candemoon28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
agnes_the_wyrm's review against another edition
5.0
Okay so, not really spoilery but still maybe a bit spoilery in a vague sense so be warned:
I know a lot of people didn't like this book as much as the rest of the series (which made me postpone reading it by A Lot), and I sort of get it. Like, I can see which parts of the plot would make you not like this book.
With that said I loved this book, so, so much. Because to me, it's not really about the plot. The plot is secondary. What I care about are the emotions. And Maggie Stiefvater is ever so talented when it comes to writing emotions. Most of the time when I read books, I can see the character's feelings, I can understand why they're feeling them, and feel sympathy for them. When I read Maggie Stiefvater’s books I experience the emotions first-hand. In scenes where characters were scared, my own heart beat faster and my breathing hitched. When they were excited, I was excited with them. When they were filled with panic, the dread that filled me was so total I almost gave myself an anxiety attack (that was fun). The emotions were just so raw and vivid to me, that it was less like reading a book, and more like experiencing the plot first-hand.
I just feel like the characters' experiences and emotions, though I live in a very mundane world and they in a very magical one, mirror my own. And to quote the book itself, reading this book brought to me the feeling of being known. Doubly known. Triply known.
This was definitely the most intense book I've read in a while, if not ever.
(Full disclosure: I was PMSing, like, a lot while reading this book so that might have interfered with the emotional intensity of this read.)
I know a lot of people didn't like this book as much as the rest of the series (which made me postpone reading it by A Lot), and I sort of get it. Like, I can see which parts of the plot would make you not like this book.
With that said I loved this book, so, so much. Because to me, it's not really about the plot. The plot is secondary. What I care about are the emotions. And Maggie Stiefvater is ever so talented when it comes to writing emotions. Most of the time when I read books, I can see the character's feelings, I can understand why they're feeling them, and feel sympathy for them. When I read Maggie Stiefvater’s books I experience the emotions first-hand. In scenes where characters were scared, my own heart beat faster and my breathing hitched. When they were excited, I was excited with them. When they were filled with panic, the dread that filled me was so total I almost gave myself an anxiety attack (that was fun). The emotions were just so raw and vivid to me, that it was less like reading a book, and more like experiencing the plot first-hand.
I just feel like the characters' experiences and emotions, though I live in a very mundane world and they in a very magical one, mirror my own. And to quote the book itself, reading this book brought to me the feeling of being known. Doubly known. Triply known.
This was definitely the most intense book I've read in a while, if not ever.
(Full disclosure: I was PMSing, like, a lot while reading this book so that might have interfered with the emotional intensity of this read.)
kootkoorass's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like I've had to say good bye to good friends.
I have to complain: why can't authors ever end a book with closure. What about the middle sleeper, that's what I wanna know.
I have to complain: why can't authors ever end a book with closure. What about the middle sleeper, that's what I wanna know.
jessthebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Blue and her Raven Boys are fighting against things that they don't understand. Nothing dead is to be trusted and nothing living is safe. They have their hopes set on favour from a king. They need to learn what being a king means.
This book was just as magical as the others in this series, the characters just as vivid. But the difference was that I was so nervous for how this would all end, constantly on the edge of my seat, so to speak.
The romances were so special in this series. Everything about them was done with such delicacy and subtle descriptions. Details such as her wrist against his as they held hands. His hand on his ribs as they kissed. I enjoyed the journey of every romance, even the ones that didn't work out.
What a truly wonderful series this is. I am still working through the ending in my head, mulling things over. There's a lot to contemplate. But this is definitely one that needs to be re-read in the future, no doubt about it.
This book was just as magical as the others in this series, the characters just as vivid. But the difference was that I was so nervous for how this would all end, constantly on the edge of my seat, so to speak.
The romances were so special in this series. Everything about them was done with such delicacy and subtle descriptions. Details such as her wrist against his as they held hands. His hand on his ribs as they kissed. I enjoyed the journey of every romance, even the ones that didn't work out.
What a truly wonderful series this is. I am still working through the ending in my head, mulling things over. There's a lot to contemplate. But this is definitely one that needs to be re-read in the future, no doubt about it.
fatime_rezaei's review against another edition
4.0
Well... idk what to say now but i didn't expect it to end this way and i still have so many questions unanswered
bloggingwithdragons's review against another edition
Review originally posted on: www.bloggingwithdragons.com
This review does contain spoilers.
