Review: All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

All the Crooked Saints
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Pilgrims flock to Bicho Raro, Colorado, home of the Soria family, in search of a miracle. While the Sorias can perform miracles, they are forbidden from helping the pilgrims permanently banish their darkness, lest the Sorias bring the darkness onto themselves. Cousins Beatriz, Daniel, and Joaquin know this rule as well as any Soria, but when Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, finds himself battling the very thing all the Sorias fear, it’s up to Beatriz and Joaquin to find a way to save their beloved cousin.

Review: Soooo, according to Goodreads, I began reading All the Crooked Saints on July 31, 2018, and finished it on December 9, 2018. And this review is posting in January of 2019. Yikes!

So, what happened here? I did read a few self-help books for work during that stretch but . . . what happened here?! Maggie Stiefvater is one of my all-time favorite authors!

Looking back at how long it took me to read All the Crooked Saints, I’d say that 90% of it taking forever was due to life and necessary adulting usurping reading time. The remaining 10% was due to just not finding my groove with this book. There was nothing really concrete that I disliked about it. Stiefvater’s prose is as beautiful as ever, and once again, she has assembled a cast of finely crafted characters. I think my struggle here was the same as it was with another Stiefvater standalone, The Scorpio Races. Both novels moved very slowly for me, and I found it challenging to get invested.

I did manage to find more investment in All the Crooked Saints than I did in The Scorpio Races thanks to the compelling backstories of the members of the Soria family and the miracle-seeking pilgrims who still haven’t left the Sorias’ home in Bicho Raro, Colorado. I also loved the contagious charisma of Diablo Diablo, AKA Joaquin Soria, pirate radio DJ extraordinaire, and the role that his rogue broadcast, engineered by Joaquin’s clever cousin, Beatriz, played throughout the novel.

The last 70 pages really picked up for me, and when, after reading this book in fits and starts for about four months, I reached the last page, I realized that I’d quite enjoyed the book. Maggie Stiefvater is brilliant at threading magic through reality. Pilgrims with coyote heads or nonstop rain falling over them are entirely the norm in Bicho Raro.

My rating does reflect the difficulty I encountered with the book’s overall pacing, but the strong finish left an impression deep enough to bump the rating up by another half star. No ravens or quests to find sleeping kings to be found in this one, but there are owls and an atmosphere infused with magic that makes Bicho Raro much more than just a setting for a story about saints and pilgrims.

All in All: Although it took me quite a while to get into All the Crooked Saints, it ended up being the type of read that grew on me the more I thought about it.

Adventures at the Maggie Stiefvater Event in Orlando!

This past Thursday, Ally, Melissa, and I piled into the car and set off again on another bookish adventure: Maggie Stiefvater's tour stop for The Raven King in Orlando. This was the final stop on the tour, and it could not have been more AMAZING!

Meeting Maggie Stiefvater was a bucket list item for me. Not just an item on my bookish bucket list, but one on my overall, all-encompassing, life bucket list. I don't think this should be very surprising, given how much I've gushed about her books on here and pushed her books on all of you, lol.

I took a half day off from work so that we could get to the bookstore, which was about a 45 minute drive, plenty early. It was a typical rainy, humid Florida afternoon/evening for this time of year, and I know my hair looked like something you'd see on a wet dog by the time we got there. I'll spare you the pics of that horror. XD

We were still a little early when we arrived, so we grabbed a quick dinner then headed back to the bookstore, by which time it had quite filled up. Maggie was going to speak for a bit before signing books, and a small area of the store had been set up with folding chairs. We ended up standing on the side, which offered a perfect view of her while she talked. Maggie spoke for about 45 minutes, standing on top of the signing table the whole time, as you'll see in the pic below. And she was HILARIOUS! I still can't even. I can't even remember the last time I laughed so much and that hard.

After she'd finished talking, there was a brief Q & A. I am way, way, way too intimidated by those things in general, and I was especially intimidated by the prospect of sounding like an idiot in front of one of my favorite authors EVER. So no questions from this audience member. XD

Finally, it was time for the signing. The three of us were sort of freaking out about what we would say when it was our turn, because . . . Maggie Stiefvater! She asked me if I'd read The Raven King and which book in the series was my favorite. I told her TRK, but I love all of them so much. She said that's what she likes to hear, lol.

Everyone at the event received a book hugger, kind of like a slipcase, with Maggie's artwork on it, and you can also see a pic of it below. I didn't assemble mine and don't think I will, because I love how it looks completely flat.

Obviously, we all went home extremely happy. We were so glad that the tour stopped pretty close and that we were able to meet her. This was definitely one of the highlights of the year, bookish or non-bookish, for me!

