The Raven King

What can I say about these books that I haven't already tried to say? Maggie Stiefvater makes poetry out of boys and kings and ravens.

And I mean that rather literally. The Raven King reads a bit like a very long poem. Stiefvater is big on threes - if she starts repeating something, there's a good chance she's going to do it at least three times. While every book in this series has been otherworldly, magical and strange here Stiefvater fully commits to the untameable nature of the story and her own writing. In doing so she tests the limits of what a believable story is, what a novel is as opposed to an epic poem or a fairy tale, and whether any of that even matters.

When I write reviews, I like to give some kind of summary of the story's premise, at least for a frame of reference. I don't know if that's possible with The Raven King. Gansey's long search for the King Glendower finally comes to a head at the same time someone tries to harness the power of a demon that wants to unmake Cabeswater, its dreamer and everything that has become a part of it. Doesn't tell you much, does it? If you've gotten this far in the Raven Cycle, you're probably pretty close to in love with these characters, as I have been, and they're probably what got you here. Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Blue (also Noah, who is in a much diminished capacity here) are as they have always been - passionate, significant, bigger than their bodies. They have this magical way of being exactly who you believe them to be without giving you exactly what you want. They are as flawed as they are distinct. If you want them to touch the sky, they'll crash to earth. If you want them to fight a monster, they'll make a sacrifice instead. Either way, every second of it will be beautiful. Their endings have been foretold multiple times in the series - some of those come to pass, some of them don't. If you're trying to anticipate anything, I suggest not. That's not the point of this kind of story.

I was expecting more of a resolution, something tying each of them off. A last kiss, a celebration, a promise. There was little of that. The story is clearly not done. These are not knights with an epic quest, a dragon to vanquish and then a little cottage to live out the rest of their days in. These are magicians - they will make their own quests, their own journeys. Which is good because I don't like finishing series. It's hard to figure out what to say when there's so much more left to tell.