Bookish Thoughts

The third book in The Raven Cycle continues the adventures of Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah as they circle ever closer to finding Glendower. But things are growing ever more complicated with Blue's mother missing, Mr. Grey's old employer coming to town, and school starting back up. This is really an excellent coming of age story, as these kids learn about their powers, develop them further, and also think hard about what they want from life. I think this is why I've gotten so attached to them. Their growth is so hard and realistic. And Stiefvater's excellent prose certainly helps. There's only one book left, and I'm honestly so scared. Predictions made in the first book are about to come to fruition, and I'm not sure I'm ready. But I still hope it all ends happily.

I waited too long between books and forgot some key stuff from the end of the last one, but this one sucked me right in again. The quest to find the lost king is on the back burner in this book as the boys deal with more immediate problems. They're also navigating their growing pains and shifting relationships, some with more success than others. This book mostly focuses on Ronan, so it's no real surprise that I ended up loving him so much more by the end of it. He makes a lot more sense now, and he also seems to be pulling out of his tailspin which is good. But then there's Adam, who is basically in free fall at this point. Some of the ending of the series is telegraphed from the first few pages. But even knowing where all this is heading, I can't help but hope for a happy ending. These kids deserve it. In the meantime, this series is putting my heart through the ringer. In a good way.

I've been hearing about this series of books for years. It's not widely known, but those who read it always seem to love it wholly. I had to see for myself what could cause such deep devotion. Still, I wasn't quite prepared for this book to grab my heart the way it did. The story follows four boys who attend a local private high school and the girl who finds herself hanging out with them despite her better judgement. They're looking for the grave of a long-dead king. Legend says that whoever finds it gets a wish granted. But that's not the only reason they're looking. These children are all damaged in one way or another and this quest helps to give their life meaning. It binds them together in a found family and gives them something to dream about, hope for, pursue in every free hour. I fell in love with them, and I can only hope that they all find what they're looking for by the end of the series.