Nichole

This was a pretty big letdown. I really loved Serpent & Dove but this book suffered from second book syndrome. There was a lot of it that just dragged along and was filler. And everything would lead up to an event and then be anti-climatic. The ending is crazy as always and I will definitley read the next book but this one was just not at the same level as the first book.

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 5
Writing: 7
Plot: 3
Intrigue: 4
Logic: 6
Enjoyment: 5

3.5 Stars
Everyone absolutely loves this book and is always talking about the amazing characters and the writing. As such, I went into this book with extremely high expectations. I honestly think this slightly dampened my enjoyment. I still really enjoyed this book, but I was slightly disappointed. I was expecting a thrilling amazingly written story with so many details and plot intricacies . In many ways this book lived up to that. But I also found the plot to drag in the middle and I definitely did not enjoy the middle 1/3 of the book as much as the first and last third. However, I am still highly invested in this series and eager to pick up the second book.

By far the strongest part of this book is its characters. These characters are unique and each on has their own peculiarities that add to the story. I absolutely loved the snarky, sassiness to the characters. The Raven Boys (Gansey, Adam, Noah, and Ronan) are this tight-nit group that Blue just easily fits into. The friendship between this group is one of my favorite aspects of this book. They each have their issues that they are dealing with, but still somehow come together over the quest of ley lines and their meaning. The other cast of characters that added to this unique group was the aunts and family of Blue. They were so quirky and constantly predicting things and giving “advice” and I loved it. I think if I had to actually deal with it like Blue does, I would absolutely hate it, but I loved reading about it.

As for my “issue” with this book and I use that word loosely. This book definitely dragged as I have said. But luckily it did pick back up. I think the main reason I struggled with this book is solely do to it being overhyped for me. I have not had this issue before, but I think it did play a role in my ability to fall in love with this book the way others have. That being said, I did still thoroughly enjoy the book and cannot wait to continue.

Finally, this book left me with so many questions. There is so much more I want to know. Whether it is more about Blue's fate, the ley lines, the Raven King, or even more about the Raven Boys.

“When it came to parting ways, they sometimes said vas ir, which meant in peace, but more often they chose to say anoshe – until another day.”

It took me a very long time to start this book and an even longer time to finish it. But that is simply because I did not want to say goodbye to these characters and this world. V.E. Schwab has crafted this amazing world full of magic and daring characters. This book added a lot of new POVs which was “annoying” at times because I wanted to get back to Lila, Kell, Rhys, and Alucard, but I can see the importance of those POVs now that the trilogy is complete.

Knowing the Threads of Power trilogy is coming, I'm not sure exactly where Schwab plans to take this world but I know I cannot wait to be back in the world of Antaris!

As Travars.