Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

34 reviews

cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

So, I really like this book. I will say that in the first half of the book it just felt like things were happening for no reason at all. I can't even remember much of it, just a day after having read it.

However, it got much MUCH better throughout the second half.

I still really like Ronan, and Adam is starting to grow on me. Gansey maybe even more, but he's being pulled down by Blue. Honestly. Remove her. I cannot stand her at all. The story genuinely would've been so much better without Blue and her whole family WITH☝ the exception of Maura*. She's a great character, and her dynamic with the Gray Man works really well. Alas, I cannot stand Calla, Persephone, or Orla, and as honourable mentions: Neeve. Why not just spell it Niamh when that is her name? Silly Americans.

* You know how so many female characters are exclusively love interests for male characters? Well, Blue is Maura's daughter character. Like, she's just there to make Maura a MILF. Blue is excessive; Maura is life.

The whole 300 Fox Way family feels so... 🤌 quasi-weird. Like the author's writing a family made up of signature quirky girls™.
Now, Greenmantle and Piper?! They're the O.G.s. My favourite couple by far here. I love to see read about they're weird interactions. They never let you know what comes next, and they're just so authentically peculiar.

Like, I imagine 300 Fox Way being weird in a cat way. Like cringe. Come on, cats are not that weird, just shut up already.
Meanwhile, Greenmantle and Piper are weird in a stick insect way. So peculiar and odd, but it's just the way they live life. There are no Tumblr people going «LMAO XD STICK BUGS ARE SO WEIRD» No. They are authentic. The real shit.

The plot is good, though. :)
Very nice, very intriguing, and I LOVE the details like Chainsaw, a made-up mum?? (Niall Lynch literally got the woman of his dreams).
This is what really makes up the book, so this alone I'd say would've made the five-star, but the 300 Fox Way people pull it down. Should've just been Gansey, Ronan, and Adam, because to be honest, hadn't it been for his shared plot-line with Gansey, Noah could've been dropped as well.

Anyways, I do recommend the series. It's definitely worth it, AND it is worth mentioning that I seem to be the only person with this opinion on 300 Fox Way. That and that I think I'm going down a rabbit hole of shitty things to say about them. Giving Maura a bad reputation, really.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

angstifies's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-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

4.75

WHAT THE HELL IS IT WITH THIS SERIES??? probably my favorite installment so far, the humor in these books and every dynamic is just so so so good, can’t get enough of it. 

definitely more plot-focused than the previous novels and that worked just great, i loved everything that happened in here. the mysterious magical elements and the characters are always SO amazing and it’s only getting better. i’m not ready for the next book to be the last one tho.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Death

Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Cursing, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual harassment

tania_mybookishsecret's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: Blood and Grief

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

this has got to be my favorite book of the series so far. all i can say is I LOVE ADAM PARRISH. ADAM PARRISH HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG. 

mirrors, caves, curses, cars, almost-kissing, blackmail, self-acceptance, friendship, old men and their dogs, college admissions, bisexuals, witches, school drama, MAGIC. 

what really shocked me was the Greenmantles. every conversation between them had me cackling. i actually looked forward to their POVs. 

fuck Maggie Stiefvater for being so good at her job, and for making me love these characters as if they were real. everything about them is palpable and consuming. i just want to live inside this dark and fantastical world forever. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Grief, Medical content, and Death

Minor: Physical abuse, Animal death, and Child abuse

gracefully_jk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Kidnapping, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, and Physical abuse

For the worst of the body horror/gore:

At one point, a person’s death is described, and it includes a good deal of blood and a twisted spine, though not much more detail than that, and the death itself is not as upsetting as one might expect. At another point, a few body parts of children (no longer attached to said children) are described briefly, but only for a sentence or two, and they are not exactly real.

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death

Minor: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexism, Grief, and Gore

sunsorbit's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Murder, Animal death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Confinement

Minor: Domestic abuse

Also contains: ghosts, spirits, and necromancy; possession (of a bird and a spirit); allusions to child sexual assault/pedophilia and child murder (these are only vaguely implied and part of a plot to

frame somebody for these crimes, but they did not commit them.

); the toxic relationship seems mutual and fulfilling to some end for both parties. There is no physical violence between them; The references to domestic abuse are short and happen in the scene where

Adam’s father comes to intimidate Adam into withdrawing his charges against him.

No domestic abuse actually happens.

happilyeveralli's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Stiefvater has gotten her groove back (at least in my eyes)! I love the amount of Blue-Gansey content. I also felt that the plot was more concise, and everything was tied together. I am heading into the final installment happy to be continuing and sad to be near the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Cursing

Moderate: Death of parent

parisreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

imds'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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Death, Abandonment, and Murder

Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse