Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Maggie Stiefvater)

Hey there everyone! I'm back with a new review (finally) and this time it is the third novel in The Raven Cycle series. Before I begin, however, I wanted to apologize for the lack of reviews being posted lately. I'm currently on co-op as part of my schooling, and often after work I feel too tired to be able to completely focus on the stories unfolding on the page. Without full focus, I feel as though my reviews and opinions would be clouded by my lack of concentration; however, now that I'm one month into my work term, I am more focused and used to the routine. So, without further ado, the review!

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is the book to follow The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves, both of which I gave 5 out of 5 stars; it had a tough act to follow, and I was definitely more critical as a result. The plot continues where it left of at the end of the second, as Blue and the boys continue their work with the ley line. As their efforts begin to reap rewards, those same efforts also reap consequences. With the wakening of one of the "sleepers" comes the disappearance of one, the death of another, and a very close call for one of the boys. As the story approaches the end, the pace of the plot accelerates and I became much more invested in it than I was at the beginning. At the end of the novel, you are left on a cliffhanger - this was something I was extremely upset about!

The Book Cover

Though I was upset about the cliffhanger, since I was not aware that The Raven Cycle series wasn't a trilogy, I did some research to discover there will be another book to follow. Maggie is currently working on Book 4, which is due to release in the Fall of 2015. For me, this is too far away! I'm not a fan of the gaps between book releases, especially when the plot lines are a little more intricate and detail-oriented. I know that when the next book arrives, I will have forgotten many of the details from the previous. But, with that said, I still am very much so look forward to that new release!

Overall, I would rate Blue Lily, Lily Blue 4.5/5 because I did find the first half of the story to be a little slow and disorganized, but the latter half was exception and suspenseful! I can't wait for the true final installment?

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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The Dream Thieves (Maggie Stiefvater)

Another month has gone and past, but I am back from the land of the student zombies! Exams are over and that means I am finally free to breathe and read. The first thing I did was finish reading the sequel to The Raven Boys and I have to say, I couldn't put it down once I truly started it!

The Dream Thieves continues to follow the lives of Blue and the Raven Boys, as they work to repair the ley line that they desperately searched for in the first book. The ley line, which seemed to hold so strong in the first book, now seems to be draining as if an external source is squeezing it dry of all its powers. What is this external source? That's what they are trying to figure out. They need the ley line to continue their initial quest, and without it there is no hope in succeeding. As the story progresses, it seems to that one of the Raven Boys themselves might actually unknowingly have a part in the draining of the energy; but is he the only one capable of such things?

The suspense holds throughout the entirety of the novel and I must say, I didn't think Maggie could write a story better than the first book; but she did and it's incredible! I'm still not sure what it is about Maggie's writing that leaves me feeling completely consumed by the world that she creates, but whatever it is, wow! The characters feel so real when you read about them and they grow and feel just like people do in the land of the reality. This book allows you to really understand the characters and also see them come to terms with various things. I absolutely love it!

Overall, I would rate The Dream Thieves 5/5 because it was perfect! With two out of three books in the series receiving a perfect rating from me so far, I can't wait to begin reading the final installment! Definitely check out this series!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

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The Raven Boys (Magge Stiefvater)

Hey there bookworms! I'm back and here with another review (finally)! I truly am sorry for the slow turnout of reviews on this blog, however I am quite busy with coursework at University - as I am typing this, we are at the one week mark until final exams; I am drowning in assignments and study notes. Despite the hectic environment right now, I have made the point of trying to read every night; only difference from normal is that by the time I get to bed, I just want to sleep - I only end up reading one chapter. But I'm here now and that's all that matters!

The Raven Boys is a supernatural, teen fiction novel by Maggie Stiefvater. She is the author of the Shiver-Linger-Forever-Sinner series that I absolutely raved about and therefore I was quite excited to start this series. And, as expected, Maggie did NOT disappoint! This book, the first of a new trilogy, was absolutely magnificent! The story follows the life of Blue, the daughter to a family of psychics, who doesn't have the ability to see like her family does; instead, she makes the "sight" stronger for those around her. In addition, the story follows a group of school boys who attend the pretentious school of Aglionby Academy; these boys have taken it upon themselves to solve the ancient task of waking a ley line. The two become entwined in the task when Blue experiences something new; something that only happens when those without "sight" are somehow directly tied to that individual.

The Book Cover

I don't want to give away anything to detailed as I enjoyed the suspense and growth that the novel provided to me as a reader. The build-up is really well written, the character development and character relationship growths are phenomenal, and the characters themselves are all very unique. I love when authors make a point of giving each and every character a personality, instead of just "cookie-cutter characters" as I like to call them.

I'm now currently reading the second novel in the series - The Dream Thieves - and am looking forward for the third and final novel - Blue Lily, Lily Blue - to be delivered to my library (it's on order currently).

Overall, I would rate The Raven Boys 5/5 because it was perfect! And I am definitely already feeling the same about the second novel so far!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

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