Adventures at the Maggie Stiefvater Event in Orlando!

This past Thursday, Ally, Melissa, and I piled into the car and set off again on another bookish adventure: Maggie Stiefvater's tour stop for The Raven King in Orlando. This was the final stop on the tour, and it could not have been more AMAZING!

Meeting Maggie Stiefvater was a bucket list item for me. Not just an item on my bookish bucket list, but one on my overall, all-encompassing, life bucket list. I don't think this should be very surprising, given how much I've gushed about her books on here and pushed her books on all of you, lol.

I took a half day off from work so that we could get to the bookstore, which was about a 45 minute drive, plenty early. It was a typical rainy, humid Florida afternoon/evening for this time of year, and I know my hair looked like something you'd see on a wet dog by the time we got there. I'll spare you the pics of that horror. XD

We were still a little early when we arrived, so we grabbed a quick dinner then headed back to the bookstore, by which time it had quite filled up. Maggie was going to speak for a bit before signing books, and a small area of the store had been set up with folding chairs. We ended up standing on the side, which offered a perfect view of her while she talked. Maggie spoke for about 45 minutes, standing on top of the signing table the whole time, as you'll see in the pic below. And she was HILARIOUS! I still can't even. I can't even remember the last time I laughed so much and that hard.

After she'd finished talking, there was a brief Q & A. I am way, way, way too intimidated by those things in general, and I was especially intimidated by the prospect of sounding like an idiot in front of one of my favorite authors EVER. So no questions from this audience member. XD

Finally, it was time for the signing. The three of us were sort of freaking out about what we would say when it was our turn, because . . . Maggie Stiefvater! She asked me if I'd read The Raven King and which book in the series was my favorite. I told her TRK, but I love all of them so much. She said that's what she likes to hear, lol.

Everyone at the event received a book hugger, kind of like a slipcase, with Maggie's artwork on it, and you can also see a pic of it below. I didn't assemble mine and don't think I will, because I love how it looks completely flat.

Obviously, we all went home extremely happy. We were so glad that the tour stopped pretty close and that we were able to meet her. This was definitely one of the highlights of the year, bookish or non-bookish, for me!

Review: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Gansey’s quest to find a Welsh king has begun to leave more questions than answers, but he has found a set of friends more than willing to help him complete his quest. Finding Glendower is becoming more of an urgent matter as the year begins to slip by and the promise of death and loss looms over the group. Gansey, Blue, Ronan, Adam, and Noah are starting to become desperate as the threats begin to multiply, but their loyalty to each other proves to be a force of great power, perhaps even equal to that of Henrietta's ley line.

Since The Raven King is such a special book, it's getting a bit of special treatment today, with reviews from both Melissa and me! We warn you now: there's not so much reviewing ahead as unabashed fangirling!

Lee's Review: Three years ago, I read a book called The Raven Boys that completely enchanted me with its magical story of a girl, four boys, and a sleeping king. I loved this book immensely, and yet, somehow, each successive novel in the series found still more to love about these characters and everything about them: their lives, their fears, their flaws. Now, four books later, we’ve reached the last chapter for Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, and what a magnificent swan song it is.

I knew—knew—that The Raven King would crush me heart and soul, but anticipating a thing and experiencing it are very often two different beasts. My mind is a storm of thoughts. My heart still beats irregularly when I reread certain passages. I don’t label books “life-changing” lightly, but this book and this series permanently own a piece of my heart. My brain refuses to compute that I’ve just read the final installment in a series that is perfection defined.

To discuss The Raven King in depth is to spoil it for those who haven’t read it, so please pardon my vagueness. Believe me—I am DYING to talk about EVERYTHING that made this book an absolute feast for anyone who loves words. Maggie Stiefvater’s prose is magic transformed into words on a page. Her Wolves of Mercy Falls series imbued winter with a life of its own. Here she literally gives sentience to the otherworldly forest of Cabeswater; the imagery Stiefvater employs in the Cabeswater scenes never fails to transport you to that magical place where every sight and sound is so real, you can’t help feeling like you, too, are standing in its wondrous midst. And when Cabeswater is threatened, you, too fear for it.

The Raven King finds Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam running out of time to find and wake the legendary sleeping king Owen Glendower, which means that they’re also running out of time to save Gansey’s life. My heart ached and fractured for my beloved Gansey over and over again while reading this because he fully realizes that he may not be able to fight fate, but he wants to live oh so much. He’s devoted most of his life to this quest for his king, and the countless painstaking hours of research and global travel may have all been in vain. Gansey’s search isn’t just about actually locating Glendower and requesting a favor; it’s also about finding validation, that the life he was given back after a deadly hornet attack has had a purpose.

Foreboding and urgency dominate The Raven King; the characters constantly dance on the edge of a precipice, one minute misstep away from tipping over. Dreams and nightmares, which have been important to the series from the beginning, become so entwined with reality here that the distinction between them blurs at times. With ominous happenings and shadowy people descending on Henrietta, Blue and her Raven Boys are hyperaware that their journey together must reach its crescendo very soon. They’re totally conscious of what’s at stake, including the lives of both Gansey and Cabeswater.

Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah are the lifeblood of this series, and observing their character development over the span of four novels has been one of the most incredible reading experiences I’ve ever known. I absolutely savored each of these last precious, exquisite moments with them, these friends whom no force, of this world or a magical one, could ever tear apart. Loyalty, sacrifice and love—so much love—define this group, and God, what I wouldn’t give to be even a tangential part of it.

I think I’ve written more of a sobbing, gushy farewell to the series than an actual review of the final book in said series, but this is all I’m ever going to be capable of. I also believe this marks the first time I’ve ever NOT wanted to finish writing a review, because then that means The Raven Cycle is well and truly complete. But if I must say goodbye, first I’d like to declare once again how much I’m going to miss the following: Blue Sargent, Richard Campbell Gansey III, Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, Noah Czerny, Chainsaw, the amazing ladies of 300 Fox Way (Maura, Calla, Persephone, Jimi, Orla), the Gray Man, Matthew Lynch, Henry Cheng and RoboBee, the Pig, the Barns, and the ethereal wonder that will always be Cabeswater.

All in All: Five billion stars and then some. It’s very likely I’ll read additional five star books this year, but The Raven King will still be my favorite book of 2016. Gansey—you will forever be king of this girl’s heart. I miss you and your friends so much already.

Melissa's Review: Finally! It seems like I’ve waited an eternity for the last installment in The Raven Cycle. The Raven King has been a wonderful way to start the summer. I actually picked up my copy of the book at my college bookstore while I was returning my textbooks. Having not read any YA in months, The Raven King was the perfect book to start my summer reading frenzy. I’ll warn you in advance, this is going to be more gushing than actual reviewing.

I hardly even know where to begin! The Raven King was mind-blowing. Pure magic, I tell you! Well, to be honest the entire Raven Cycle series is spectacular, but The Raven King ties everything together beautifully. While readers definitely got the answers they wanted/needed, The Raven King makes it very difficult to let go of the series. (I’ve been in a book depression for over a week. I guess the only solution is to reread the series. Oh darn.)

Don’t even get me started on Stiefvater’s writing. I barely have words for it. I can honestly say that I am incredibly jealous of her ability to craft such wonderful characters and write so cleverly. This is the type of series where you become so invested in the characters, it hurts you when the final book ends. I’m still in awe over how much I have come to love all of these characters and how very real they seem. Although the gang is in pursuit of Glendower, the book revolves more around their relationship with each other than the actual adventure. I don’t know if that sounds weird, but it really works. Since the series is so character driven, it has really become something far beyond what some other YA books could ever hope to be. If I could steal her bitching writing powers, I totally would. If you haven’t read any of her work yet, you are missing out big time.

Again, I’m sorry this isn’t much in the way of a review. I am too worried about saying anything about anything in fear of spoiling something by accident. So much goes down in this book, you really must experience it for yourself. I guess what I’m really trying to say is that The Raven King was so phenomenal that I couldn’t even write a cohesive review for it.

All in All: You must read The Raven Cycle! Hopefully my gushy babbling has convinced you of its awesomeness in lieu of a more traditional review.

The Raven Cycle Week 2016: GANSEY MUST LIVE!

This is my closing post for The Raven Cycle Week, and in case the all-caps title doesn't say it all, this is a topic of the utmost importance to me. The original title of this post was going to be "Gansey Must Not Die!" but I thought "Gansey Must Live!" sounded a tad more optimistic.

We all have fictional characters to whom we've become extremely attached, and if something bad were to happen to one of those characters, we'd be utterly crushed, heart and soul. Although I love each and every one of the main characters in The Raven Cycle, Richard Campbell Gansey III has always held an extra special place in my heart. I love him for his fierce loyalty to his friends and his unwavering dedication to finding Glendower. There's something infectious about his determination to discover the whereabouts of the sleeping Welsh king that makes you want to join Gansey on his mission, too.

There are some serious shadows surrounding our dear Gansey heading into the series finale, and I'm extremely worried about him. Of course I'm concerned about Blue and all of the boys and will be horribly upset if anything bad befalls any of them, but Gansey is the one who seems fated for misfortune. I cannot even begin to deal with that possibility.

You'd think that being a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones would have given me some kind of coping skills because beloved characters die all the freaking time in those books and on that show, but no. No, no, no, no, no. I already know that I'm going to require intense therapy after reading The Raven King just because it's the end of the series. If the unspeakable happens to Gansey, though, no amount of therapy is going to be adequate. Taking away any member of this extremely close-knit quintet of friends would be devastating, but taking away its core, its foundation? Unfathomable.

Please don't break my heart, Maggie Stiefvater. Please don't break my heart.

