Though the book that I read this month (listened to really) for RIP was The Raven King, the final book in Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle, I'm going to talk about the series as a whole. There will be vague spoilers so if this series has been sitting on your TBR forever, just go pick it up already!!
Back in April, The Raven King came out and everyone was so excited and singing the praises of Blue Sargent and her friends and I started to wonder if maybe this series that I had determined wasn't for me might be something that I would enjoy after all. In May, I needed an audiobook and The Raven Boys was available and I quickly found myself walking all around my neighborhood, sitting outside in the sun, taking naps where I didn't sleep ... anything to make more listening time. I fell instantly for Blue and the boys from Aglionby Academy. Then there was a ridiculously long wait until July for books two and three and an even more ridiculous wait until the end of September for the final book. Still, because I never really stopped thinking about the characters through all of that time, I feel like I've been living with this story in my head for over four months straight!
Though it had a bit of a Diana Wynne Jones ending (too much, too fast, need to reread), I couldn't have been more wrong about this series and I should have picked it up years ago. Not only did it have many things that I already enjoy (magic, dreams, ghosts), it also had things that I didn't know I needed in my reading life -- prep school, teen boys, and queer romance. I especially loved the unconsummated relationships for some reason. I also found myself drawn to the Gray Man, which I never expected. I wish he had been in the final story just a little bit more. I was glad that some characters redeemed themselves and others were able to prove that they belonged. The revelation about Blue was entirely unexpected and I would really like to read the whole series again to see how/if that fact was foreshadowed. I'm trying to think of anything that I didn't like about the series but nothing comes to mind. Oh wait ... Noah's end was a bit unsatisfying to me. It could have been part of that rushed ending though. I might have missed just what exactly happened. Otherwise, it was pretty much awesome from beginning to end.
Reveling after my wrongness,
K
So, essential question ... which version of the books should I buy? US? UK?
Reveling after my wrongness,
K
I just want to heart this review multiple times. I adore the series and yes, it does get better on multiple reads. There was very little that I found dissatisfying once I'd gone through a couple times to pick up on all the things I missed at first. And I'm extremely excited ot hear that there will be a forthcoming Ronan-centered trilogy!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely excited to be able to reread all of the books together. I would have been dying if my waits between books had been longer than the two or three months I had this time through!
DeleteAnd yes, the Ronan-centered books will be amazing. He was such a surprise and I really fell for him rather quickly!
I loved this series, though I agree Noah's storyline was majorly unsatisfying. My favorite book is still the second!
ReplyDeleteThey're all blurred together right now for me but the second book is the Ronan reveal, right? I do like that one a lot!
DeleteUS! For sure! Actually my true advice is to buy the US copies and then buy these ridiculously beautiful alternate covers. They're so pretty! http://cuddlebuggery.com/blog/2015/09/02/megs-super-awesome-cover-redesign-project-the-raven-cycle/
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, the ending that Noah gets was really unfair, in my opinion. My baby Noah deserved better, especially after how sweet he always is to Ronan. HMPH.
Oh, those covers are GORGEOUS!! I need to do that. And I'm glad that I wasn't totally off-base with Noah. He definitely deserved better.
DeleteI've been toying with reading these for ever and ever--well, listening really--and I think you've convinced me. Though I'm with you on thinking I probably don't need teen boys in my life. ;)
ReplyDeleteThey're totally fun listens that speed by and you would have fun with them. And I'm always a bit tentative about choosing books like these, especially when there's a chance of developing crushes on fictional teens. They're, like, less than half my age at this point. Ick.
DeleteIt's such a great series, isn't it? I was skeptical, too, but I really enjoyed it. I know the area where it's set, which added to the fun. The audiobooks are great (I listened to the first two after reading them). I'm fussy about Virginia accents on audio, and these made me happy. They weren't over the top, and the different accents fit the characters' social classes and backgrounds really nicely.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Noah needed more of an ending and that the ending as a whole felt rushed. But the rushed feeling may have been because of my hurried reading to see how it turned out!
I'm glad to know that the audiobook was on point with the accents. I really enjoyed them!
DeleteAnd I marathon listened to the end so I was wondering that same thing about it feeling rushed! I think I'll find out on reread that it was a combination of me and the book. :)
I have to admit, I didn't read this whole post in case of spoilers. I gotta get back to this series. I listened to the first one and loved it!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely one of those rare series where each book is equally good. You are going to have so much fun going forward!
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