Review: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Gansey’s quest to find a Welsh king has begun to leave more questions than answers, but he has found a set of friends more than willing to help him complete his quest. Finding Glendower is becoming more of an urgent matter as the year begins to slip by and the promise of death and loss looms over the group. Gansey, Blue, Ronan, Adam, and Noah are starting to become desperate as the threats begin to multiply, but their loyalty to each other proves to be a force of great power, perhaps even equal to that of Henrietta's ley line.

Since The Raven King is such a special book, it's getting a bit of special treatment today, with reviews from both Melissa and me! We warn you now: there's not so much reviewing ahead as unabashed fangirling!

Lee's Review: Three years ago, I read a book called The Raven Boys that completely enchanted me with its magical story of a girl, four boys, and a sleeping king. I loved this book immensely, and yet, somehow, each successive novel in the series found still more to love about these characters and everything about them: their lives, their fears, their flaws. Now, four books later, we’ve reached the last chapter for Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, and what a magnificent swan song it is.

I knew—knew—that The Raven King would crush me heart and soul, but anticipating a thing and experiencing it are very often two different beasts. My mind is a storm of thoughts. My heart still beats irregularly when I reread certain passages. I don’t label books “life-changing” lightly, but this book and this series permanently own a piece of my heart. My brain refuses to compute that I’ve just read the final installment in a series that is perfection defined.

To discuss The Raven King in depth is to spoil it for those who haven’t read it, so please pardon my vagueness. Believe me—I am DYING to talk about EVERYTHING that made this book an absolute feast for anyone who loves words. Maggie Stiefvater’s prose is magic transformed into words on a page. Her Wolves of Mercy Falls series imbued winter with a life of its own. Here she literally gives sentience to the otherworldly forest of Cabeswater; the imagery Stiefvater employs in the Cabeswater scenes never fails to transport you to that magical place where every sight and sound is so real, you can’t help feeling like you, too, are standing in its wondrous midst. And when Cabeswater is threatened, you, too fear for it.

The Raven King finds Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam running out of time to find and wake the legendary sleeping king Owen Glendower, which means that they’re also running out of time to save Gansey’s life. My heart ached and fractured for my beloved Gansey over and over again while reading this because he fully realizes that he may not be able to fight fate, but he wants to live oh so much. He’s devoted most of his life to this quest for his king, and the countless painstaking hours of research and global travel may have all been in vain. Gansey’s search isn’t just about actually locating Glendower and requesting a favor; it’s also about finding validation, that the life he was given back after a deadly hornet attack has had a purpose.

Foreboding and urgency dominate The Raven King; the characters constantly dance on the edge of a precipice, one minute misstep away from tipping over. Dreams and nightmares, which have been important to the series from the beginning, become so entwined with reality here that the distinction between them blurs at times. With ominous happenings and shadowy people descending on Henrietta, Blue and her Raven Boys are hyperaware that their journey together must reach its crescendo very soon. They’re totally conscious of what’s at stake, including the lives of both Gansey and Cabeswater.

Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah are the lifeblood of this series, and observing their character development over the span of four novels has been one of the most incredible reading experiences I’ve ever known. I absolutely savored each of these last precious, exquisite moments with them, these friends whom no force, of this world or a magical one, could ever tear apart. Loyalty, sacrifice and love—so much love—define this group, and God, what I wouldn’t give to be even a tangential part of it.

I think I’ve written more of a sobbing, gushy farewell to the series than an actual review of the final book in said series, but this is all I’m ever going to be capable of. I also believe this marks the first time I’ve ever NOT wanted to finish writing a review, because then that means The Raven Cycle is well and truly complete. But if I must say goodbye, first I’d like to declare once again how much I’m going to miss the following: Blue Sargent, Richard Campbell Gansey III, Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, Noah Czerny, Chainsaw, the amazing ladies of 300 Fox Way (Maura, Calla, Persephone, Jimi, Orla), the Gray Man, Matthew Lynch, Henry Cheng and RoboBee, the Pig, the Barns, and the ethereal wonder that will always be Cabeswater.

All in All: Five billion stars and then some. It’s very likely I’ll read additional five star books this year, but The Raven King will still be my favorite book of 2016. Gansey—you will forever be king of this girl’s heart. I miss you and your friends so much already.

Melissa's Review: Finally! It seems like I’ve waited an eternity for the last installment in The Raven Cycle. The Raven King has been a wonderful way to start the summer. I actually picked up my copy of the book at my college bookstore while I was returning my textbooks. Having not read any YA in months, The Raven King was the perfect book to start my summer reading frenzy. I’ll warn you in advance, this is going to be more gushing than actual reviewing.