Do you love The Raven Cycle, too? Feel free to post this week on any Raven Cycle-related topic and add your link to the linky below! :)

The Raven Cycle Week 2016: The Friendship

Welcome to Day 3 of The Raven Cycle Week! Today's subject is one that is incredibly dear to my heart: the epic friendship between Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah.

I love, love, LOVE the evolution of their relationship. It ranks up there with some of my all-time favorite literary friendships: Harry/Ron/Hermione, Will/Jem, Chaol/Dorian. That's some mighty fine company to be among, and Blue and the Raven Boys undoubtedly belong there.

While Blue initially harbored a deep dislike for all Aglionby students, and I totally understood her mindset, the more time she spent with Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, the less she saw them as the usual snobby Aglionby types with gargantuan senses of entitlement. Being the new addition to a firmly established group of friends isn't easy, and I loved watching the quartet gradually expand to a quintet, as though the boys had been waiting for Blue to join them all along because she fits in with them so naturally.

My attempts to describe what exists between Blue and the Raven Boys will always be inadequate compared to Maggie Stiefvater's own exquisite words. This quote from Blue Lily, Lily Blue is one of my absolute favorite quotes from the series, and it perfectly captures the friendship:

"Orla wasn't wrong, of course. But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other."

And I also just about burst out sobbing when my eyes encountered this quote, also from Blue Lily, Lily Blue, for the first time:

"Now he could see that it wasn't charity Gansey was offering. It was just truth.
And something else: friendship of the unshakable kind. Friendship you could swear on. That could be busted nearly to breaking and come back stronger than before.
Adam held out his right hand, and Gansey clasped it in a handshake, like they were men, because they were men."

These quotes leave no question that there isn't a single thing one individual in the group wouldn't do for the other, or two or three or four others. Yes, they tease each other and even occasionally argue with one another (Ronan is particularly gifted at this), but that's a grain of sand in comparison to the magnitude of their bond. If they find Glendower, I have no difficulty imagining everyone being selfless and asking him to help someone else in the group because that's just how Blue and her Raven Boys are. Theirs is the kind of friendship that endures anything, and even long after I've read the last word of The Raven King, I won't forget Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. (And Chainsaw!)

Do you love The Raven Cycle, too? Feel free to post this week on any Raven Cycle-related topic and add your link to the linky below! :)

The Raven Cycle Week 2016: Questions, Thoughts, and Theories About The Raven King

* SPOILER WARNING: This post contains spoilers for The Raven Cycle series.

It's Day 2 of The Raven Cycle Week, and who doesn't love conjecturing about series enders?

Ally is the queen of accurately predicting what will happen in a book, but alas, she's cramming for college finals at the moment. So you're stuck with me writing this post solo, and this is not my forté as it is Ally's. But onward we go!

Where the Bloody Hell Are You, Glendower?!

Richard Campbell Gansey III has been searching for his sleeping king for a good chunk of his young life, a quest that has been nothing short of exhaustive. But will Gansey and his friends, who've become just as invested in this journey, finally find Glendower? Will someone be granted a favor, as the legend says? Or will Glendower just be pissed off to have his centuries-long nap interrupted by a couple of meddling teens?

More Gray, Please!

I LOVE the Gray Man! He's become one of my favorite characters who isn't Blue or a Raven Boy, lol. I love that the Gray Man and Blue have sort of formed a bond, and I totally ship him and Maura, Blue's mom. I don't even care that Blue's father turned up in Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I'm rooting for Mr. Gray all the way because morally ambiguous characters are absolutely my thing.

The Ship That Must Sail, Part 1

Blue and Gansey—there MUST be way for you two to be together! THERE. MUST! You've been growing closer with every book, setting my heart all aflutter. AFLUTTER! You're both incredibly smart; surely you'll think of a way to overcome the whole Blue's-True-Love-Will-Die conundrum. Come on, kids; you got this! I won't be able to close my copy of The Raven King if you don't get your completely deserved HEA!

The Ship That Must Sail, Part 2. Like, I Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Mean It.

PYNCH. GAHHHHHH! If Ronan + Adam doesn't happen, I'm gonna be angry. Hulk angry. My copy of The Raven King may go flying across the room in a fit of rage angry. This has been one of the most beautifully written story lines in the series, and that's really saying something because everything about the series is sheer perfection and brilliance. Pynch. Must. Sail.

But Will There Be One Final Reprise of The Murder Squash Song?

Ronan tortures everyone by singing this in Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Of course I find this hilarious, and would it be too much to ask Ronan to dust off this ditty for one last performance? Or two. Or three.

Do you love The Raven Cycle, too? Feel free to post this week on any Raven Cycle-related topic and add your link to the linky below! :)

The Raven Cycle Week 2016: Chainsaw!

Welcome to the start of The Raven Cycle Week here at Rally the Readers as we count down the days until the release of the final book, The Raven King, next week!

