Review - Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle 03) by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle 03) by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: October 21st, 2014

Paperback/Hardcover: 391

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal 

Find it at: Goodreads  / Bookdepository

Summary:  

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.

Mothers can disappear.

Visions can mislead.

Certainties can unravel.

Review:   

I’ve read the previous two books in this series and really enjoyed them so I definitely had to read this one.

Blue’s mother is missing and Gansey seems no closer to finding Glendower. To make this worse, a new character is in town looking for the Grey Man and for revenge.

I’m so glad I was finally able to read this book! Gansey is still a very good character. He’s definitely diferent and I’m not always able to figure him out but the truth is, without him, the Raven Boys group wouldn’t be the same.

Blue is rying to find her mother while dealing with feeling she knows she shouldn’t have.

Have I mentioned I love Ronan? In a way he’s my favorite character in the books. He’s extremely complex and even though he tries to pretend he doesn’t care about anything he really does. He’s not as thought as he would like people to think and I think that’s exactly what makes him such a great character. He’s wild but he cares a lot  for his friends and family.

Of course I also think Adam is great. He changed a lot in the last three books but he’s still a very interesting character. He’s noble and hardworking and I really liked reading about him and Ronan.

Even though they don’t want to admit it, the romance between Blue and Gansey is blossoming. In a way they can’t stay away from each other even knowing they shouldn’t be together. I’m curious to see how their relationship will develop in the next book because I actually think they would make a good couple if they could be one.

Plotwise, Lily Blue, Blue Lily is full of twists and turns and mysteries. That’s probably one of the reasons why I like this series so much: nothing is ever what it seems to be as gansey and the rest of the gang continue their search for  Glendower.

All in all, this book is very well-written and extremely interesting. The characters are great and there’s a lot of focus on their development. Plus, I really enjoy all the mystery and the quest for Glendower.

The book kep me interested right from the start until the end. Plus, Almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger of some kind so I just couldn’t put it down.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and find out if Gansey will finally find his king. Plus, the book obviously ended in a little cliffhanger which only makes me want the next book more!

 If you haven’t started reading this series yet, you should definitely do it!

Rating: Somewhere between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 Stars)

Review - The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle 01) by Maggie Stiefvater

Title and Author: The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle 01) by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: September 18th, 2012

Paperback/Hardcover: 408

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Summary:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

  

Review:

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked The Raven Boys up. I was curious but didn’t know if I would like the story. It turns out I not only did like the story, I            loved it and couldn’t put the book down.

Blue Sargeant lives among psychics and clairvoyants but while she doesn’t share her family’s gift, she seems to make everything clearer for the clairvoyants.

When on St. Mark’s Eve she is standing in a cemitary with her aunt waiting for the soon to be dead to show up, she sees the spirit of a boy. That boys name is Gasney and he is going to be dead within a year.

Having never seen a spirit before Blue is told by her aunt that: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve, Blue. Either you're his true love...or you killed him."

Don’t start reading this book expecting a lot of romance. I know the book summary makes it seem like the romance between Blue and Gasney is the focus of the story, it really isn’t. The focus is on the Raven Boys themselves and the relationship between them. The friendships between them were so, complex and dynamic that I couldn’t help but to want to be part of the group.

The characters in this book are all very unique and different.

Blue is our heroine and a very interesting character. She’s definitely unique, sensible and a little bit eccentric. Her family is full of psychics and Blue sometimes which she shared their powers. That’s why she’s immediately interested in the boys search, I think. She wants to be part of something special. She wants to find out magic really does exist.

I guess we can say Gasney is the main male character. He’s the leader of the pack and practically obsessed with finding Glendower – a historical Welsh King. Gasney is passionate about his search, determined and caring, especially when it comes to his friends. He’s a very well-written and complex character that kept me intrigued throughout the whole book.

Adam, Ronan and Noah are Gasney’s friends. Adam is very different from Gasney. He has a troubled life, is not reach and does his best to be able to go to Aglionby academy. He’s very smart and is the one who immediately shows and interest in Blue.

Noah is the quietest of them all. He’s a little awkward and very troubled. As the story develops the readers learn exactly why he’s like that.

Ronan is the friend with the huge anger issues. He’s father has died under some mysterious circumstances and Ronan can’t seem to get over it. He’s very rough around the edges and often acts like a jerk but there’s a soft side to him that is shown when he finds a baby raven and starts taking care of it. Ronan is one of my favorite characters and I know there’s a lot more to him than what meets the eye. I can’t wait to see what happens to him in the next book.

Even though I think the storyline was a bit of a back story to the relationships between the characters, I really enjoyed it. Getting to read about the boys and Blue looking for the ley lines and Glendower was extremely entertaining. Now that we already know the characters, I’m sure the next book will be more storyline focused.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Raven Boys. The characters are definitely the best part of the book but I also liked the plot. The book is well-written and made me feel like I was part of the quest.

When the book ended, I was left with several questions so I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

If you enjoy a good young adult paranormal/fantasy book with great characters, you should definitely give this book a try.

Rating: Somewhere Between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 ½ Stars)

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