I hardly even know where to begin! The Raven King was mind-blowing. Pure magic, I tell you! Well, to be honest the entire Raven Cycle series is spectacular, but The Raven King ties everything together beautifully. While readers definitely got the answers they wanted/needed, The Raven King makes it very difficult to let go of the series. (I’ve been in a book depression for over a week. I guess the only solution is to reread the series. Oh darn.)

Don’t even get me started on Stiefvater’s writing. I barely have words for it. I can honestly say that I am incredibly jealous of her ability to craft such wonderful characters and write so cleverly. This is the type of series where you become so invested in the characters, it hurts you when the final book ends. I’m still in awe over how much I have come to love all of these characters and how very real they seem. Although the gang is in pursuit of Glendower, the book revolves more around their relationship with each other than the actual adventure. I don’t know if that sounds weird, but it really works. Since the series is so character driven, it has really become something far beyond what some other YA books could ever hope to be. If I could steal her bitching writing powers, I totally would. If you haven’t read any of her work yet, you are missing out big time.

Again, I’m sorry this isn’t much in the way of a review. I am too worried about saying anything about anything in fear of spoiling something by accident. So much goes down in this book, you really must experience it for yourself. I guess what I’m really trying to say is that The Raven King was so phenomenal that I couldn’t even write a cohesive review for it.

All in All: You must read The Raven Cycle! Hopefully my gushy babbling has convinced you of its awesomeness in lieu of a more traditional review.

Review: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Buddy Read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Isabel and Cole have both left Mercy Falls for Los Angeles, where she’s determined to move on with her life and he’s determined to win her heart. Even with his prodigious Cole St. Clair charm, Isabel won’t be easily swayed, especially since Cole also happens to be in California to star in his own reality show. She needs to know that he’s there because of her, but returning to the spotlight may supply one too many distractions—and temptations—for Cole to remain focused on why he followed Isabel to L.A.

Review: Isabel Culpeper and Cole St. Clair—what have you two done to me?!

Seriously. I’ve loved Isabel since Shiver and Cole since Linger, but I still was not prepared for the brilliance that is Sinner. As much as I adore Sam and Grace, and I adored them heaps throughout the previous Wolves of Mercy Falls books, Cole and Isabel refused to release their iron grip on my mind and my heart. Their chemistry is explosive; if either of them struck a match, everything within a fifty mile radius would ignite, too. I am eternally grateful to Maggie Stiefvater for deciding to give these two their own book because not knowing what the hell ever happened to them would have gnawed at me for an absurdly long time.

Sinner is an absolutely perfect novel about two imperfect people, and it’s all the flaws that make Cole and Isabel so damn real and their story so damn addictive to read. Maggie Stiefvater is unparalleled at taking the nuances of everyday life and examining them under a microscope: every word, every gesture, everything. Sinner often feels like a contemporary novel, propelled by two characters with equally towering page presences. There is not a weakness in either POV, and whether they’re in the same scene or separate ones, Cole and Isabel play off of each other’s narration seamlessly.

What more can be said about Cole St. Clair that he hasn’t eloquently said about himself already? He wears his ego like a badge, and on anyone else, it would come across as arrogance of the insufferable kind. But Cole also knows how to work a crowd, and did I fall hard for charming Cole. He’s a smartass to boot, a trait that I hold in very high esteem in my fictional characters, and so I found myself laughing maniacally at his Cole-isms. Because I never knew when the next outburst of cackling would occur, I nixed the idea of taking this book to work to read during lunch.

While Cole’s unique perspective on the world and Isabel’s snark amused me very, very much, Sinner did not hesitate to put my heart through the wringer, too. I felt anxious for Cole, who’s back in the public eye and surrounded by all of his old vices, some even provided by the producer of his new reality show because disasters make for compelling TV. I just felt for Isabel, so guarded with her heart, especially in light of witnessing her parents’ marriage in its death throes. Isabel isn’t the type of girl who wants anyone’s pity, though, and I love her for that. So too do I love how Stiefvater waves that magic wand of hers and convinces you unequivocally that Isabel and Cole are the only two people who truly know the real Isabel and Cole, the ones behind the ice queen and rock star exteriors.

Although the werewolf aspect isn’t as much of a focal point as it was in the previous books, it still surfaces at key moments. I’ve always marveled at the effortless way in which Stiefvater weaves the supernatural through stories that could otherwise fall under contemporary; her slight touch of paranormal in Sinner is particularly well done.

I’ve totally written an ode to Sinner and to Cole and Isabel instead of a review, but it wasn’t possible to do anything else but gush about how much I loved this book in its entirety. Maggie Stiefvater could not have written a more perfect conclusion to a fantastic series, and now I can proceed with life because I have my Isabel and Cole epilogue.

