lukevirgo's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i missed my emotional support twinks and i’m very excited to see where this series takes them. i was surprised to leave this book liking declan. i’m now a supporter of every lynch brother.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
readwithria's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Call Down the Hawk is a good book that I just don’t have any strong feelings about. I don’t even have that much to say about it, honestly. It was fine, and I neither liked it nor disliked it.
I feel I am not this book’s intended audience. I like a plot heavy book with a goal of some kind, and this ain’t that. I like my books to be medium to fast paced, and this book is slow and methodical. I like when the choices the protagonist makes impact the plot, and this book felt very reactionary. None of these things are bad things, they’re just not what I prefer.
I did really enjoy Declan Lynch, which was a pleasant surprise! Jordan was also a wonderful addition to the world.
I honestly don’t know if I’m going to keep reading this series. Right now I feel like I’d rather read a Wikipedia article (mostly so I can figure out what the actual plot is, because I don’t really know).
This was a book, and I didn’t dislike it, but honestly I just don’t care about it. 3 stars.
I feel I am not this book’s intended audience. I like a plot heavy book with a goal of some kind, and this ain’t that. I like my books to be medium to fast paced, and this book is slow and methodical. I like when the choices the protagonist makes impact the plot, and this book felt very reactionary. None of these things are bad things, they’re just not what I prefer.
I did really enjoy Declan Lynch, which was a pleasant surprise! Jordan was also a wonderful addition to the world.
I honestly don’t know if I’m going to keep reading this series. Right now I feel like I’d rather read a Wikipedia article (mostly so I can figure out what the actual plot is, because I don’t really know).
This was a book, and I didn’t dislike it, but honestly I just don’t care about it. 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a reread and wow I love this book it was so good. Super excited to read the next two right afterwards. Just absolutely love the writing and complexity of the characters, as well as Will Patton as the narrator in the audiobook is just fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, Mental illness, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Gore
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a reread for me since I had read this when it first came out and then I didn't read it again and the other two books had already come out.
I loved it then, I still love it now. Jordan and Hennessy are amazing additions to this one, I loved reading more about both Declan and Matthew, I even thoroughly enjoyed reading about Declan and Jordan's budding relationship which was a complete surprise to me. My favorite aspect of this was the relationships between siblings which seems to be my reader wheelhouse when it comes to series books.
I loved it then, I still love it now. Jordan and Hennessy are amazing additions to this one, I loved reading more about both Declan and Matthew, I even thoroughly enjoyed reading about Declan and Jordan's budding relationship which was a complete surprise to me. My favorite aspect of this was the relationships between siblings which seems to be my reader wheelhouse when it comes to series books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
keen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Blood
lolothecatlady0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Body horror
gwen_c6's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Body horror, and Death
gilliansuhre's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Cursing and Car accident
tagrace's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the book although for about I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a lot more breadcrumbs than bread. Compared to the Raven Cycle, most of the characters are new or newly fleshed out (did anyone ask for this much Declan?) This can be good and bad. Good because it allows for a lot darker themes, new character beats and a much, much more diverse cast. Bad because whenever the non-Lynch characters from the original series did appear I remembered how much I loved the original and wanted to read it again instead. By the end I was pretty sold on this new series though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
billyjepma's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The additional worldbuilding and new characters Stiefvater introduced in her sequel series are total gold and feel like perfect extensions of everything she did with The Raven Cycle. She had a unique, incredibly compelling way of merging reality with fantasy without diminishing the strengths of either. This is a creative, exciting, and big story and I enjoyed it immensely for all those reasons.
But the central protagonist is a mostly one-note character whose perspective is so shallow that I almost dropped off entirely in the second act. Ronan Lynch is a perfect supporting character—he adds the right kind of tension and dimension to an ensemble that steals the spotlight without fully claiming it. But as the protagonist, his shortcomings become distracting. I like where he ends up at the end of this book, so I have hope for the following two books, but I was bored by him here, especially considering how interesting his supporting cast is. Every other character is so cool and engages with the dangerous, fantastical world Stiefvater dreamt up in unexpected ways. It’s exciting stuff, and thankfully, all of that comes to the forefront in time for the thrilling third act. The various storylines finally come together and Ronan gets to work off other characters, which is where he’s at his best.
My trepidations aside, I’m excited for more and even more excited to see Stiefvater lean harder into the wilder, almost cosmic fantasy (horror?) she’s been teasing us with.
But the central protagonist is a mostly one-note character whose perspective is so shallow that I almost dropped off entirely in the second act. Ronan Lynch is a perfect supporting character—he adds the right kind of tension and dimension to an ensemble that steals the spotlight without fully claiming it. But as the protagonist, his shortcomings become distracting. I like where he ends up at the end of this book, so I have hope for the following two books, but I was bored by him here, especially considering how interesting his supporting cast is. Every other character is so cool and engages with the dangerous, fantastical world Stiefvater dreamt up in unexpected ways. It’s exciting stuff, and thankfully, all of that comes to the forefront in time for the thrilling third act. The various storylines finally come together and Ronan gets to work off other characters, which is where he’s at his best.
My trepidations aside, I’m excited for more and even more excited to see Stiefvater lean harder into the wilder, almost cosmic fantasy (horror?) she’s been teasing us with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Body horror, Death, Cursing, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Car accident, and Animal death