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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: Death and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Blood
gwen_c6's review against another edition
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: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
tagrace's review against another edition
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: Death and Murder
billyjepma's review against another edition
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: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment
triley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder
imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
onemamareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/call-down-the-hawk
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
thrntnja's review
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
botanicalprofanity's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
danaslitlist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Maggie Stiefvater did it again; she penned another novel that gripped me from beginning to end and ran me through every emotion that's humanely possible. I'm not sure how she manages to consistently write books that leave me clawing for more at the end of every page and remain creative and fresh.
Call Down The Hawk (CDTH) is everything The Raven Cycle (TRC) is and isn't. There's moments in CDTH that make you remember the flavor of TRC, but in its entirety it manages to stand alone. One of the main aspect of the book that I loved the most was that it felt as if it was written for the fans of TRC who had grown up since the first series had concluded. It was more mature, a bit darker, a bit more in everything. Maggie has a great gift for writing for a large variety of readers ranging from young adult to new adult audiences.
It isn't so much a fantasy as TRC. Call Down The Hawk is instead more focused on the realities of our every day world and how Dreamers and Dreamkillers, as well as those stuck in between are forced to function knowing that magic is so deeply rooted around them. The themes are heavier and the stakes feel higher. Where I described The Raven Cycle as "Stand by Me" meets "Buzzfeed Unsolved", Call Down The Hawk feels more reminiscent of an action/detective movie meets TRC.
I love the new characters so much and that was one of my biggest fears going into this series. It's impossible to not compare characters from a previous series, especially ones that had such a huge impact on Ronan's story. But the new additions are fleshed out and so complex that I didn't find myself missing the Gangsey. The expansion of the world of dreamers was everything I had hoped it would be and seeing how there are so many other sides to the coin that is Ronan was enjoyable. It was also a pleasure to have more of an inside look into Declan and Matthew.
I understand for some fans of the Raven Cycle, that the changes in terms of how this book is written (though I'd argue it is so distinctly Maggie Stiefvater) and the theme changes could lead to feeling let down. But I think it's important to remember that this series, while connected to TRC, is not supposed to be a cut out of that series. This is the world of the Lynch Brothers and The Henneseys, of Farooq-Lane and the Visionaries. And I think in that regard it is perfect in every way.
Please check out the content warnings as mentioned above, some of the themes are darker and may be triggering).
Call Down The Hawk (CDTH) is everything The Raven Cycle (TRC) is and isn't. There's moments in CDTH that make you remember the flavor of TRC, but in its entirety it manages to stand alone. One of the main aspect of the book that I loved the most was that it felt as if it was written for the fans of TRC who had grown up since the first series had concluded. It was more mature, a bit darker, a bit more in everything. Maggie has a great gift for writing for a large variety of readers ranging from young adult to new adult audiences.
It isn't so much a fantasy as TRC. Call Down The Hawk is instead more focused on the realities of our every day world and how Dreamers and Dreamkillers, as well as those stuck in between are forced to function knowing that magic is so deeply rooted around them. The themes are heavier and the stakes feel higher. Where I described The Raven Cycle as "Stand by Me" meets "Buzzfeed Unsolved", Call Down The Hawk feels more reminiscent of an action/detective movie meets TRC.
I love the new characters so much and that was one of my biggest fears going into this series. It's impossible to not compare characters from a previous series, especially ones that had such a huge impact on Ronan's story. But the new additions are fleshed out and so complex that I didn't find myself missing the Gangsey. The expansion of the world of dreamers was everything I had hoped it would be and seeing how there are so many other sides to the coin that is Ronan was enjoyable. It was also a pleasure to have more of an inside look into Declan and Matthew.
I understand for some fans of the Raven Cycle, that the changes in terms of how this book is written (though I'd argue it is so distinctly Maggie Stiefvater) and the theme changes could lead to feeling let down. But I think it's important to remember that this series, while connected to TRC, is not supposed to be a cut out of that series. This is the world of the Lynch Brothers and The Henneseys, of Farooq-Lane and the Visionaries. And I think in that regard it is perfect in every way.
Please check out the content warnings as mentioned above, some of the themes are darker and may be triggering).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent