The Raven King

I've completed another series this year. This is number 4.

In terms of the actual book, I'm honestly super disappointed. It is no secret this series has had its ups and downs with me. However, after finishing Blue Lily, Lily Blue, I really thought we had turned a corner. I know I'm in the minority here, but this book just left me so unsatisfied. There was all this buildup leading to the end and now I feel wholly unsatisfied.

I still really love these characters and Maggie's writing, but this plot is still all over the place for me. Yes, Maggie did a great job tying everything together that we have been slowly unraveling throughout the entire series. However, at some point there is a finite number of directions and strings you can add to the story without getting into a tangled mess. This book definitely teetered over into the tangled mess arena for me.

I feel like this is such a negative review for a book that was mostly enjoyable. But my thoughts are conflicted. I loved what happened with our characters and other characters that we go to know more about. But in terms of the story, this book was a regression after Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

i liked this better than 3, but not quite as much as 2 - i think. i need some time to ponder on this one. but I'm going with 3.5 for now
against all expectation i really enjoyed Henry as a character so i thought he was a nice addition and was satisfied with the epilogue. though there were a lot of characters in this book (and the last) that just kind of felt like... thrown in there, and i wanted so much to have them be more fleshed out

throughout the series we've had about 9 antagonists and it was a bit jarring to keep switching bad guys.

This took me the longest to read of all the other books in the series. I felt like it had the least action, the author added more unnecessary characters that did little to further the story, and it had a somewhat unsatisfactory ending that was too easy for it having had a 4 book lead-up. Overall, the series was a bit of a disappointment as many friends had enjoyed it but I was left wanting.
The plot is all over the place in each of these books and nothing ever gets more believable or remotely explained. The author likes to add a bunch of new characters each book that do nothing for the plot and/or are killed off in the next book anyway, as well as killing actually good characters with little fanfare or reason. With the confusing plot points and undeveloped characters, it doesn't get any easier to follow - you have to read it moment to moment without getting the big picture of what's happening and why. The whole point this series revolves around - the finding of Owain Glynd??r (Glendower) - was a total wash. The highlight of these books are the likeable main characters - namely Adam, Ronan, and Noah - but all display some low-key racism and classism, especially with the introduction of Henry into their group (who is of mixed Asian descent). I'm impartial to both Blue and Gansey, arguably the main of the main characters, as they each have personality traits that annoy me and are given to some typical YA cliches that are eyeroll-inducing.

I'm done ripping this to shreds. I read them all to finish so they stay at “just ok” in my rating but I can't see reading any more from this author.

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.

I've enjoyed these books quite a bit. The story is so original, the characters are likable and none of them annoy me (often I find that an issue when I read Ya fiction for some reason). I really appreciate the history/fantasy aspects and Maggie Stiefvater has an excellent style of writing. Very glad I picked up these books.

3 things I am very happy about (in no particular order):

- Finally being able to go through trc related tags without worries of spoiling myself.
- 3 is DEFINITELY always better ;)
- This action packed and emotional af roller coaster ride from the beginning to end of this wonderful series. I totally wish I had read them sooner (especially after finding out Maggie Stiefvater was in town a few months ago for her book tour - alas). Looking back from the first book to the last, my favorite thing about the series was watching the characters grow. No just individual growth but also growing as a group. I'm a sucker for found family themes so this was obviously a treat for me. Seeing the impact that these characters had on each other and how they all helped each other become who they are in the end was honestly lovely. FOUND FAMILY FTW!

I am now definitely a fan of Maggie Stiefvater's writing and I would totally recommend this series to others. Better late than never!

That took me long. I was almost DNFing this series, but fortunately, I decided to finish it. The ending was overall satisfying, even if leaves some unsolved questions and unfinished scenes. The reason why I would recommend this series to readers because it is really low fantasy and has a unique atmosphere that may appeal to both male and female readers. So if you want something a bit magical but still deeply rooted into our world/time than that's a book for you.

I wanted to finish this series that I started in my young adult phase, and Maggie Stiefvater still managed to convince me. This was a lovely book, carried by its characters and atmosphere. It doesn't really stand out otherwise, and I unfortunately feel like it wasn't a fulfilling ending to the series. Also, I'm rarely into romances but I was really curious about a certain one and Stiefvater didn't wrap it up at all. It's like she forgot :c Sad, and kind of an amateurish move.
Overall it's nice and funny and light and quite YA. Good job Miss!

The Raven Boys ???????????????The Dream Thieves ???????????????Blue Lily, Lily Blue ???????????????The Raven King ???????????????

What a fantastic conclusion to the series. I am genuinely so excited for the sequel trilogy and all that is left in this universe.

I need to re-read the series before going into Call Down the Hawk as I don't feel like I fully grasped the ending. It all feels like a blur.

3,5 stars.

Ok I have some things to say. I loved the first 80 % of the book. It was interesting, weird (the good kind) and captivating. But then it went downhill: I don't see why this is a so “awesome” ending. This was weak, too nice, too frustrating..... I would have liked some deaths for different characters since I either didn't care for the dead or it was obvious that they would die at some point.
The epilogue was also frustrating and too focused on a small amount of the beloved cast of the book. That made the book quiet unsatisfied for me till the point that it bugs me even days after I finished reading this book. I felt empty.... and betrayed by an bad ending.