Meet the series that completely wrecked my desire to read other books. I started reading the first book in the series “The Raven Boys,” as my nighttime reading on my kindle, so the light wouldn’t bother my sleeping boyfriend. Before I knew it, I had put down my main book, “Elantris” by one of my favorite authors ever, Brandon Sanderson, and just let myself become immersed in the magical world of Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah.
I started reading and I thought to myself, “wow, this book is really weird.” Then, a few hours later, I thought “man, I should write a review about this amazing book.” And then I found myself buying the second book, and the third book, and the fourth book, without stopping. I really couldn’t. So now, I’m writing a review for the entire series, which you should go out and buy immediately.
This series is anything but generic. Character development, which is a magic enough in its own, but also has a different and unique brand of its own magic, which includes mystical forests, psychics, and dreams. The magic of the world of small town Henrietta sucks the reader into it in much the same way that Harry Potter sucked me in years ago when I was a child. Like J.K .Rowling’s famous series, the exploits of Blue Sargent and her Raven boys of Algionby Academy, Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah, pull you along and make you feel like a member every bit as much as Harry, Ron, and Hermione of Hogwarts. But unlike Rowling’s poorly written romances and iffy character development, author Maggie Stiefvater writes entirely new and authentic feelings for her characters, including mistaken romances that fizzle out before they even light, forbidden flirtationships that not only threaten friendships, but lives, and sympathetic kisses with a ghost, and a gay romance between two very surprised boys. But trumping all of these is that Blue Sargent grows up with the alarming foretold knowledge that her first kiss will be her true love’s last.
And if that’s not enough to interest you, Blue, the only non-psychic member of an eccentric family of scrying, card-reading psychics, seeing her first spirit ever on her hometown’s Corpse Road might do the trick. When this Algionby sweater-wearing spirit introduces himself to Blue as Gansey, she determines to throw aside her rules of, “One, stay away from boys, because they were trouble. And two, stay away from Algionby boys, because they were bastards,” to save this mysterious boy in the Algionby Sweater from his impending fate (The Raven Boys, The Raven Cycle, Book 1).
When this very much still alive boy and his friends from the prestigious, rich kid school show up on her doorstep asking for psychic advice in their hunt for the legendary sleeping King Glendower on a slumbering ley line, Blue is hurtled into their world. But what I love about her quirky character is that she always remains true to her crocheted outfit, clipped hair, short-tempered, authentic self despite being thrown into the world of privilege and magic of the Raven boys. And what’s even better is that “her” boys—Richard Gansey the III, the popular, go-getter, son of a senator, that leads their group of misfits on their paranormal quest; Ronan the angry delinquent with a dead father and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas; Adam the scholarship student with an abusive dad and trailer park backgrounds; Noah the quiet loner—love her for her uniqueness and she soon feels more at home with them than she ever did as the odd one out in her hodge-podged family of psychics. And when Blue reaches her realization that, “…[she was a ] little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys” (The Dream Thieves, The Raven Cycle, Book 2), you’ll realize that you too have fallen in love with all of them and their quest right along with her.
If the beautiful and painfully real feeling character development weren’t enough to make this series magical, then the mystical forest of Cabeswater, speaking Latin, the threat of demons unmaking their world, a magical taking dreams and making them real, future telling, restless ghosts, robo Bees, a slumbering King who grants wishes, and dream creatures definitely do it. Plus, Maggie writes it all with a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor that literally made me laugh out loud and feel like a teenager, with that sense that anything could happen, all over again. And that too, adds to this odd brand of magic that make this series unforgettable.
This review does contain spoilers.
Meet the series that completely wrecked my desire to read other books. I started reading the first book in the series “The Raven Boys,” as my nighttime reading on my kindle, so the light wouldn’t bother my sleeping boyfriend. Before I knew it, I had put down my main book, “Elantris” by one of my favorite authors ever, Brandon Sanderson, and just let myself become immersed in the magical world of Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah.
I started reading and I thought to myself, “wow, this book is really weird.” Then, a few hours later, I thought “man, I should write a review about this amazing book.” And then I found myself buying the second book, and the third book, and the fourth book, without stopping. I really couldn’t. So now, I’m writing a review for the entire series, which you should go out and buy immediately.