When we did a week of Raven Cycle-themed posts back in 2014 (was it really that long ago?!) to celebrate the release of book three, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, we dedicated the posts to all of the human characters, lol. Poor Chainsaw the raven didn't get a spotlight, and fixing that was a top priority for the 2016 edition of TRC Week. And what a fitting way to kick off a week of Raven Cycle posts than by talking about . . . a raven? XD

I love when animal friends figure prominently in books, and to me, Chainsaw is as integral to the group as Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah all are. She also seems uncannily intelligent, but then, considering her origin, that's not surprising.

One of my favorite, out of a multitude of favorite, things about the series is how much Ronan loves Chainsaw. Usually Ronan is all sharp edges and biting comments, but he smuggled Chainsaw in his backpack and took her to school so he could feed her. Ronan also brought Chainsaw on an expedition to the local dollar store with Gansey and Noah in The Dream Thieves because Dollar City allowed pets. I still laugh my ass off nearly three years later at the way Ronan loosely interpreted the store's pet policy.

Chainsaw is one special raven, not only because of her bond with Ronan, but because there's just something extraordinary about her. I can't wait to see if my hunch proves true in The Raven King. Who knows? Maybe she's Glendower's pet raven, or maybe she's been Glendower all along!

Do you love The Raven Cycle, too? Feel free to post this week on any Raven Cycle-related topic and add your link to the linky below! I'll also be adding my own links just so they're all in one place. :)

Coming Soon: The Raven Cycle Week 2016

It's April, which means that Maggie Stiefvater's THE RAVEN KING RELEASES ON APRIL 26TH!!!! CAN YOU TELL I'M A LITTLE EXCITED ABOUT THIS?????!!!!!!!

Back when Blue Lily, Lily Blue released in 2014, we did a week of Raven Cycle-themed posts. Since The Raven King marks the end of the series, I couldn't let that go by without another week dedicated to one of my most beloved series. Unfortunately, Ally and Melissa will most likely be sitting this one out because they're both coming up on finals for the semester. I'm carrying on, though, and have tentatively set this schedule for the week of April 18, the week before the release of The Raven King:

• Monday, April 18: A post about everyone's favorite raven, Chainsaw!
• Tuesday, April 19: Questions, Thoughts, and Theories about The Raven King
• Wednesday, April 20: The Friendship
• Friday, April 22: Gansey Must Live!

If you love The Raven Cycle, too, please feel free to join in posting during the week of the 18th! This is all very informal; if you're interested, you're welcome to also post about any of the topics I've already mentioned or any of your own choosing, whenever might suit your schedule during that week. I'll probably put up one of those linky things, too.

I've been anticipating the release of this book since I finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and now that it's almost here, I still don't feel prepared. I don't want to say goodbye to Blue and the Raven Boys! :'(

Cover Reveal: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Behold this beauty:

Isn't it blue-tiful? XD But oh my God—April 2016 is still a ways away! Well, I don't need psychic powers to predict what my favorite read of 2016 is going to be! :D

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Blue and her Raven Boys are as close as they've ever been to finding Glendower, yet the sleeping Welsh king still seems out of reach. Blue also worries about what’s happening to her missing mother, as her family at 300 Fox Way has become inextricably tied to her friends’ quest, too. Everyone has invested too much in this search to back down now, even as Cabeswater continues to change Adam and another dangerous visitor has been drawn to Henrietta.

Review: I can’t even I can’t even. I. Can’t. Even. I’ve never felt more incapable of writing a review for a book than I do at this moment for Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Because when a book is so utterly flawless, me writing about it is just so lame.

We’ve still got a little bit of time left in 2014, but I can’t imagine another book overtaking Blue Lily, Lily Blue as my favorite book of the year. That’s not to say that I won’t love any other books until the end of December, but this book exists on its own plane of perfection. I’m not exaggerating about its perfection, either. Story progression: perfect. Character development: perfect. Prose: so perfect, it makes me wish it had a human form so I could be best friends with it.

I’d waited, for the most part most impatiently, for a year to hold this book in my hands, and once I started reading, being apart from it was almost unbearable. Squeezing in reading time on weeknights can be tough sometimes, but dammit, I found time for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, even at the expense of sleep. I hated putting the book down for the night; there was never a good place to stop because every single page was magnificent.

Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah have all become permanent residents in my heart, and the bond between them has never been stronger. It’s beyond friendship now; they’re really their own family, and though like any family they have their occasional squabbles, there is nothing they wouldn’t do for one another. Nothing. I’ll never forget that moment in The Raven Boys when Ronan turns his car around to go back and help Adam, and there’s a scene in Blue Lily, Lily Blue that left me similarly awestruck (and nearly crying) by the magnitude of its emotional depth. These characters may be enveloped in myth and the paranormal, but oh my God, do they seem so real, especially when they take a wrecking ball to your heart. And you should steel yourself for heartbreak here.

I’ve loved Blue from the outset, but she’s phenomenal in Blue Lily, Lily Blue, which only seems fitting with that title. She knows she can rely on her Raven Boys for anything, but without sacrificing an ounce of her fiery independence. I love that she’s a badass who carries a pink switchblade, but I love her gentle side, too. I also need to mention her bravery in the face of the disappearance of her mother, Maura, and in having to deal with some things alone because she’s the only one who can do them.