All in All: If you haven’t read Sinner yet, you MUST! I savored every single word of it, and it’s easily one of my favorite books of 2015.

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

* This review contains spoilers for the previous books in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buddy Read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Sam is still human, but Grace has finally shifted into a wolf at a time when all of the Mercy Falls wolves face imminent and grave danger. As the all too few minutes tick by, Sam, Grace, and some unlikely allies work to find a way to save the wolves. What does become clear is that Sam needs to lead them, but he may have to become one of the pack again for the rescue plan to even have a sliver of hope for success.

Review: Oh man. Where to start talking about this book?

I feel like I’ve already used all the words, especially superlatives, to discuss Maggie Stiefvater’s The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Forever continues in the brilliant footsteps of Shiver and Linger with compelling characters, exquisite storytelling, and insanely beautiful prose. I can’t get enough of the latter; it’s terribly addictive. It’s writing that makes me look forward to the next word on the page. Whether she’s describing the wolves or the Mercy Falls weather, animate or inanimate objects, the abstract or the concrete, Stiefvater does so with such effortless grace (no pun intended). She always selects the perfect word/perfect phrase for every scene and finds a story in even the most seemingly ordinary details of everyday life.

Sam and Grace have absolutely become one of my favorite YA couples. Ever. “Epic” doesn’t even begin to cover the depth and strength of their love for each other. It’s impossible to imagine Sam without Grace and Grace without Sam; they are truly as one.

Sam’s mettle really gets tested in Forever, as of course first, he must cope with Grace shifting and the growing suspicions of the Mercy Falls residents that he’s responsible for her disappearance. He also finds himself increasingly questioning how well he actually knows Beck, the man who’s in all essence been his father for most of Sam’s life. Finally, a huge threat looms over the entire pack, and with Beck no longer shifting back to a human, it falls on Sam’s shoulders to take action and save the wolves, including Grace. Sam is far from comfortable with this role, which frustrates Isabel, who goes through her own struggles in Forever (most of them Cole-related). Sam’s troubles are all interconnected, and when they converge, reading this becomes simultaneously heart-shattering and heart-pounding. I had about fifty pages left in the book and very, very stupidly thought I could read just a few more before leaving for work. Well, naturally I had to pry myself away from the book at a most inopportune point. Trust me, you do not want to read Forever in stolen moments here and there; you need to be able to spend quality time with it.

I must gush for at least a sentence or two about my other favorite couple, Isabel and Cole. They’re technically not a couple here, but they so are in my head! Forever sees Cole find a purpose, one that is integral to the wolves’ survival. Isabel finds that she’s really grown to care for a certain handful of people. Come on, Sinner: please let Cole and Isabel now find that they belong together!

I have devoured every book in this series. While I know that it’s not quite over yet and as much as I’m dying to jump into Sinner (GAH—more Cole and Isabel!), I’m going to miss Mercy Falls. A lot. Sam and Grace sent my heart spinning in every possible direction, and I loved every single minute of it.

All in All: There are no more words that adequately convey all the things Forever made me feel: happy, sad, fearful, and whatever adjective that best captures how you feel after reading some stunningly gorgeous writing.

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

* This review contains spoilers for the previous book, Shiver.

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buddy read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Sam's cure seems too good to be true, even to Sam. As he tries to believe that he can now spend the rest of his life with Grace, he also attempts to reconcile himself to the fact that he might be the only one who can help the new wolves, including the very complicated Cole St. Clair, adjust to their new lives. But Sam has no choice but to face the increasing evidence that something is very wrong with Grace; after everything they've been through to keep Sam human, they may not be able to stay together after all.

Review: It's book two into Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and I am madly, madly in love with it. Each page is an exquisitely composed piece of prose; I'm fumbling to find the right words to describe how addicted I am to reading her writing. It's as though she infuses language with magic.

Shiver was heartbreakingly beautiful—emphasis on the heartbreak. But, the ending did kindle a spark of hope, which then gets doused fairly quickly in Linger. Sam appears to have been cured and no longer shifts into a wolf, but he struggles to believe that his humanity is permanent. Unease hangs over the story from the beginning, and it only snowballs from there.

Grace and Sam's swoon-tacular romance forms the centerpiece of this series, and anything that interferes with it shreds my heart. In Shiver, the pair's main obstacle was Sam's shifting; Linger doubles their adversity, which centers around Grace this time. There's something . . . amiss with her (vagueness necessary here to avoid revealing too much), plus her parents snap out of their self-involved bubble and actually try to parent. I'm still wrapping my head around that because their world consisted almost exclusively of themselves in Shiver. Now that Grace has a boyfriend, they're suddenly concerned and feel the need to establish rules because surely this is mere teenage infatuation on their daughter's part. I find it kind of funny, and maybe even a little ironic, that I've read plenty of YA in which the supposed romance lacked the emotional depth to make it come across as more than attraction or infatuation. But what Grace and Sam have—it’s the real deal. They picture themselves married one day and talk about growing old together. I can't think of many other YA couples who see beyond the here and now, and to me, that's what really sets Sam and Grace apart.

