Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #3)

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 391 (hardcover)

Synopsis: "There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up. 

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel." -Goodreads

First of all, I would like to note that this is easily my least favorite of the series thus far, but it was still amazing.

I will not continue to repeat myself on how much I love these characters, but I do have some notable things I'd like to mention:

• Adam's character changes a lot. He really came full circle, and he honestly made me change my mind about not liking him. He actually made me consider moving him closer to the top of my list of Raven boys.

• Ronan & Adam. I don't know if this is canon in book four, but I need them together. They literally own my entire heart. The dynamic between them is so beautifully crafted, and I can feel the slow burn of their romance.

• There was not enough Noah. This was not okay. We all know that Noah is my baby, and I need as much of him as possible.

I like how in this installment we finally start to address some of the issues that have been building since book one. I like how we kind of address how the ley lines are affecting Noah, and how we address the other mysterious that are going on in the background.

As much as I love Maggie, I hate how she kills off her characters. She makes you grow so attached to them and then just takes them away from you. I love that she can make me so emotionally invested and then break my heart, but I don't appreciate the misery it causes.

Really my only complaint ever for this series is that I'm never sure what the plot is. I know the large, overall plot for the series, but I always find it hard to pinpoint the exact goal of each installments.

Please read it, thanks.

What was your favorite part of Blue Lily?

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #2)

Title: The Dream Thieves

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 347 (hardcover)

Synopsis: "If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take?

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.

One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.

Ronan is one of the raven boys—a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface—changing everything in its wake.

Of The Raven Boys, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Maggie Stiefvater's can't-put-it-down paranormal adventure will leave you clamoring for book two." Now the second book is here, with the same wild imagination, dark romance, and heart-stopping twists that only Maggie Stiefvater can conjure." -Goodreads

I don't know how to even review these books anymore. I've been putting off doing this review for literally months because I've been so scared that it wouldn't make any sense, but I've finally just realized that it doesn't matter. My reviews of the Raven cycle are for me to look back on when I get to my reread. So first of all, this is my favorite in the series at the moment.

How do I even express how much I love these characters? I think everyone will get use to me just talking about how they feel like my family. They came to life on a page, and I connected to them in a way that I never have before. Each character has a place in my heart, just for them.

Noah, you take most of it, but you do sometimes share.

Gansey, you bring out all my adventure and make me want to do more with my life.

Adam, you piss me off, but you are still one of my little Raven boys.

Blue, your sass and moments of realization pull me further into the story than I already am.

Ronan... My little Ronan, who quickly pushed himself to the top of my list. You, though are not Noah, are so close to being my favorite that it physically scares me. In this book you honestly won me over. In book one, you didn't really cross my mind as one of my top Raven Boys but after living this book with you, I couldn't forget you.

The one thing that I will forever praise Maggie on is her characters. I have grown to love them more and more with each installment.

It took me a while to read just because Maggie's writing style is so beautiful and whimsical. I can't count the number of post it notes that are inside my copy of this book. I will never be able to say a bad thing about any of these books or any of the characters.

This book was much slower than the first, but I thought it was so beautifully written. The atmosphere was magical and whimsical, and I found myself lost in the world the whole time.

Who is your favorite character from The Raven Cycle?

In Defense of Noah Czerny

For as long as I can remember, side characters have always annoyed me. They have always just fell flat in comparison to the main characters that were driving the story. I never wanted to hear about what our main character's best friend was doing at that very moment or what the love interest did before they became relevant in the story. This is probably really sallow of me because it left with such a face value reading experience.

I felt this way until recently. I found my opinion completely changing after reading The Raven Boys for the first time.

I know that I've said this a million times, but I will literally sit through the worst plotted book in the entire world in order to spend more time with characters that I love. I'm not saying that The Raven Cycle isn't a well plotted book. It was just an example. When I read The Raven Cycle, I became consumed by the characters.

Every. Last. One.

This included Noah Czenry. I so quickly fell in love with him in a way that no character, period, had ever stolen my heart. I honestly felt myself falling in love with all of his one liners as I read each one. I couldn't get enough of him and when I read over the final scene of The Raven Boys my heart sank in panic.

I read a confession on an anonymous Twitter account about how Noah was basically irrelevant and pointless in The Raven Cycle, and I truly have to disagree. I am bias, and I do admit to having more love for him than most other fictional characters that I care about. However, I have good reasoning behind that.

Here is my defense for why Noah Czenry is just as relevant and amazing as every other character in this beautiful series.

Noah puts a smile on my face in the happiest and saddest moments.

Noah makes me laugh at his bluntness.

Noah makes me appreciate life.

Noah gives me hope in the world.

Noah makes me feel important.

Noah makes me fearless.

Noah makes me think that maybe, just maybe, we have something to offer to the world with our goodness.