I know I haven’t shut up about the characters yet, but they truly, truly do make this series. All four boys yanked at my heart in this book, so much so that I couldn’t even tell you who was the most responsible for all of the fissures it now has. Ronan is as acerbic as ever (and that’s why I love him), Adam is as complex as ever thanks to his bargain with Cabeswater, and Noah is as Noah as ever but even more poignantly so. My dear, dear Gansey is as Gansey as ever, determined to find his king, fiercely protective of his friends, and finding it more and more difficult to ignore the whisperings of his heart.

OK, still not done gushing about the characters. I have to mention Calla and Persephone, my two favorite psychics at 300 Fox Way. Calla’s abrasiveness, even when directed at my Gansey, is hilarious. I also just want to say how freaking awesome the Gray Man is. I love this guy!

I’ve read some amazing sequels this year, but returning to Henrietta with Blue and the Raven Boys was the sweetest reunion imaginable. Blue Lily, Lily Blue, like its predecessors, is genius in its purest form. I wish I could write like Maggie Stiefvater. I wish I were Blue Sargent. I wish I could meet the Raven Boys and help them with their quest. I wish I could go for a ride in the Pig. I wish I could pet the Dog. I get Gansey’s obsession with Glendower because I’m just as obsessed with Gansey’s obsession with Glendower and everything to do with Gansey and the gang. I have no clue how I’m going to survive the wait until the next, and final, book. *Sobs*

All in All: Read. This. NOW.

The Raven Cycle: Why We Love Blue

I think Blue is so awesome! Everything about her is quirky and hilarious. She fits in so miraculously with the Raven Boys that it's really a surprise that she hasn't been there since the very beginning. I looove her sense of humor; I really feel like she gets most of the best lines. She is definitely one of the bravest and most endearing heroines I have read about. I have never found her annoying or whiny, which is extremely surprising and quite a feat. I really look forward to reading about more of her adventures with or without the boys.

First, Blue is one of the coolest character names ever. I think so, at least. I also think the name just suits her.

Blue impressed me from the get-go because she wasn't impressed with the Raven Boys and their wealth and privilege. She immediately established herself as fiercely independent, unafraid to speak her mind, and very, very astute. She's a character whom I'd switch places with in a heartbeat, and not just because she gets to hang out with Gansey, Ronan, Adam, & Noah (although that is a definite plus). Her life at 300 Fox Way in a house full of psychics also sounds fascinating. Blue is awesome, and I love her lots.

Blue is one of the coolest characters I have ever read about! I love almost everything about her and I'm so glad she's in the series because she balances out the boys very well, lol.

I admire her a lot, especially for strong-arming her way into the Raven Boys clique. It must have been incredibly hard for her. They come from completely different backgrounds and they had all been an extremely close, tight-knit group without her. But Blue managed to fit in perfectly from the start and I'm so grateful for that. I absolutely love Blue for her uniqueness. She is such a strange character. And I don't think it's her psychic family that makes her weirder than others (though I do very much enjoy reading about her family; they're so fun and awesome) but I think it's just her personality. She didn't seem to fit in anywhere, even in her own family, until she found the boys. Though I am worried about how everyone's relationship will change after they finally find Glendower, seeing that it is the common ground holding the gang together, I hope that they all manage to remain friends.

The Raven Cycle: Why We Love Noah

** Spoiler warning if you haven't read The Raven Boys **

How can you not love Noah? To me, he's just one of those characters whom it's nearly impossible not to find endearing. I especially love the connection he and Blue seem to have formed, as well as his uncanny knack for knowing what's really on everybody's mind. It's as though he can see straight into the depths of everyone's souls, and maybe he can, given his backstory . . . .

Said backstory, by the way, totally blew my mind in The Raven Boys. This quiet, unassuming character suddenly became the center of one of the biggest revelations in the novel. And I loved every second of it.

Noah Czerny is the most adorable Raven Boy of them all. He's the quiet yet reliable one in the group. Even though he tends to disappear at times, he is pretty much always there for all of the others. Although some of the the other guys in the group get into little fights, Noah is never one to disturb the peace. I've truly grown to appreciate him throughout the series.

His whole backstory is one that caught me completely by surprise. It's sad that I didn't notice what was going on with him because I was so focused on the others. And that's the point, no one really focuses on him long enough to figure him out. Not even his friends noticed, which is kind of terrible. Even though he's been through so much stuff, Noah has still managed to be strong. I love Noah for a lot of reasons. He's my second favorite character in the series and I look forward to what's in store for him.

Ah. smudgy Noah. What isn't there to love about this Raven Boy? He always brings humor and adorableness to every scene he's in. I was quite devastated to find out he was dead, but he really makes it work. I wonder if death has changed him at all, and if it did I think it was for the best. He interacts so well with each of the boys and Blue because he has one of those personalities that gets along with everyone. I don't think anyone could not love Noah. And that's about all I have to say. Noah is great and I love him.