Linger adds two POVs to those of original narrators Sam and Grace. I loved Isabel's character in Shiver and was thrilled to discover that she had a POV in Linger. I know that she's not an easy character to warm up to, but I totally relate to and love how she has a very low tolerance for BS. Don't even consider spinning her a yarn because she doesn't have time for that crap.

Linger also introduces us to Cole St. Clair, former rock star and newly created wolf. His character is such an interesting study, especially when you compare it side-by-side with Sam's. Music has played a prominent role in both of their lives, but where it's still going strong in Sam's, Cole has walked away from it. He's walked away from the entire rock and roll lifestyle and now wants to lose himself in the oblivion of being a wolf. That's another key point on which Cole and Sam differ significantly—Sam wants to hold on to his human form and his human memories.

Not only does Cole cause some ripples for Sam, but he also creates quite a stir in Isabel's world. These two—it’s all sharp edges and cutting words with them, but there's also an undeniable magnetism there. I loved every Cole/Isabel scene, and I'm as wholly invested in what happens next with them as I am in Grace and Sam's future.

Linger is an entirely apt title for this novel; I kept thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I'm still thinking about this book, and this series, and the characters, and how I excited I am to read Forever, even if it destroys me emotionally, which is highly probable.

All in All: Another brilliant and very, very sad installment in the series. I'm even more in love with Grace and Sam's epic romance, and the addition of Isabel and Cole's POVs were most welcome.

Cover Reveal: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Behold this beauty:

Isn't it blue-tiful? XD But oh my God—April 2016 is still a ways away! Well, I don't need psychic powers to predict what my favorite read of 2016 is going to be! :D

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buddy Read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Six years ago, Grace Brisbane was saved from an attack by a pack of wolves—by another wolf with yellow eyes. Whenever the weather turns cold, the wolf returns, and although it keeps its distance, Grace can't help feeling that a connection exists between them. That's because the wolf is also a human named Sam, who's never forgotten about Grace. Sam's remaining days as a human are severely numbered, however, and it seems he's destined to live out his life as a wolf.

Review: As a rabid fan of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle series, reading her Wolves of Mercy Falls series was a must for me. And with the final Raven Cycle book still months away, well, I needed to get my Stiefvater fix somehow. So this was an ideal time to dive into Shiver.

The cold plays an integral role in this werewolf story, and, unsurprisingly given her prodigious talent, Maggie Stiefvater never lets you forget about it. Even living in a warm climate where it still feels very much like summer although it's almost fall couldn't keep me from believing that I needed a parka whenever I picked up this book. Every sensation and mood that can be associated with winter made its presence known within the pages of Shiver. The imagery is simultaneously gorgeous, haunting, and somber, as befits the overall tone of the novel.

I was pre-warned that this is a sad read, and I found that to be true. As Sam’s backstory unfolds, it just becomes more and more anguishing. I wouldn’t call it angsty, though; if anything, Sam has borne it all without devolving into self-pity. And just when Sam finally, as a human and not as a wolf, gets to know Grace, whom he’s fallen in love with over the six years since he saved her from nearly being killed by the rest of his pack, that damned cold stands between them. Dropping temperatures cause Sam to shift, and very soon, he won’t be able to fight off the change at all.

As the novel went on, I was surprised by how invested I became in Grace and Sam’s struggle to stay together. I’ve said it in a few other reviews: I’m far from being a romantic. Gooey love stories aren’t my cup of tea, so if the romance ends up being my favorite aspect of a book, it has to be nothing less than phenomenal. I admit to feeling a bit iffy about Grace and Sam’s relationship at first; it seemed like we were headed for another case of insta-love. But the more that I considered how they had a link from the day that he rescued her and that bond then continued to develop over six years, the more I came around to the intensity of their feelings for each other. Ah, analyzing matters of the heart is such a subjective thing, especially for someone whose brain is so ruled by logic like mine is.

Reading Shiver reminded me how much I absolutely adore Maggie Stiefvater’s prose; you could set it to music, just as it is. Once again, I can’t quite believe that I’m saying this, but it’s the truth: I LOVED the romance in this book. I desperately wanted Grace and Sam to find a way to be with each other as much as they did. Now, please excuse me while I resume trying to figure out just what the hell this book did to my heart.

