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All books are not for all people. Some things you like, some things you don't. That's why reviews can vary so wildly. Some times people wind up with a book that was not written for them.
The Raven Cycle was most definitely written for me. I love it like burning and my heart is so full that I almost cannot handle it. This was one of those reads where you want to know the end of the story, but at the same time, you don't want the story to end because once it's over that's it. The story will never be so new again and you're parted from your new loves. I was so, so torn.
I bought the books and, oddly, they were cataloged with the Teen Romance. One of the book people at B&N had to show me where they were because I had gone to every other section that I could think of. Teen Romance had never crossed my mind because this is not a romance unless you acknowledge that love comes in many forms and happen between many people. The "romance" in this book is not the point of this story.
The Raven King was a fierce and emotional roller-coaster, a near-fitting end to The Raven Cycle. There were things that lit me up, I loved them so much: Ronan, Adam, Henry, the Barns are at the top of that list. But everyone else comes in a real close second: Blue and Gansey and the Gray Man, the unmaking of Cabeswater which was terrible, but done so well. This has always been a story of character, and in that regard, I think that Stiefvater did a wonderful job with continuing to wind together these lives. The Raven King was like pulling threads together and the foreshadowing throughout all four books is an awesome thing to behold AND it sets us up for future stories.
The things that it doesn't do well is the way that the story loses some threads. The core four (Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam) who are sometimes five (Noah) have always been the heart of The Raven Cycle. Although the books after The Raven Boys expanded to incorporate more characters and enrich the universe (The Gray Man, the ladies of Fox Way, the Ganseys), The Raven King is a contraction. Stiefvater's sudden absenting of all of the characters that had populated the books is handled less than well. They are just gone when previously they were everywhere, intrinsically tied into the heartbeat of the story. So in that way, the story is less elegantly handled. The fate of Maura and the Gray Man, Calla, Gwenllian, Declan, Matthew, Orla, and Jimi, even Noah remain largely unaddressed. A lot of things happen off-screen and there are new characters added who function as nothing more than well-drawn plot devices. But, look, there were a lot of characters and endings, I guess, couldn't have been drawn for all of them. I can only hope that The Dreamer trilogy will reach back and tie up the remaining loose ends.
The ending was also oddly neat and anti-climatic. But, I don't say that as a total criticism really. The book has always been about characters and that remains the heart of the story, BUT I do think that this series deserved a cinematic explosion of an ending more on par with the ending of The Dream Thieves. An ending that was suggested in the earlier part of the novel, but that unraveled somewhere by the time Piper made it to the auction. It felt almost like Stiefvater realized that she had too much story still to tell and not enough time or space to do it in; shortcuts were taken.
Still, even in the heart of recognizing that the story fell down in places, I adored it. But then, I listened to all four audiobooks back to back over the course of about three weeks. I got the whole thing and never had to wait. My expectations never had a chance to grow out of all reasonable proportion. I LOVED it!!
Let me be very clear that the thing that I loved the most about The Raven Cycle, once again, are the characters and the relationships between them. My heart belongs to Ronan Lynch and I can't wait for the Dreamer Trilogy. My heart also belongs to Adam Parrish. There are corners for all the characters, but those two. Those two! I cannot be articulate about what it is that I love. How broken and beautiful Adam is, but how he is loyal and loving and needy and sad, and as big a dreamer as Ronan. But how in the end he learns to recognize his own value and to learn to accept the love of the people who are his real family and who love him best. Angry, razor-sharp Ronan with his "molten eyes and smile made for war." Ronan who is fierce and fragile at the same time. Gentle beneath the ferocity and so, so, so loving but like he doesn't want you to know. GODS! I LOVE him!! He is my favorite!
Stiefvater is a beautiful writer and I loved the use of language and the flow of the story. The insight into the character, the small moments mixed in with the big, supernatural ones. Awesome.
And finally, the audio book is read by Will Patton and he was phenomenal. I cannot imagine anyone else reading this. Everyone was so distinct and vibrant and so possible! Truly great voice actors are rare and Patton is one of the best! He scared me shitless reading Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, and he has absolutely, 100% contributed to my adoration of The Raven Cycle.