The Raven Cycle: Why The Melissa Loooooves Adam

** SPOILER WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS A MAJOR SPOILER FOR THE DREAM THIEVES **

Sadly, I was the last one on the Raven Boys bandwagon, but I've made up for it with my overwhelming love and devotion for the series. ;) Like Ally mentioned in her post, we know each other quite well. Just as Lee called Ally's love for Ronan, Ally knew I would like Adam. Now, don't get me wrong, I love all of the characters dearly, but Adam is my favorite. There are so many reasons why I love Adam. He is so sweet and smart and sensitive and exactly my type of guy. I really admire him for always working so hard to be successful and always wanting to do things for himself. However, this leads to Adam's faults, for which I also admire him. Adam is too quick to dismiss help from his friends in favor of taking on the challenge himself. It's really hard for Adam to be surrounded by everything he has always wanted and to have to work so hard for things his friends simply inherited. I think Adam has a more relatable set of challenges than those of his wealthy friends, and I think that makes him easier to relate to. The reader really feels for Adam and his struggles. Sometimes, I wish I could just give him a hug.

I really hope that in Blue Lily, Lily Blue Adam finds some peace and happiness. I hope Adam can take a step back and accept help from his friends without seeing it as charity. I want something good to happen for Adam because he could really use a pick-me-up. Perhaps more than anything I want Adam to get together with Ronan. How fantastic would that be?! Anyway, I am crazy excited to read more about Adam! To be honest, I'm a little worried about him.

The Raven Cycle: Why I Love Ronan

My favorite Raven Boy is and always will be Ronan Lynch. I love all of the other guys, Blue included, but there's just something about Ronan that is so likable; which is quite ironic because Ronan does his best to make sure he comes off as unlikable as possible, lol. He is such an amazing character and I've lost count of how many times that I wished he was not just fictional.

It's kind of funny how well Lee, Melissa, and I know each other. Lee was the first person out of our gang to read The Raven Boys and she was the one who pushed me to read it. Not only did she guess correctly about me totally loving the book, but she also guessed that Ronan would be my favorite character. I love pretty much everything about the guy. Superficially, I think he has a really badass name: Ronan Lynch. If I have to pick a name for anything, be it a username or me just trying to rename someone/something, I'll use Ronan's name, lol.

On a deeper level, I admire Ronan for his dedication to his friends and Chainsaw. Ronan really tries his best to make himself appear as tough as nails. It's rare to see him express his emotions, and I love it when he does. I have several favorite scenes with Ronan; many of them including Chainsaw. I think it is absolutely adorable how much Ronan loves his pet raven. I distinctly remember reading about Ronan hiding Chainsaw in his backpack so he could feed her while he was at school. It's one of the sweetest moments I've ever read in any book. Another favorite moment of mine is when Ronan drops Adam home and Ronan drives off, knowing that Adam's father is an ass, only to turn the car around to protect Adam and beat the shit out of the father. Ronan got arrested for Adam. He would practically do anything to help his friends, regardless of what happens to him in the process. I love that about him. In a way, I think he's the most loyal and protective Raven Boy out of the group.

Another reason that I love Ronan is because he is just such an interesting character. I am so glad Ronan gets a lot of spotlight in The Dream Thieves and I can only hope that it continues with Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Ronan has been through so much in his life, most of it centering around his family, and I think he's doing a good job of holding himself together while finally starting to figure out his family secrets. I'm so intrigued by the Lynch family and I'm patiently waiting to get the whole story.

In the end, I think that Ronan is my favorite because out of all the other characters I can relate to him the most. We actually have a lot in common. We both love animals, lol, we both have the same sense of humor, we are both fiercely loyal to our friends and family, and we both try to keep our feelings inside. I feel like I can understand his character quite well and I enjoy that. It makes me feel more connected to the story. Ronan Lynch is such a badass character and I'm very much looking forward to reading more about him.

The Raven Cycle: Why I Love Gansey

Richard Campbell Gansey III. Gansey. It makes no difference to me what he prefers to be called; my heart would belong to this Raven Boy regardless.

I was instantly captivated by Gansey's character. I mean, Maggie Stiefvater has given Blue and all four of the boys such rich, meticulously constructed backstories, but Gansey's just took over my brain and heart and shows no signs of letting go. Ever.

What I love most about Gansey is how much he cares about his friends, and the newest addition to their little group, Blue. In a lot of ways, Gansey reminds me of a parent, with his worry in The Raven Boys over Adam's home situation and Ronan's possible expulsion from Aglionby. Yes, Gansey has had the luxury of a life of privilege and occasionally comes across as condescending to those who don't know him well, but I really think that he has a kind heart with genuinely generous intentions.

