and a string of deadly kind of bad luck.

We follow Bradley as he endures a school-shooting and a death of a family member, and then his family tries to start over in a new city with other Diviner families. We get bits an pieces of the horrible things that have happened to Bradley, his difficulty with his abilities, and the internal survivor's guilt that plagues him as his family tries to start anew.

I really thought the author nailed Bradley's authentic lower-YA voice, and I really felt for him as he tried to learn how to cope with his situation. Learning about the Diviners' ability was super interesting, and in general, the tension and tight writing kept my attention straight through the end.

There were a lot of characters and siblings to keep track of, and I did find myself wishing we got a little more development from some of the other main characters. There were also a few strands I was expecting to get answers to that we didn't quite get. However, this definitely seems like the first of the series, so they could have been left for future books.

I also really enjoyed the audiobook narration, and the I think the narrator did an excellent job of telling this story. Would definitely recommend for all fans of YA urban fantasy. Thanks so much to the publisher for the free audible code! (4.25/5)