All in All: I had really high expectations for this because of all the love that I have for The Raven Cycle, and I was not disappointed. Shiver is a beautifully written story that I’m very happy to have read at last.

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Blue and her Raven Boys are as close as they've ever been to finding Glendower, yet the sleeping Welsh king still seems out of reach. Blue also worries about what’s happening to her missing mother, as her family at 300 Fox Way has become inextricably tied to her friends’ quest, too. Everyone has invested too much in this search to back down now, even as Cabeswater continues to change Adam and another dangerous visitor has been drawn to Henrietta.

Review: I can’t even I can’t even. I. Can’t. Even. I’ve never felt more incapable of writing a review for a book than I do at this moment for Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Because when a book is so utterly flawless, me writing about it is just so lame.

We’ve still got a little bit of time left in 2014, but I can’t imagine another book overtaking Blue Lily, Lily Blue as my favorite book of the year. That’s not to say that I won’t love any other books until the end of December, but this book exists on its own plane of perfection. I’m not exaggerating about its perfection, either. Story progression: perfect. Character development: perfect. Prose: so perfect, it makes me wish it had a human form so I could be best friends with it.

I’d waited, for the most part most impatiently, for a year to hold this book in my hands, and once I started reading, being apart from it was almost unbearable. Squeezing in reading time on weeknights can be tough sometimes, but dammit, I found time for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, even at the expense of sleep. I hated putting the book down for the night; there was never a good place to stop because every single page was magnificent.

Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah have all become permanent residents in my heart, and the bond between them has never been stronger. It’s beyond friendship now; they’re really their own family, and though like any family they have their occasional squabbles, there is nothing they wouldn’t do for one another. Nothing. I’ll never forget that moment in The Raven Boys when Ronan turns his car around to go back and help Adam, and there’s a scene in Blue Lily, Lily Blue that left me similarly awestruck (and nearly crying) by the magnitude of its emotional depth. These characters may be enveloped in myth and the paranormal, but oh my God, do they seem so real, especially when they take a wrecking ball to your heart. And you should steel yourself for heartbreak here.

I’ve loved Blue from the outset, but she’s phenomenal in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, which only seems fitting with that title. She knows she can rely on her Raven Boys for anything, but without sacrificing an ounce of her fiery independence. I love that she’s a badass who carries a pink switchblade, but I love her gentle side, too. I also need to mention her bravery in the face of the disappearance of her mother, Maura, and in having to deal with some things alone because she’s the only one who can do them.

I know I haven’t shut up about the characters yet, but they truly, truly do make this series. All four boys yanked at my heart in this book, so much so that I couldn’t even tell you who was the most responsible for all of the fissures it now has. Ronan is as acerbic as ever (and that’s why I love him), Adam is as complex as ever thanks to his bargain with Cabeswater, and Noah is as Noah as ever but even more poignantly so. My dear, dear Gansey is as Gansey as ever, determined to find his king, fiercely protective of his friends, and finding it more and more difficult to ignore the whisperings of his heart.

OK, still not done gushing about the characters. I have to mention Calla and Persephone, my two favorite psychics at 300 Fox Way. Calla’s abrasiveness, even when directed at my Gansey, is hilarious. I also just want to say how freaking awesome the Gray Man is. I love this guy!

I’ve read some amazing sequels this year, but returning to Henrietta with Blue and the Raven Boys was the sweetest reunion imaginable. Blue Lily, Lily Blue, like its predecessors, is genius in its purest form. I wish I could write like Maggie Stiefvater. I wish I were Blue Sargent. I wish I could meet the Raven Boys and help them with their quest. I wish I could go for a ride in the Pig. I wish I could pet the Dog. I get Gansey’s obsession with Glendower because I’m just as obsessed with Gansey’s obsession with Glendower and everything to do with Gansey and the gang. I have no clue how I’m going to survive the wait until the next, and final, book. *Sobs*

All in All: Read. This. NOW.

Cover Reveal: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

O.M.F.G! Can you say, "Ilovethiscoverohmygodohmygod!"? I'd give . . . ANYTHING to read this book right now, but it looks like I'll be waiting until October 28 to get my grubby hands on it. Many, many thanks to my friend Micheline at Lunar Rainbows for the heads-up about the cover being unveiled today (cause I totally forgot that there was going to be Raven Cycle news on this St. Mark's Eve)!

Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press

To Sum It Up: With the ley line now awoken, the search for Glendower, the sleeping Welsh king of legend, continues. The supernatural power that’s surging through Henrietta, Virginia is not going unnoticed by Henrietta’s residents, and it’s attracting attention from some keenly interested—and possibly dangerous—outsiders as well. At the same time, Ronan’s dreams, including the more nightmarish ones, are increasingly seeping their way into reality. Ronan’s talent isn’t as hidden as he thinks it is, and it’s about to impact not only him but Blue, Gansey, Adam, and Noah, too.