On a lighter, and maybe even quirkier, note, I feel a sort of kinship with Gansey for needing to hold his phone right up to his face if he's not wearing contacts or glasses. That is a scenario I know all too well. I usually turn my phone on first thing in the morning before even getting out of bed, and I have to hover it really, really, dangerously close to my face. I have actually texted Ally and The Melissa like this and have actually texted, "I'm in Gansey mode right now." Yes, I really am this obsessed with this character.

Of course I can't write about Gansey without also writing about Glendower, the Welsh king of legend who is at the center of Gansey's obsessive search. There is no other word to describe Gansey's quest but "obsessive" because Glendower is the be-all and end-all for Gansey. The never ending, all-consuming, exhaustive research. The journal. I'm a little nervous about what will happen if Gansey does find his sleeping king. I hope Glendower isn't going to be all angry about the interruption to his nap and smite the person responsible. Gansey's previous brush with death and the whole Blue-related matter make me even more nervous on his behalf. Obviously, the last thing I want is to see anything bad befall him, but the odds look a tad unfavorable at the moment.

I've missed Gansey tons in the year that's passed since The Dream Thieves, and I cannot wait to read about him again (and everybody, really). I'll try to savor every page he appears on and every line of dialogue he utters, but part of me also can't devour the books in this series fast enough.

A Week of The Raven Cycle

Do you love Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle series? We do! And if you're also a fan, then you know that book #3, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, releases this Tuesday! All three of us have literally been waiting for this book since we finished The Dream Thieves a little over a year ago and were subsequently wrecked for a while. Well, the wait is just about over, and we're celebrating with a week's worth of Raven Cycle related posts:

• Monday, October 20: Lee's post about Gansey
• Tuesday, October 21: Ally's post about Ronan
• Wednesday, October 22: The Melissa's post about Adam
• Friday, October 24: Group post about Noah
• Saturday, October 25: Group post about Blue

Yep, there will be some extreme fangirling over this series and its characters for the next few days. :D

Cover Reveal: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

O.M.F.G! Can you say, "Ilovethiscoverohmygodohmygod!"? I'd give . . . ANYTHING to read this book right now, but it looks like I'll be waiting until October 28 to get my grubby hands on it. Many, many thanks to my friend Micheline at Lunar Rainbows for the heads-up about the cover being unveiled today (cause I totally forgot that there was going to be Raven Cycle news on this St. Mark's Eve)!

Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press

To Sum It Up: With the ley line now awoken, the search for Glendower, the sleeping Welsh king of legend, continues. The supernatural power that’s surging through Henrietta, Virginia is not going unnoticed by Henrietta’s residents, and it’s attracting attention from some keenly interested—and possibly dangerous—outsiders as well. At the same time, Ronan’s dreams, including the more nightmarish ones, are increasingly seeping their way into reality. Ronan’s talent isn’t as hidden as he thinks it is, and it’s about to impact not only him but Blue, Gansey, Adam, and Noah, too.

Review: It’s time for another gushy, rambling review! I seriously cannot cope with the masterpiece that is The Dream Thieves. I kind of just want to say, “Maggie Stiefvater is astoundingly brilliant” and call this review done because I really don’t have anything else useful to add. Barring any last minute surprises, I’m almost positive that The Dream Thieves is going to be my favorite read of 2013, and believe me, there’s some heavy competition for that title. That is how superb this book is.

When the first page of the prologue makes you feel giddy, you immediately know that the book you’re reading is special. The Dream Thieves is extraordinary. Maggie Stiefvater’s prose should be framed and displayed in museums everywhere. The perfection doesn’t stop with the writing, either. Sometimes I would pause from reading for a few seconds to marvel at the depth of this story and its characters and also at how the paranormal element is so intricately spun. You never doubt that it’s possible to take objects from dreams and bring them into the real world. You also don’t question the appearance of a new character known only as the Gray Man. He simply shows up as if he’s always belonged there, with zero interruption in the flow of the established story line. I trust Stiefvater implicitly with her storytelling; there’s a purpose to every character she adds and every word she writes, and it’s a thrill to wait and see how they all end up fitting together.

Although the search for Glendower is a core part of the plot, the characters and the complicated relationships between them are what drive this series. I find the lives of Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah absolutely absorbing, and that is why The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves have worked for me so entirely. Reading about this group again was like seeing old friends; I’ve grown ridiculously attached to them and cannot read enough about them. It’s really difficult to explain exactly why this quintet compels me to extreme fangirling. They’re smart, they’re funny, they break my heart sometimes. I would give anything to be Blue, even for an hour, because 1) she’s so cool and 2) I’d get to hang out with the Raven Boys!

While Gansey unquestionably remains my favorite Raven Boy, I adored Ronan in this book. He really takes center stage here, and I loved getting to know a lot more about him and his family. Of course, there’s also Chainsaw, the raven Ronan took straight from his dreams, and the bond those two have is so sweet. I chuckled for a good while at the scene in which Ronan, Gansey, and Noah take advantage of the “Pets Welcome” policy at a local dollar store and bring Chainsaw with them. Just writing about this scene has made me smile all over again.

