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riinkitay's review against another edition
5.0
my heart is so full of love for these characters, i’m going to miss them so much
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
This review is very challenging. I waited for this book for such a long time and I had such ridiculous expectations for it, so it was inevitable that I would be a little let down. I still love the characters and I love the world and I LOVE Will Patton's narration of audiobooks, but I think I was expecting too much.
As a standalone book and not the end of the series, I certainly enjoyed it and love Stiefvater's brilliant use of language and character. Each scene is a joy and moves forward at just the right pace. I missed Blue and her Raven Boys and it was great to spend some more time in their world. It was also great to get to know Henry Cheng better. He was a very welcome addition to the Raven Cycle and his development in this book makes me wish we had more of him before now.
One of the big events in this book and the series is Adam and Ronan, and for probably many reasons, this storyline completely missed with me. I probably would have to read the entire series again with fresh eyes to see it coming from Adam's perspective, so seeing it come to fruition here did nothing for me and just made me question how realistic it was. Obviously Stiefvater knows the character better than I do, but I can't help but view it from the perspective of a heterosexual male and Adam just never struck me as somebody who felt that way. I'm sure that it happens just like this all over the world, but maybe Adam did such a good job of hiding it from himself, that he was able to hide it from me as well.
The other thing that I couldn't help but feel disappointed about was the kiss between Blue and Gansey. With soooo much build up and anticipation, I was waiting for something more dramatic or at least to be able to see more how they felt about it. I understand how it fit in with the climax of the book, and in that sense it worked perfectly, but there was no spark, there was no love behind it, and that feels like a loss to me and something that we can never get back.
It was great that we got to see Adam confront his parents at the end and it was brilliant the way Stiefvater revealed them for the cowards that they are, and demonstrating that Adam has finally released the power they held over him.
And who doesn't want to go on the road trip with Gansey, Blue and Henry? What a nice "ride off into the sunset" moment!
As a standalone book and not the end of the series, I certainly enjoyed it and love Stiefvater's brilliant use of language and character. Each scene is a joy and moves forward at just the right pace. I missed Blue and her Raven Boys and it was great to spend some more time in their world. It was also great to get to know Henry Cheng better. He was a very welcome addition to the Raven Cycle and his development in this book makes me wish we had more of him before now.
One of the big events in this book and the series is Adam and Ronan, and for probably many reasons, this storyline completely missed with me. I probably would have to read the entire series again with fresh eyes to see it coming from Adam's perspective, so seeing it come to fruition here did nothing for me and just made me question how realistic it was. Obviously Stiefvater knows the character better than I do, but I can't help but view it from the perspective of a heterosexual male and Adam just never struck me as somebody who felt that way. I'm sure that it happens just like this all over the world, but maybe Adam did such a good job of hiding it from himself, that he was able to hide it from me as well.
The other thing that I couldn't help but feel disappointed about was the kiss between Blue and Gansey. With soooo much build up and anticipation, I was waiting for something more dramatic or at least to be able to see more how they felt about it. I understand how it fit in with the climax of the book, and in that sense it worked perfectly, but there was no spark, there was no love behind it, and that feels like a loss to me and something that we can never get back.
It was great that we got to see Adam confront his parents at the end and it was brilliant the way Stiefvater revealed them for the cowards that they are, and demonstrating that Adam has finally released the power they held over him.
And who doesn't want to go on the road trip with Gansey, Blue and Henry? What a nice "ride off into the sunset" moment!
kazamaria'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
3.0
oliviakw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
forever one of my favs
votesforwomen's review against another edition
3.0
I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED OKAY.
I loved this series. The last three books? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The characters were awesome, the dialogue was terrific, and there was so much to love about the whole thing. I loved All the Crooked Saints; I had Stiefvater down as an author to trust.
Well, I still trust her. I just...didn't love this conclusion the way I was hoping to.
In the end, I think it comes down to a handful of things:
1) This book does not have the same /magic/ to it as the last three.
2) So many plot threads weren't resolved well enough, at least IMO.
3) The whole thing felt kind of anticlimactic.
Point 1:
I loved the first three books because of their ATMOSPHERE. When they wanted to be creepy, they were, and I genuinely felt creeped out. When they wanted to be eery, they succeeded. When they sought to be emotional--perfection. I was rooting for the characters, loving the prose, and in love with the plot, even though it progressed slowly.
