The Raven King

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

The quest for the Welsh king Glendower is completed, but kings aren't always what they're cracked up to be. Gansey and his friends are now desperate to change what they have come to believe is his fate-to die before the end of the year. They also have to cope with the villainous forces of greed and corruption who descend on their town, RoboBees, and a power-hungry demon. And there's that nagging curse that Blue will kiss her true love and he will die, and she's increasingly certain that Gansey is her heart's desire.

Strange revelations about Blue's father and the introduction of a new student, who proves to be a stalwart and trustworthy ally, all help to build to the breathtaking climax. Beyond the imaginative storytelling, the colorful cast of characters, and the looping subplots, Stiefvater has tackled big questions about life and death, power and personal responsibility, dreams and promises, and fate and destiny.

My Review
Page Count: 439 pages
Genre: YA Literature, YA Fantasy
Series: The Raven Cycle

"The head is too wise. The heart is all fire.”

I was kind of underwhelmed by the first book in this series, The Raven Boys, but I am really glad that I kept reading. I honestly think that the first book was more of an introduction to set up the plot and the MANY twists and turns to come. 

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is poetic, subtle, and takes some getting used to, and before you know it you are completely attached to the protagonists. The romance build up was perfect, and it wasn't the main focus of the plot, which I appreciated. The Raven Boys really do capture your heart. It reminds me of the quote from The Fault In Our Stars, "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." At first I wasn't sure if I would like them, but once I started reading The Dream Thieves, I began to love them. By the time I got to The Raven King, I was hopelessly invested in the story! I love that it is about friendship and magic. 

“He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn't want it to be over.” 

“What a strange constellation they all were.” 

**SPOILERS**
I was SO ecstatic about Ronan and Adam. I wasn't expecting it, but when it happened, it just made sense. 

“His feelings for Adam were an oil spill; he'd let them overflow and now there wasn't a damn place in the ocean that wouldn't catch fire if he dropped a match.” 

“When Adam kissed him, it was every mile per hour Ronan had ever gone over the speed limit. It was every window-down, goose-bumps-on-skin, teeth-chattering-cold night drive. It was Adam’s ribs under Ronan’s hands and Adam’s mouth on his mouth, again and again and again. It was stubble on his lips and Ronan having to stop, to get his breath, to restart his heart. They were both hungry animals, but Adam had been starving for far longer.” 

I also loved that each character had a role, but they weren't obvious from the beginning: Gansey, the King, Blue, the Mirror Tree, Adam, the Magician, Noah, the Ghost, Henry, the Special One, and Ronan, The Greywaren.