Review: It’s time for another gushy, rambling review! I seriously cannot cope with the masterpiece that is The Dream Thieves. I kind of just want to say, “Maggie Stiefvater is astoundingly brilliant” and call this review done because I really don’t have anything else useful to add. Barring any last minute surprises, I’m almost positive that The Dream Thieves is going to be my favorite read of 2013, and believe me, there’s some heavy competition for that title. That is how superb this book is.

When the first page of the prologue makes you feel giddy, you immediately know that the book you’re reading is special. The Dream Thieves is extraordinary. Maggie Stiefvater’s prose should be framed and displayed in museums everywhere. The perfection doesn’t stop with the writing, either. Sometimes I would pause from reading for a few seconds to marvel at the depth of this story and its characters and also at how the paranormal element is so intricately spun. You never doubt that it’s possible to take objects from dreams and bring them into the real world. You also don’t question the appearance of a new character known only as the Gray Man. He simply shows up as if he’s always belonged there, with zero interruption in the flow of the established story line. I trust Stiefvater implicitly with her storytelling; there’s a purpose to every character she adds and every word she writes, and it’s a thrill to wait and see how they all end up fitting together.

Although the search for Glendower is a core part of the plot, the characters and the complicated relationships between them are what drive this series. I find the lives of Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah absolutely absorbing, and that is why The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves have worked for me so entirely. Reading about this group again was like seeing old friends; I’ve grown ridiculously attached to them and cannot read enough about them. It’s really difficult to explain exactly why this quintet compels me to extreme fangirling. They’re smart, they’re funny, they break my heart sometimes. I would give anything to be Blue, even for an hour, because 1) she’s so cool and 2) I’d get to hang out with the Raven Boys!

While Gansey unquestionably remains my favorite Raven Boy, I adored Ronan in this book. He really takes center stage here, and I loved getting to know a lot more about him and his family. Of course, there’s also Chainsaw, the raven Ronan took straight from his dreams, and the bond those two have is so sweet. I chuckled for a good while at the scene in which Ronan, Gansey, and Noah take advantage of the “Pets Welcome” policy at a local dollar store and bring Chainsaw with them. Just writing about this scene has made me smile all over again.

I feel like this “review” consists of nothing but babble, and that would be an accurate picture of my reaction to The Dream Thieves. Its awesomeness left me incoherent, and apparently, I still can’t scrape together a comprehensible review of it. So, I’m going to stop here and encourage you to read other five star reviews that make a lot more sense than mine does.

All in All: I have an astronomical amount of love for this book and this series. I savored every word of The Dream Thieves, and it’s going to be an extremely painful wait until I can read about Blue and the boys again.

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press

To Sum It Up:

Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics. She isn’t one herself, but she possesses the ability to amplify clairvoyant powers. Blue and her mother have an annual tradition where they go to the churchyard, and her mother sees the spirits of those who will die in the next twelve months. This year is different, though; for the first time, Blue sees a spirit, and he speaks to her. He turns out to be Gansey, a student at the elite, all-boys school, Aglionby. Called the Raven Boys because of the raven emblem on their uniforms, Blue despises them and the old money and privilege that they represent. Whether she likes it or not, however, Blue is about to become an integral part of the lives of Gansey and his friends Ronan, Adam, and Noah, who are on a quest to find a legendary sleeping Welsh king.

Review:

Wow. What a different book this was compared to The Scorpio Races, the only other Maggie Stiefvater book I’ve read. As hard as I tried to love The Scorpio Races, I couldn’t do it. Although the setting was described with such beauty and eloquence, I felt so distant from the two narrators, Puck and Sean. I slogged through that book; it never seemed to gain any momentum plot-wise. I’d seen similar comments made about the pacing of The Raven Boys, but I decided to give it a go anyway. I liked the premise, and Stiefvater’s writing in The Scorpio Races really impressed me even though I wasn’t too keen on the novel overall. I had a hunch that there was a Maggie Stiefvater book out there that was perfect for me, and I found it with The Raven Boys.

To me, The Raven Boys read like a character study with a supernatural element to it, and I can see where the critiques of the pacing came from. Luckily for me, I found the characters utterly compelling, so I had no problem whatsoever. That’s not to say that the book is devoid of action, but if you’re expecting a heart-pounding paranormal read, The Raven Boys doesn’t fall into that category. Everything about it, from the plot to the romance, is slow-building; my enjoyment of the book came from observing the dynamic between the characters, especially the friendship between the Raven Boys, and how the addition of Blue affected it. I also became engrossed by the search for the legendary Glendower, a Welsh king who is supposed to grant a wish to whoever wakes him from his slumber. I couldn’t get enough of this storyline because I’ve always been fascinated by Arthurian legend and Holy Grail-type quests.

