Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

9 reviews

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

I loved this book because it was Maggie Stiefvater, and because I was so thrilled about being back in this world, but I’m not sure if I’m sold on the actual premise & conflict of this series so far plot-wise. There’s just something missing that’s keeping me from falling in 100% but I can’t quite put my finger on it; it may just be that this is the first book of a trilogy and it’s heavy on set-up for the following books.

As always, Will Patton’s narration continues to be the highlight of ~~my life~~ this book and brings the depth of Stiefvater’s lush writing to the foreground. There’s something so unique about the way his voice lends so perfectly to Ronan in particular, but the tonal changes he adopts between different chapters depending on who we’re following is just so immersive and emotional.

I know I’m far from the first person to say this, but I do wish that Adam had been more present in this story. It makes sense that Gansey and Bkue are a bit more distant, but I hated feeling like Adam was there but slightly out of reach. Maybe that’s exactly how Ronan feels and that’s the point, but I selfishly wanted them to be working together against a bigger problem, like the set of Horror Movie Twins they truly are.

Content Warnings

trintrin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark 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

5.0

I think this is genuinely the most fun I've had reading a sequel series. Sequel series are always in that weird grey area of scratching the same itch that only your favourite characters from the main series could, but also either risk going overboard with additional world-building, new characters, and plot devices, or risk going stale with same old characters, and same old world. This book hits a sweet, sweet spot.

I was kinda indecisive seeing this is gonna be about Ronan (and by extension, Adam, who would obviously be a major part of his life) because Ronan Lynch is my absolute favourite character and I do not want to tarnish the perfect image I have of him in my head. I didn't know what other adventures little old Henrietta offered, seeing that the quest for Glendower is over, I didn't know what the focus is going to be in Ronan and Adam's relationship, seeing as he would've gone to college. But, boy, oh, boy, did the Lynch brothers deliver.

The Characters

Sure, this book doesn't have the ride-or-die friendships like the Gangsey, but it does have interesting characters. Absolutely head over heels in love with Jordan and Hennessy, I would sacrifice myself to the ley-line to protect these girls. DECLAN LYNCH!! I knew he would pull through, always had faith in him. Someone needs to give this boy a hug, some warm cocoa, and peace. Also, fuck Niall Lynch. I used to think he wasn't that bad, just a very absent father, but good lord. A very interesting side to Matthew which I didn't even consider was possible. Hopefully we get to see more of that. Still kinda lukewarm on Farooq-Lane. Interesting character, certainly, just not sure how much I like her. Parsifal

, too soon, my boy, too soon

. Bryde, the ever-mysterious Bryde. Excited to get to know him better. Lilliana too, I have high hopes for her.

The Plot

The plot is darker than TRC, which is expected considering four teenagers going on a hunt for a dead Welsh King is going to be more on the friendshipy-adventurous side, while organisations that hunt down dreamers and dreams would be significantly darker and grittier. The world is much bigger than a small, rural town in Virginia, whaddayaknow. Especially when you throw the Lynches into the equation, as it's both about their messed up family history and narrated by them. The introduction of new characters was perfect, the pacing was perfect, the development of both the plot and the characters was perfect, the unexpected

Mór Ó Corra

plot-twist which I totally should've seen coming was perfect, Stiefvater's beautiful writing in all her glory was perfect, all in all, perfect. :D

Should you read this if you loved The Raven Cycle?

I would say it depends on which part of TRC you loved. TRC had a good plot, but the phenomenal characters were what carried the series. Whereas, this series has incredible characters, but the amazing plot is the focus. Fair warning though, there's little to nothing of Gansey, Blue and Noah, and only crumbs of Adam, if that's what you're looking for. If Ronan, Chainsaw, Orphan-Girl, Matthew, Declan, and the Lynch family history mystery with some cool new characters sounds like your thing, definitely give it a try!

Content Warnings

billyjepma's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

msradiosilence's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Tldr; Ronan and company are back and better than ever, and the cast, the writing, and the stakes are *chef’s kiss*.

Read my full review at: https://www.rainyreader.com/single-post/call-down-the-hawk.

Content Warnings

our_bookish_reads's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

There is something intimate in being read to, hearing someone speak in a ragged, raspy, growling tone... It gives you goosebumps. Will Patton, sweet baby bajebus, your voice does things to me.

Also, Maggie Stiefvater did it again! I got sucked right into this story, just like TRC and do NOT regret a thing! The world, the characters, the story, multi-POV, new characters mixed with existing ones from TRC! GOD DAMN IT YOU'RE FUCKING BRILLIANT!

There is so much going on in this one!
My reactions were as goes:

Oh shit!
Matthew, oh, my heart. 🥺 I'm not crying, you are. 🥲
What!?
Oh my gods!
Gasp!! Oh fuck!
*shocked face* 😲😮
*almost crying*🥺
*sad face*😞😟
Well shit, I did not see that coming.

Now if I can get Cloud Library to cooperate, I can start Mister Impossible!

Content Warnings

seanamcphie's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing so. much. I obviously love fantasy as a genre, but the way Stiefvater writes it is unlike any other writer I know. It’s part of her stories—an important part—but they still feel so <i>real</i> and close to the real world. I’m often turned off by (what I feel to be gratuitous) grittiness or violence in stories, but Stiefvater always makes me care enough about the characters that I’ll power through those parts. I loved the Ronan/Adam scenes, though they were few and far between, and I enjoyed getting to know Declan better (shockingly, he’s not nearly as annoying as he seemed). However, I definitely missed the characters and found family from the The Raven Cycle.

Content Warnings

dandelioness's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

pagesofquinn's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

More...