A review by claudiamacpherson
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this series. While I love fantasy, I don't always like modern settings with it, but in these books it really worked. I also tend to avoid books with darker and more violent scenes, but I thought Stiefvater did a good job using them without making them overly graphic. I thought Stiefvater created a really interesting system of magic and power that was unique but also very tied into old superstitions and traditions. The main reason I loved these books though, was the characters. Ronan's aggressiveness and Adam's pride were frustrating to me at first, but both of them grew on me a lot throughout the series. On the other hand, I loved Blue and Gansey from the very beginning: Blue's kindness as well as her bluntness, and Gansey's confidence, unswerving loyalty, and generosity. For me, these books weren't really about the plot (although that was interesting too) as much as seeing what the characters would do next.
I loved everything about the ending with the small exception that the Glendower "find" was pretty anticlimactic, especially given that it has been a huge part of the story and the characters' lives.


Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):
Happy! I honestly really loved this ending. It was anticlimactic in a way and maybe a bit predictable (which I don't mind!), but it still felt right for the story.
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