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georgiaisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
kallifornia05's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.75
this book honestly is a great end to the series, while it does feel quite rushed towards the end with a few pieces that were left open to the viewers interpretation, it was still an amazing book that i would recommend :).
also i have to mention when noah ended up being the one to have told gansey about glendower amazing 10/10
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
this book can just be very dark and intense, so i would just be sure if this stuff will bother you to take breaks while reading. other tw/cw in book: -r*pe joke (character gets mad about it) -if reading the opal extra story sex scenes are discussedbattybookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It finally happened! This book got me and I really ended up having a good time finishing off this series in general. This was sort of a challenge I set myself (I believe at the end of 2019) where I wanted to read a series. I am a not-so-notorious-though-perhaps-very-loud series hater. I have been since middle school. The scourge of YA series that were so popular during that time (Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent, etc) really started to put me off reading because it felt very commercial without much substance.
With some age and time, I have gotten over this hate and I was really hungry for a YA around that time anyway (I can't remember but I believe I'd just finished something dark and adult and was in need of a change in pace). I'm probably very late to the train on these books, but I was suddenly hearing about them everywhere and I decided to try them. I remember seeing Stiefvater's work when I was in school but I think it was only the Shiver series, and I'm afraid I've yet to get into werewolf books.
This series has been fun. I'll admit, there isn't a single book in the series that I outright hated and Stiefvater does a really good job of making them all significant in some way or another. That being said. I was super sick of reading them and they are not as fulfilling as a standalone book where I can get that connection and the magical reading moment where the book speaks directly to me and changes me as a person in some fundamental way. I think series books might just not do this as much for me. They're basically a prolonged book so the time it takes to get to life-changing places takes longer. I really like the tone of these stories. I didn't overly love the characters at first but they've grown on me and I did enjoy the story/adventure they go on so that helped.
The Raven King in particular had some of the best moments in character development. I think the shifts in POV and the way Stiefvater unwound events and opened chapters in this story were purposeful and almost expert-level at points. I did not expect where things went, and while that's not a requirement for me, it was enjoyable to continually be surprised. And, the magical moment finally happened in this book! I can't remember (plus it'd be spoilers) what it was in particular but I know it was something Blue-related and I just felt I finally got her and her motives and perspective and could say, 'yes, this makes sense to me and I love it.' I was very happy once I got there and the rest of the book was a breeze from then on.
These books take a little while for me to get going with them. This is something I think might be with most series that you sort of get more of a roller coaster effect than a single slow build and then drop. The starts of each book felt long but once they get momentum they get going pretty darn fast. They're fun, fairly quick, and easy to read, and definitely great fantasy with familiar elements but funky enough to be something all their own as well. Another part I loved with these books, completely unexpected, was that people knew these books and would share things about them with me. I don't know if it's the YA-ness or their general popularity, but these books are better known than most of what I usually read. I got lots of little sweet tidbits from other students and strangers: stuff about their experiences reading these and I treasure those the most!
With some age and time, I have gotten over this hate and I was really hungry for a YA around that time anyway (I can't remember but I believe I'd just finished something dark and adult and was in need of a change in pace). I'm probably very late to the train on these books, but I was suddenly hearing about them everywhere and I decided to try them. I remember seeing Stiefvater's work when I was in school but I think it was only the Shiver series, and I'm afraid I've yet to get into werewolf books.
This series has been fun. I'll admit, there isn't a single book in the series that I outright hated and Stiefvater does a really good job of making them all significant in some way or another. That being said. I was super sick of reading them and they are not as fulfilling as a standalone book where I can get that connection and the magical reading moment where the book speaks directly to me and changes me as a person in some fundamental way. I think series books might just not do this as much for me. They're basically a prolonged book so the time it takes to get to life-changing places takes longer. I really like the tone of these stories. I didn't overly love the characters at first but they've grown on me and I did enjoy the story/adventure they go on so that helped.
The Raven King in particular had some of the best moments in character development. I think the shifts in POV and the way Stiefvater unwound events and opened chapters in this story were purposeful and almost expert-level at points. I did not expect where things went, and while that's not a requirement for me, it was enjoyable to continually be surprised. And, the magical moment finally happened in this book! I can't remember (plus it'd be spoilers) what it was in particular but I know it was something Blue-related and I just felt I finally got her and her motives and perspective and could say, 'yes, this makes sense to me and I love it.' I was very happy once I got there and the rest of the book was a breeze from then on.
These books take a little while for me to get going with them. This is something I think might be with most series that you sort of get more of a roller coaster effect than a single slow build and then drop. The starts of each book felt long but once they get momentum they get going pretty darn fast. They're fun, fairly quick, and easy to read, and definitely great fantasy with familiar elements but funky enough to be something all their own as well. Another part I loved with these books, completely unexpected, was that people knew these books and would share things about them with me. I don't know if it's the YA-ness or their general popularity, but these books are better known than most of what I usually read. I got lots of little sweet tidbits from other students and strangers: stuff about their experiences reading these and I treasure those the most!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, and Kidnapping
irlchaosdemon'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexism