Review: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on July 11, 2016 | 1 Comment


Review: The Raven King by Maggie StiefvaterThe Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #4
Published by Scholastic Press (4.26.2016)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 439 pages
Source: I own it


4.5 Stars

Nothing living is safe. Nothing dead is to be trusted.

For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams; Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey… and is certain she is destined to kill him.

Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path.

My thoughts

Whuh. Where do I even start? Um. I have mixed feelings about the conclusion to the Raven Cycle. I loved it, but it left me wanting. Yet it was wonderful either way.

“I like you an awful lot, Blue Sargent.”

MORE BLUE AND GANSEY FEELS. Gahhh, I’m so glad they finally are out in the open! Happy ship, happy happy ship. *makes heart eyes* I loved every single Blue/Gansey moment so much I thought my heart would explode.

MORE BLUE AND RONAN FEELS. I love them together almost as much as I love Blue and Gansey. But in a totally different way, of course. I ship Blue and Gansey hard. But I also ship Blue and Ronan – platonically. You can have a strictly platonic ship, right? Right? I love Blue and Ronan’s friendship! Like I said in my review of Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Ronan’s approval is hard to come by, so his approval of Blue means a lot. And that’s part of why I love it so much. Ronan can be such a douche sometimes, I absolutely LOVE his tender moments. And the fact that he plays them off by being even more of a douche to cover up that tenderness. (HE WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO DREAM BLUE SOME EYE CREAM. It’s so adorable I can’t even)

I love the dynamic between the characters, even including Cabeswater. It might be a place, but it’s so sentient it kind of feels like a person sometimes. I love the relationship between Ronan and Cabeswater and the magic there.

I mentioned in my review of The Dream Thieves that I didn’t particularly care about Ronan and Adam together because I couldn’t relate. But they grew on me, and I found myself invested in their relationship. (And I almost died when they finally kissed.) Even though I can’t relate, it’s still relatable. Because it still feels like any other relationship. Maggie captures the angst of liking someone and the complication of it perfectly. I love that Ronan and Adam finally get somewhere!

Okay, so the end. Hmm. It was equal parts satisfying and unsatisfying all at the same time. But like I said, still wonderful. I still enjoyed it! View Spoiler »

Favorite Quotes

“No homework. I got suspended,” Blue replied.
“Get the fuck out,” Ronan said, but with admiration. “Sargent, you asshole.”
Blue reluctantly allowed him to bump fists with her as Gansey eyed her meaningfully in the rearview mirror.

Finally, Ronan said, “Jesus God, Sargent. Do you have stitches on your face? Bad. Ass. Put it here, you asshole.”
With some relief, Blue lifted her fist and bumped it against his.

Adam knew that Ronan was fully aware of how malevolent he could appear, and he did not soften himself as he stared across the patchy dark grass at Robert Parrish. Ronan Lynch’s stare was a snake on the sidewalk where you wanted to walk. It was a match left on your pillow. It was pressing your lips together and tasting your own blood.

Ronan would start wars and burn cities for that true smile, elastic and amiable.

“Why do we breathe air? Because we love air? Because we don’t want to suffocate. Why do we eat? Because we don’t want to starve. How do I know I love her? Because I can sleep after I talk to her.”

Overall Assessment

Plot: 4.5/5 
Premise: 5/5 
Writing style: 4.5/5 
Originality: 4.5/5 
Characters: 4.5/5 
World-building: 4/5 
Pace: 4.5/5 
Feels: 5/5 
Cover: 4.5/5 
Overall rating: 4.5/5

The Raven Cycle

raven boys maggie stiefvater the dream thieves stiefvater blue lily maggie stiefvater raven king stiefvater

Overall series rating:

5 heartbeats

Jessi (Geo)

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One response to “Review: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

  1. danielle hammelef

    I haven’t read these books but I did read Scorpio Races and loved the author’s writing. I will have to read this series too. From your review, the characters are well rounded and ones I will care about.

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