The Raven King kind of lost a lot of that.
It felt more melodramatic, more forced, less magical. There were a couple of scenes with the signature Stiefvater flair (the toga party, the bus stop scene [I DIED LAUGHING], some of Ronan's dream sequences.) But so much of it felt...meh. I don't know.
Points 2 and 3 (they kind of go together, so I'll do just one big thing on both...)
SPOILERS ABOUND!
The whole kiss thing
Also the romance. I didn't feel either of the romances. Sure, the whole Pynch thing had the downside of being gay, which I wasn't crazy about...but at the same time, I'm STILL not shipping Blue and Gansey, and to add another romance on top of that--no thanks. Ronan and Adam's thing felt like it was tacked on to make it less awkward that Blue and Gansey had paired up. I didn't love either of the romances...argh.
Overall this one was fairly disappointing. I'm still giving it three stars because IT'S STIEFVATER and there was some stuff that got wrapped up okay.
BTW, I loved Henry. <3
I loved this series. The last three books? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The characters were awesome, the dialogue was terrific, and there was so much to love about the whole thing. I loved All the Crooked Saints; I had Stiefvater down as an author to trust.
Well, I still trust her. I just...didn't love this conclusion the way I was hoping to.
In the end, I think it comes down to a handful of things:
1) This book does not have the same /magic/ to it as the last three.
2) So many plot threads weren't resolved well enough, at least IMO.
3) The whole thing felt kind of anticlimactic.
Point 1:
I loved the first three books because of their ATMOSPHERE. When they wanted to be creepy, they were, and I genuinely felt creeped out. When they wanted to be eery, they succeeded. When they sought to be emotional--perfection. I was rooting for the characters, loving the prose, and in love with the plot, even though it progressed slowly.
The Raven King kind of lost a lot of that.
It felt more melodramatic, more forced, less magical. There were a couple of scenes with the signature Stiefvater flair (the toga party, the bus stop scene [I DIED LAUGHING], some of Ronan's dream sequences.) But so much of it felt...meh. I don't know.
Points 2 and 3 (they kind of go together, so I'll do just one big thing on both...)
SPOILERS ABOUND!
Spoiler
HOW WAS THAT THING WITH NOAH ANY KIND OF CLOSURE OF HIS PLOT THREAD????? MY POOR GLITTER-LOVING GHOST BOY DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE WITHOUT ANYONE EVEN THINKING ABOUT HIM AGAIN.Spoiler
Okay, so Glendower wasn't sleeping. He was dead. WHAT THE HECK? LIKE OKAY, I GET IT...BUT THEN THEY JUST TURN AROUND AND DON'T CARE ANYMORE. argh.The whole kiss thing
Spoiler
finally happened...and it honestly was over so fast and I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that.Also the romance. I didn't feel either of the romances. Sure, the whole Pynch thing had the downside of being gay, which I wasn't crazy about...but at the same time, I'm STILL not shipping Blue and Gansey, and to add another romance on top of that--no thanks. Ronan and Adam's thing felt like it was tacked on to make it less awkward that Blue and Gansey had paired up. I didn't love either of the romances...argh.
Overall this one was fairly disappointing. I'm still giving it three stars because IT'S STIEFVATER and there was some stuff that got wrapped up okay.
Spoiler
ALTHOUGH SOMEONE TELL ME IF MAURA ENDS UP MARRYING MR. GRAY BECAUSE I NEED HER TO.BTW, I loved Henry. <3
trombone_le_phasme's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
sukanya320's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
abbypenn2003's review against another edition
5.0
Where do I even begin? This entire series has absolutely blown me the heck away, and I am proud to call it my favorite book series. From the amazing and unique characters to the complex and thrilling plot, there is no getting better! I fell head-over-heels in love with every single character. I found myself laughing or crying or hiding under the covers in fear of what was going to happen next. I could picture every single scene, from the description of Cabeswater to the Pig roaring down the road.
I feel like this may be a series worthy of being reread over and over and over again. I am happy I was able to read it and enjoy it was much as other people!
I feel like this may be a series worthy of being reread over and over and over again. I am happy I was able to read it and enjoy it was much as other people!