I feel like this “review” consists of nothing but babble, and that would be an accurate picture of my reaction to The Dream Thieves. Its awesomeness left me incoherent, and apparently, I still can’t scrape together a comprehensible review of it. So, I’m going to stop here and encourage you to read other five star reviews that make a lot more sense than mine does.

All in All: I have an astronomical amount of love for this book and this series. I savored every word of The Dream Thieves, and it’s going to be an extremely painful wait until I can read about Blue and the boys again.

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press

To Sum It Up:

Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics. She isn’t one herself, but she possesses the ability to amplify clairvoyant powers. Blue and her mother have an annual tradition where they go to the churchyard, and her mother sees the spirits of those who will die in the next twelve months. This year is different, though; for the first time, Blue sees a spirit, and he speaks to her. He turns out to be Gansey, a student at the elite, all-boys school, Aglionby. Called the Raven Boys because of the raven emblem on their uniforms, Blue despises them and the old money and privilege that they represent. Whether she likes it or not, however, Blue is about to become an integral part of the lives of Gansey and his friends Ronan, Adam, and Noah, who are on a quest to find a legendary sleeping Welsh king.

Review:

Wow. What a different book this was compared to The Scorpio Races, the only other Maggie Stiefvater book I’ve read. As hard as I tried to love The Scorpio Races, I couldn’t do it. Although the setting was described with such beauty and eloquence, I felt so distant from the two narrators, Puck and Sean. I slogged through that book; it never seemed to gain any momentum plot-wise. I’d seen similar comments made about the pacing of The Raven Boys, but I decided to give it a go anyway. I liked the premise, and Stiefvater’s writing in The Scorpio Races really impressed me even though I wasn’t too keen on the novel overall. I had a hunch that there was a Maggie Stiefvater book out there that was perfect for me, and I found it with The Raven Boys.

To me, The Raven Boys read like a character study with a supernatural element to it, and I can see where the critiques of the pacing came from. Luckily for me, I found the characters utterly compelling, so I had no problem whatsoever. That’s not to say that the book is devoid of action, but if you’re expecting a heart-pounding paranormal read, The Raven Boys doesn’t fall into that category. Everything about it, from the plot to the romance, is slow-building; my enjoyment of the book came from observing the dynamic between the characters, especially the friendship between the Raven Boys, and how the addition of Blue affected it. I also became engrossed by the search for the legendary Glendower, a Welsh king who is supposed to grant a wish to whoever wakes him from his slumber. I couldn’t get enough of this storyline because I’ve always been fascinated by Arthurian legend and Holy Grail-type quests.

A sure sign that I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a book is when I can’t stop thinking about it after I’ve finished it. The characters from The Raven Boys have taken up permanent residence in my brain. I loved Blue’s independent personality and how she refused to fawn over the Raven Boys just because they were wealthy and good-looking. She has a solid head on her shoulders and uses it, unlike some other female protagonists I’ve come across in YA.

It was the Raven Boys, though, who made this book an absolute page-turner. They’re a rather motley quartet, and yet they’re friends. You have hot-headed Ronan, who welcomes trouble with a smile and is always ready with a snarky comment. Then there’s Adam, who attends Aglionby on a scholarship and struggles with feeling like he doesn’t really belong to the group. His pride won’t allow him to accept help from anyone, especially Gansey, even though it would mean escaping from his physically abusive father’s house. Noah is the quietest of the four and seems to lurk in the background, but his backstory is perhaps the most intriguing of all of the boys’ richly detailed histories.

And then there’s Gansey. Gansey (full name: Richard Campbell Gansey III), who prefers to be called by his surname and who stole the book as well as my heart. There’s nothing conventionally swoon-worthy about him; I just found him to be a kindred spirit. We share a need to avoid stinging insects and to hold the phone right up to our faces if we’re not wearing glasses or contacts. Gansey is also the nucleus of the Raven Boys; without him, they would probably be off leading separate lives. Instead, they’re a close-knit, almost family-like unit, with Gansey as the primary caretaker. Whether he’s trying to keep Ronan out of trouble or offering Adam a place to live, Gansey truly cares about his friends. While he may not always say the most tactful thing, particularly in his conversations with Blue, I don’t think that he means to offend anyone. He’s grown up in a sphere of privilege and doesn’t realize that he can sound condescending to those outside of it. What really drew me to Gansey was his heart, which is extremely generous.

In case it’s not evident by now, I loved The Raven Boys. Stiefvater’s writing is beautiful, and even wryly humorous at times. Waiting for the next installment is torture because I’m one hundred percent invested in these characters and what happens to them. At least I have the first book to think back on in the meantime, and I often do because it made such an impact on me.

All in All:

I’d love to recommend this to everybody because I loved it so much (I mean, I’ve already used “love” twice in this sentence), but I realize that it may not be to everyone’s reading tastes. If you think there’s even a tiny chance that you’ll enjoy The Raven Boys, then by all means, go ahead and read it!