Yes, this book was for me. A love letter to my heart. Thank you, Maggie Steifvater.
The Raven Cycle was most definitely written for me. I love it like burning and my heart is so full that I almost cannot handle it. This was one of those reads where you want to know the end of the story, but at the same time, you don't want the story to end because once it's over that's it. The story will never be so new again and you're parted from your new loves. I was so, so torn.
I bought the books and, oddly, they were cataloged with the Teen Romance. One of the book people at B&N had to show me where they were because I had gone to every other section that I could think of. Teen Romance had never crossed my mind because this is not a romance unless you acknowledge that love comes in many forms and happen between many people. The "romance" in this book is not the point of this story.
The Raven King was a fierce and emotional roller-coaster, a near-fitting end to The Raven Cycle. There were things that lit me up, I loved them so much: Ronan, Adam, Henry, the Barns are at the top of that list. But everyone else comes in a real close second: Blue and Gansey and the Gray Man, the unmaking of Cabeswater which was terrible, but done so well. This has always been a story of character, and in that regard, I think that Stiefvater did a wonderful job with continuing to wind together these lives. The Raven King was like pulling threads together and the foreshadowing throughout all four books is an awesome thing to behold AND it sets us up for future stories.
The things that it doesn't do well is the way that the story loses some threads. The core four (Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam) who are sometimes five (Noah) have always been the heart of The Raven Cycle. Although the books after The Raven Boys expanded to incorporate more characters and enrich the universe (The Gray Man, the ladies of Fox Way, the Ganseys), The Raven King is a contraction. Stiefvater's sudden absenting of all of the characters that had populated the books is handled less than well. They are just gone when previously they were everywhere, intrinsically tied into the heartbeat of the story. So in that way, the story is less elegantly handled. The fate of Maura and the Gray Man, Calla, Gwenllian, Declan, Matthew, Orla, and Jimi, even Noah remain largely unaddressed. A lot of things happen off-screen and there are new characters added who function as nothing more than well-drawn plot devices. But, look, there were a lot of characters and endings, I guess, couldn't have been drawn for all of them. I can only hope that The Dreamer trilogy will reach back and tie up the remaining loose ends.
The ending was also oddly neat and anti-climatic. But, I don't say that as a total criticism really. The book has always been about characters and that remains the heart of the story, BUT I do think that this series deserved a cinematic explosion of an ending more on par with the ending of The Dream Thieves. An ending that was suggested in the earlier part of the novel, but that unraveled somewhere by the time Piper made it to the auction. It felt almost like Stiefvater realized that she had too much story still to tell and not enough time or space to do it in; shortcuts were taken.
Still, even in the heart of recognizing that the story fell down in places, I adored it. But then, I listened to all four audiobooks back to back over the course of about three weeks. I got the whole thing and never had to wait. My expectations never had a chance to grow out of all reasonable proportion. I LOVED it!!
Let me be very clear that the thing that I loved the most about The Raven Cycle, once again, are the characters and the relationships between them. My heart belongs to Ronan Lynch and I can't wait for the Dreamer Trilogy. My heart also belongs to Adam Parrish. There are corners for all the characters, but those two. Those two! I cannot be articulate about what it is that I love. How broken and beautiful Adam is, but how he is loyal and loving and needy and sad, and as big a dreamer as Ronan. But how in the end he learns to recognize his own value and to learn to accept the love of the people who are his real family and who love him best. Angry, razor-sharp Ronan with his "molten eyes and smile made for war." Ronan who is fierce and fragile at the same time. Gentle beneath the ferocity and so, so, so loving but like he doesn't want you to know. GODS! I LOVE him!! He is my favorite!
Stiefvater is a beautiful writer and I loved the use of language and the flow of the story. The insight into the character, the small moments mixed in with the big, supernatural ones. Awesome.
And finally, the audio book is read by Will Patton and he was phenomenal. I cannot imagine anyone else reading this. Everyone was so distinct and vibrant and so possible! Truly great voice actors are rare and Patton is one of the best! He scared me shitless reading Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, and he has absolutely, 100% contributed to my adoration of The Raven Cycle.
Yes, this book was for me. A love letter to my heart. Thank you, Maggie Steifvater.