A sure sign that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a book is when I can’t stop thinking about it after I’ve finished it. The characters from The Raven Boys have taken up permanent residence in my brain. I loved Blue’s independent personality and how she refused to fawn over the Raven Boys just because they were wealthy and good-looking. She has a solid head on her shoulders and uses it, unlike some other female protagonists I’ve come across in YA.

It was the Raven Boys, though, who made this book an absolute page-turner. They’re a rather motley quartet, and yet they’re friends. You have hot-headed Ronan, who welcomes trouble with a smile and is always ready with a snarky comment. Then there’s Adam, who attends Aglionby on a scholarship and struggles with feeling like he doesn’t really belong to the group. His pride won’t allow him to accept help from anyone, especially Gansey, even though it would mean escaping from his physically abusive father’s house. Noah is the quietest of the four and seems to lurk in the background, but his backstory is perhaps the most intriguing of all of the boys’ richly detailed histories.

And then there’s Gansey. Gansey (full name: Richard Campbell Gansey III), who prefers to be called by his surname and who stole the book as well as my heart. There’s nothing conventionally swoon-worthy about him; I just found him to be a kindred spirit. We share a need to avoid stinging insects and to hold the phone right up to our faces if we’re not wearing glasses or contacts. Gansey is also the nucleus of the Raven Boys; without him, they would probably be off leading separate lives. Instead, they’re a close-knit, almost family-like unit, with Gansey as the primary caretaker. Whether he’s trying to keep Ronan out of trouble or offering Adam a place to live, Gansey truly cares about his friends. While he may not always say the most tactful thing, particularly in his conversations with Blue, I don’t think that he means to offend anyone. He’s grown up in a sphere of privilege and doesn’t realize that he can sound condescending to those outside of it. What really drew me to Gansey was his heart, which is extremely generous.

In case it’s not evident by now, I loved The Raven Boys. Stiefvater’s writing is beautiful, and even wryly humorous at times. Waiting for the next installment is torture because I’m one hundred percent invested in these characters and what happens to them. At least I have the first book to think back on in the meantime, and I often do because it made such an impact on me.

All in All:

I’d love to recommend this to everybody because I loved it so much (I mean, I’ve already used “love” twice in this sentence), but I realize that it may not be to everyone’s reading tastes. If you think there’s even a tiny chance that you’ll enjoy The Raven Boys, then by all means, go ahead and read it!

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

To Sum It Up: In the annual Scorpio Races, riders not only attempt to cross the finish line but to survive the race itself. The capaill uisce, or water horses, are as likely to turn on their riders as they are on each other. As returning champion Sean Kendrick prepares to defend his title with his beloved water horse, Corr, Kate “Puck” Connolly is about to become the first female rider in the races. Hoping that winning the prize money will prevent the breakup of her family, Puck braves the impossible odds. In a contest as unpredictable as this, though, perhaps Puck’s chances are not as slim as they appear, just as a repeat victory for four-time winner Sean is not guaranteed.

Review: I had a really hard time getting through this book. It’s beautifully written, with exquisitely detailed depictions of life on the small island of Thisby. The descriptions of the magnificent yet lethal water horses are especially vivid. Given the caliber of the writing, I was disappointed with the book’s pacing. After about 100 pages, it felt like nothing significant had happened. After about 200 pages, I was still waiting for a plot twist. I don’t know if it was a conscious decision to have the book move at a trickle to further illustrate the stagnancy of Thisby life, but it didn’t work for me.

I didn’t find any of the characters memorable, either. Sean seemed like a decent enough guy, but aside from his love of the capaill uisce, he was just there. I didn’t find Puck very interesting, either, although her home life did make me feel sorry for her. The characters who caught my attention the most were Benjamin and Mutt Malvern, and that’s because they were two jerks who deserved to be eaten by the capaill uisce on Page 1. Like the book overall, the other supporting characters (Finn and Gabe Connolly, Peg Gratton, Dory Maud) were well written but failed to make me feel emotionally invested in any of them.

For those readers who appreciate books which build very slowly and without dropping plot bombshells, The Scorpio Races is a perfect fit. Unfortunately, I’m the type of reader who needs the occasional jaw-dropping moment to persuade me to continue reading.

All in All: This is the sort of book that you just have to pick up and read and then decide for yourself whether or not it’s your cup of tea. I’d never read any of Maggie Stiefvater’s books before; although I wasn’t crazy over this one, I still admired her writing talent and wouldn’t let my experience with The Scorpio Races discourage me from reading another of her works.