I know because he is not always around in the Raven Cycle, he is easily forgotten or brushed to the side, but If you really look at Noah and think about what his character faces you can see my points. Noah may be a side character and he may also be some people's least favorite and he also doesn't get a lot of time, but I will say that Noah is important.

I couldn't see this series without him because without Noah, where would we look for our will to never back down and to live?

Who is a side character that you want to defend?

Book Tag: Raven Cycle Book Tag

Hey everyone!

As most people know, The Raven Cycle is my favorite series of all time. They are just the most refreshing and beautiful books that I've ever read in my 19 years of life. Therefore, I had to do this tag.

This tag was created by MichEllisLife. I wasn't tagged by her or anyone, but I told her I was planning on doing this tag. Now onto the tag!

If you are unaware of what the Raven Cycle is, it is a beautifully crafted quartet, with strong friends and a great family dynamic.

There are 5 Bookish Questions and 5 Personal Questions.

1. In the books, Maura is the relaxed mom that is Blue’s friend more than an actual mother. Who is your favorite mom character? 

Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series.

2. Adam wanted to go to Aglionby so he could one day escape where he came from. Have you ever dreamt of living somewhere else? Where? 

I have always dreamed of living somewhere else. I have hated where I live since I could make my own decisions. I personally have always wanted to live in England, but I could never moved that far away from my family. A more realistic move has been New York, New York.

3. In the second book we meet the Gray Man. He is a hit man who loves poetry. Name a book that you thought was going to be one thing but turned out to be something else.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
This book was one of the most disappointing books I've ever read because when I went into it, I went in with the impression that the book would be full of action and badassery but I was mistaken.

4. Gansey has searched most of his life for a buried king who is promised to grant one wish. What is one wish you would ask Glendower? 

I would honestly ask Glendower for one full day with my Raven Boys. Those characters have changed my life in such an interesting way that I don't think that I could go on without them.

5. In this series you get to see Greenmantle as a fleshed out character but also as a villain. Name your favorite villain. 

Queen Levana from the Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite book villains. Reading from her pov in Fairest really helped me understand her character, but I still don't think it's okay.

6. Blue’s got her Raven Boys. Who makes up your bookish team?

My bookish team would consist of:
-Bradley (My boyfriend)
-Sierra (My book blogging bff)
-Courtney (My college bff)
-Abby (My best friend)
-Kyra (My baby sister)

7. Ronan is a bad ass with a sensitive side. What book have you read that was action packed but had beautiful emotional scenes as well?

The One by Keira Cass. Surprisingly this book was full of action, which was something that I was not expecting. This book really packed in the action that it should of had in the first two books, but it also had sweet moments that brought actual tears to my eyes.

8. Noah has a heart of gold. Who has touched your heart recently? 

My sister touched my heart when I told her how long I would be home for the summer. She touches my heart daily because she is one of the best things I have in my life.

9. Calla is a woman who speaks her mind and puts her foot down when necessary. Who is your favorite strong female character? 

Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses

10. Chainsaw is an awesome Raven boy pet. If you could have one “exotic” pet…what would it be? What would you name it?

If I could have an exotic pet it would be an Owl. They are my favorite animals, and I would love to just hold one in my arms.

I tag: Emily from PaperbackPrincess!

Have you read the Raven Cycle? If so, what did you think?

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (#1 The Raven Cycle)

Title: The Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Page Count: 408 (hardcover)

Publishing: Scholastic Press

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore. From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

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The Raven Boys is not the tale of romance that is expected when reading the synopsis. The story is focused around adventure and friendship. These characters are beautifully written, and have so many elements to making them realistic. In this first book these characters are already fleshed out and have their own personalities that allow us to really capture what they can each bring to the story. Not only did I love these main characters and their friendships, but I also loved the side characters. They were so awesome and funny. I felt like they were great additions to the story and allowed our story to become more complex.

The writing is beautiful and whimsical. The author does an amazing job of foreshadowing events throughout the story without making it completely obvious. I hadn't even noticed that the foreshadowing until after I read the event. It made me want to go back to the sections where I remembered something sticking out in my mind, so I could beat myself up for not figuring it out sooner. Even though it took me a couple chapters to get invested in this story, once I did I fell into the story and found myself reading 50 to 100 pages without even realizing it.

There are so many plot twist that just left me speechless. I felt myself get nervous at points in the story when they are searching through the magical ley-lines. I felt my face get red as I tried to silently warn them that something seemed wrong, and maybe this adventure would turn into something very dangerous.

This book was beautiful, and there were so many moments where I laughed out loud. I could not express how amazing this book is. I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to read it. I am more than excited to read the rest of these books. I recommend it to anyone. If you can't get into the writing give it at least 100 pages before putting it down.