The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)

                Hello happy readers!  My first review of 2017 was Blue Lily, Lily Blue where I admit I had almost skipped over it and went right for the finale, The Raven King but had to back track a bit.  Now a little while later I am happy to finally get to post that review of the fourth and final book in the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven King.  Spoilers ahead for the series thus far, duh. 

Rating:  5 Ravens

                So I dove into this audiobook ready and nervous.  I wanted to see where all these books and stories and events would lead my friends.  Because they had become my friends through it all.  I cared for each of them deeply and I worried if what I knew from book one was to truly come to pass or if there was a way around it.  I had hope but I also had this leery sense not everyone would make it out happy and unscathed.  So I listened carefully and dreamed this world as Stiefvater painted it before my eyes.

                I loved this book.  This series.  Basically everything I said last week about Blue Lily, Lily Blue here is still true.  The characters are a real strong point.  You are so deeply invested in your core you feel everything with them.  I loved getting to know more of Henry Cheng, he was just entertaining and the way he talked and thought.  So very much like one of our group.  Artemus, Blue's daddy, is interesting to say the least.  He's a bit off.  I am glad though that Maura didn't go searching for him to be with him, I much prefer her assassin boyfriend but still it was nice for Blue to get to meet him and for her mother to have a sense of closure.  Plus Orphan Girl whom we’ve seen bits and pieces of since book two   We also got to see more of the world of Ronan's father and in part more of Declan. 

                Relationships.  That is how I would describe this book.  Magical.  Unique. Amazing.  Beautiful.  So many things encompass this series but I feel it was the relationships.  Between friends.  Between lovers.  Between family.  Between you and your past.  Between you and a place, it all comes down to relationships.  I could talk about the group: Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam for hours and never fully grasp the depth of it.  It just is.  Now I was sad to see less of Noah with him fading away but he was still there in their hearts.  Still no matter the romantic relationships of our core they were best friends and all loved one another.  That was beautiful.  Blue and Gansey just meat your heart even they were nearly outshined.

                The world of this book is so well balanced between reality and magical that you feel like they are real.  That 300 Fox Way really exists full of astounding women with abilities and sharp wits.  That you could swing by Monmouth Manufacturing and see Gansey’s model of the town and the mess that is their rooms.  The Barns full of sleeping dream objects in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and purposes.  And most of all Cabeswater, where time is lost and thoughts can be made real.  It was both beautiful and scary at times but I'd still give anything to visit.

                These books were really something different.  They don’t try to be something they aren’t.  They just are.  I can honestly say I can't think of another story similar to these.  Things are dark in points.  Death and possession on the rise.  It just breaks your heart each time though to see these character suffering.  To see the turmoil in those being possessed, forced to do things against their core self to hurt those they love and those attacked forced to defend themselves and risk hurting someone they care about.  The feels!  And the demon trying to unmake Cabeswater, to unmake our dreamer Ronan Lynch.  So many feels were happening in this book I'm thankful for the audiobook that I could listen through the shock and tears. 

                The Raven King was a conclusion. The journey started back when Blue first saw Gansey on the corpse road then met her raven boys searching for their sleeping king.  The story is wrapped up.  It was fitting.  The journeys end fit.  I loved how it wrapped up.  At first it took  me a moment and I rewound some to make sure I had heard it properly but once I was sure I was correct and took a second to think on it, it did fit.  The story is not what I expected but still all that I hoped for.  It was beautiful and I'm happy to have been on the journey. 

                Overall I have to say I loved this book and this series as a whole.  I'd love to hear what everyone thought about it especially the end.  So many feels.  I cried at several points throughout.  Just so many things happening and concluding.  I love this world and I'm sorry to see it end no matter how wonderfully and faithful it was to the journey. 

                Until next time..