The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
trintrin's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Gore, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism
melurmom'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
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, and Car accident
grimmdark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Grief, Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse
abbypeekreads's review
- 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
As I've said throughout the course of this series, I can't even begin to tell you the details of the paranormal stuff/magic system in this book. At first, I found the constant confusion and feelings of not being able to keep up a bit annoying. But after a while, I just started to settle in for the ride and the vibes, which made reading this series so much more enjoyable. Did I fully understand the ending of this particular book (and therefore the series)? Nope. Was I disappointed by that? Maybe a little (thus the four star rating). But it was so artfully written that I didn't seem to care all that much. In fact, I was still just as absorbed in the story as before.
The characters, as always, stole the show. Again, I grew unexpectedly attached to this little group of pals, particularly over the course of the last two books. But I particularly loved seeing their arcs come full circle, and how each of them came into their own as the story came to a close. It was beautiful and heart-warming and had me smiling from ear-to-ear.
Overall, The Raven Cycle is such a special series. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean by that, so all I can really say is read these books if you haven't all ready. I don't think you'll regret it.
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence and Kidnapping
happilyeveralli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cursing and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Medical content
Minor: Sexism and Racism
nannahnannah's review against another edition
4.0
The highlight of the book is definitely the addition of the character Henry Cheng. I am gonna try not to spoil much, but this guy is impossible not to love. He's charming, magical, well-crafted, and everything the Raven Cycle stands for. Plus, his difficulty with words and expressing himself verbally is something that's so relatable and made me want to hug him and (even) Maggie Stiefvater for including him.
Every character in this book is fully fleshed out and as real and lovable as in every other book of the cycle. The book is really about them: Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, more so than the plot, to be honest. Therein lies the problem, I think. It focuses so much on those characters (except for maybe Noah, who could've had more page time) that the plot is lost, especially toward the last 1/4.
There's also so many characters that even among them all, some of them are lost and have endings that are a little bit unresolved. I wish things came together better for them, or that their arcs were better defined. But with just the sheer amount of people this cycle came to have, it's no wonder the climax and the last book ended up being a little messy.
I think in the end, I just wish the climax had more magic. And yeah, you could argue the entire climax was and involved magic. But what was left out was the magical feeling while reading and the magical feeling after putting the book down. I wasn't left with a contented feeling of closure or wonder. It was just "oh, okay, that's how it ends!" more than "WHOAAAA," which I was really hoping to have. Maybe I came in with too high of hopes, so I could've done this to myself. But there were just so many strands to come together, and I just don't think they did.
Moderate: Child abuse
parisreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Blood, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
racheldianne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse and Drug use
izypup's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Grief and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Death, and Animal death
Minor: Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Murder, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Stalking, Mental illness, and Cursing
nbreezy17's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide