melurmom's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It is so so so hard for me to not give this book above a four because I so desperately want to. I have been in love with the TRC universe since middle school (I'm a sophomore in college now) and I truly feel like I have grown into and up with these characters so no matter how this book ended I'm sure I would have had some kind of poor feeling about it. I say that because this review is in no way coming objectively or with no bias. The book felt scattered and like Maggie was looking for ways to make a big end to these characters but in the process created an idea too big with too short of execution. All of the characters had some sort of interesting development but I felt it came on a little too late and *spoiler* the ending although cute with the wedding and bringing all of the gangsey back for one last time felt lazy in that none of the characters felt like they had their original shape. Additionally the whole side plot with Matthew and Bryde and randomly having Matthew pop up again felt so unnecessary. Ronans proposal to Adam was purely fan service for a happy ever after ending *spoiler*. I know Maggie likes to get butthurt about opinions on the dreamer trilogy so let me say this one last time: no matter what the ending was I would have been upset in someway and I know that. But it felt rushed and unoriginal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
keen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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: Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
lizziaha's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
These characters, with all their spikes and petals and stardust and war crimes and dreams and quirks and defaults and angst have my whole heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
stormeno's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
henrymwinter's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
2.5
spoilers for the ending and some character arcs. this review is rather negative, unfortunately, but I think this was a somewhat satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy.
The fact that the case presented to redeem Niall Lynch was that he erased his love for Declan because it was too painful is a cheap, strange explanation. It cannot carry the burden of Declan's quality of childhood (making Declan the secret favourite is a cop-out, he still felt very unloved and was parentified because Niall couldn't be bothered to actually raise Ronan and his dreaming properly), as well as the burden of making Declan suddenly accept that he loved his father all along.
Sure, Declan can still love his father, but it feels too easy to have Declan get over his established resentment for Niall so quickly. Even if it's covert, or whatever. There is no explanation of the process of how Declan gets from A to B apart from 'I just missed him'.
Yes, the Epilogue established a time gap, but the fact we don't see any qualms, confliction, confusion or acknowledgement from any of the Lynch brothers about their complicated father or childhood feels like a letdown.
(And Mór and Niallbot chilling in the barns after abandoning her family? I mean, it was a good call on her part, but I can't imagine any of the boys just. Allowing that to happen. I need to see some negotiations for this to be plausible. I can't imagine Ronan seeing clones of the people who raised him everyday and being fine with that.
Also Adam becoming a government servant was... a choice.
Disappointing conclusion to the trilogy.
Spoiler
I have to acknowledge that people are not 100% good or 100% evil. However, how the narrative packages Niall Lynch's redemption arc into a lazy dream sequence-esque chapter does not sit right with me.The fact that the case presented to redeem Niall Lynch was that he erased his love for Declan because it was too painful is a cheap, strange explanation. It cannot carry the burden of Declan's quality of childhood (making Declan the secret favourite is a cop-out, he still felt very unloved and was parentified because Niall couldn't be bothered to actually raise Ronan and his dreaming properly), as well as the burden of making Declan suddenly accept that he loved his father all along.
Sure, Declan can still love his father, but it feels too easy to have Declan get over his established resentment for Niall so quickly. Even if it's covert, or whatever. There is no explanation of the process of how Declan gets from A to B apart from 'I just missed him'.
Yes, the Epilogue established a time gap, but the fact we don't see any qualms, confliction, confusion or acknowledgement from any of the Lynch brothers about their complicated father or childhood feels like a letdown.
(And Mór and Niallbot chilling in the barns after abandoning her family? I mean, it was a good call on her part, but I can't imagine any of the boys just. Allowing that to happen. I need to see some negotiations for this to be plausible. I can't imagine Ronan seeing clones of the people who raised him everyday and being fine with that.
Also Adam becoming a government servant was... a choice.
Disappointing conclusion to the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness
nabecker13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, Violence, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
2.0
A meandering and messy ending that can't quite decide who to focus on which leads to Ronan getting sidelined in his own series. The book takes forever to get to an anticlimactic finale and an epilogue that's fanservice-y in uninteresting ways. By the ending, the characters and world were stale, missing the variety of magic and strong bonds between the entire cast from The Raven Cycle. Without the found family or multiple forms of mysterious magic, this series rings hollow after one book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Not going to lie, I don't really remember what happened in the second book in this trilogy. But that's okay! It came back to me for the most part while I was listening to the audiobook. This book does get mind-bendy in the way that Maggie Stiefvater books can, which isn't a bad thing! It does kind of make me want to return to the Raven Cycle, though.
Anyway, I wanted more Ronan in this. While getting to see more of Declan was great, Ronan was one of my favorite characters from The Raven Cycle, and he's not in much of this particular book, until the end. Give me more of Ronan, please!
If you are a fan of the Raven Cycle, you will love the way this brings both of the trilogies together at the end. It's a good send off for characters that so many people love. Overall, once I got rid of the cobwebs, I did enjoy this finale of the Raven Cycle world.
Anyway, I wanted more Ronan in this. While getting to see more of Declan was great, Ronan was one of my favorite characters from The Raven Cycle, and he's not in much of this particular book, until the end. Give me more of Ronan, please!
If you are a fan of the Raven Cycle, you will love the way this brings both of the trilogies together at the end. It's a good send off for characters that so many people love. Overall, once I got rid of the cobwebs, I did enjoy this finale of the Raven Cycle world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
queenfury's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Suicide and Death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
ohnocami's review
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
5.0
"on the seventh day, the lynch brothers discovered they were friends once more"
the last few pages of this book were not good for me emotionally but here we are. maggie stiefvater you are a fucking genius and sorry for Ever doubting you. i will love these characters until i breathe my very last breath and i will miss them forever but i am so happy they got the ending they all deserved. i am Devastated.
(also the blue and gansey cameo was what finally broke me after reading that the tears just kept coming)
(i feel very normal about this book)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Death