This series is anything but generic. Character development, which is a magic enough in its own, but also has a different and unique brand of its own magic, which includes mystical forests, psychics, and dreams. The magic of the world of small town Henrietta sucks the reader into it in much the same way that Harry Potter sucked me in years ago when I was a child. Like J.K .Rowling’s famous series, the exploits of Blue Sargent and her Raven boys of Algionby Academy, Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah, pull you along and make you feel like a member every bit as much as Harry, Ron, and Hermione of Hogwarts. But unlike Rowling’s poorly written romances and iffy character development, author Maggie Stiefvater writes entirely new and authentic feelings for her characters, including mistaken romances that fizzle out before they even light, forbidden flirtationships that not only threaten friendships, but lives, and sympathetic kisses with a ghost, and a gay romance between two very surprised boys. But trumping all of these is that Blue Sargent grows up with the alarming foretold knowledge that her first kiss will be her true love’s last.
And if that’s not enough to interest you, Blue, the only non-psychic member of an eccentric family of scrying, card-reading psychics, seeing her first spirit ever on her hometown’s Corpse Road might do the trick. When this Algionby sweater-wearing spirit introduces himself to Blue as Gansey, she determines to throw aside her rules of, “One, stay away from boys, because they were trouble. And two, stay away from Algionby boys, because they were bastards,” to save this mysterious boy in the Algionby Sweater from his impending fate (The Raven Boys, The Raven Cycle, Book 1).
When this very much still alive boy and his friends from the prestigious, rich kid school show up on her doorstep asking for psychic advice in their hunt for the legendary sleeping King Glendower on a slumbering ley line, Blue is hurtled into their world. But what I love about her quirky character is that she always remains true to her crocheted outfit, clipped hair, short-tempered, authentic self despite being thrown into the world of privilege and magic of the Raven boys. And what’s even better is that “her” boys—Richard Gansey the III, the popular, go-getter, son of a senator, that leads their group of misfits on their paranormal quest; Ronan the angry delinquent with a dead father and a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas; Adam the scholarship student with an abusive dad and trailer park backgrounds; Noah the quiet loner—love her for her uniqueness and she soon feels more at home with them than she ever did as the odd one out in her hodge-podged family of psychics. And when Blue reaches her realization that, “…[she was a ] little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys” (The Dream Thieves, The Raven Cycle, Book 2), you’ll realize that you too have fallen in love with all of them and their quest right along with her.
If the beautiful and painfully real feeling character development weren’t enough to make this series magical, then the mystical forest of Cabeswater, speaking Latin, the threat of demons unmaking their world, a magical taking dreams and making them real, future telling, restless ghosts, robo Bees, a slumbering King who grants wishes, and dream creatures definitely do it. Plus, Maggie writes it all with a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor that literally made me laugh out loud and feel like a teenager, with that sense that anything could happen, all over again. And that too, adds to this odd brand of magic that make this series unforgettable.
bentheoverlordsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
What a perfect end to a series.
I was worried going in that it could not live up to the sort of ending I'd hoped for, it delivered.
My only tiny gripe I had was the final part felt a tad rushed, and I would have liked a longer epilogue. But overall it was a bloody good ending
I was worried going in that it could not live up to the sort of ending I'd hoped for, it delivered.
My only tiny gripe I had was the final part felt a tad rushed, and I would have liked a longer epilogue. But overall it was a bloody good ending
flopi2022's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
<spoilers>
Me encanta la saga pero el hecho de que glendower estuviera muerto no me gustó ósea lo estuvieron buscando por 4 libros y al final estaba muerto sentí que todos los libros, toda la búsqueda fue sin sentido entiendo que había que escribir un plot twist pero podría haber sido de otra forma, podría haber sido otro el plot twist. Lo otro que no me gusto fue como revivió gansey obviamente tenía que revivir pero la forma no la entendí. Pero el resto me encantó, el found family, el desarrollo de los personajes, el mundo, todo. Siento que nunca voy a olvidar la saga y no puedo esperar para leer la saga de los soñadores
Me encanta la saga pero el hecho de que glendower estuviera muerto no me gustó ósea lo estuvieron buscando por 4 libros y al final estaba muerto sentí que todos los libros, toda la búsqueda fue sin sentido entiendo que había que escribir un plot twist pero podría haber sido de otra forma, podría haber sido otro el plot twist. Lo otro que no me gusto fue como revivió gansey obviamente tenía que revivir pero la forma no la entendí. Pero el resto me encantó, el found family, el desarrollo de los personajes, el mundo, todo. Siento que nunca voy a olvidar la saga y no puedo esperar para leer la saga de los soñadores