The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, Book 4) by Maggie Stiefvater Published by Scholastic Inc. on April 26th 2016
Pages: 448
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads
The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
In a starred review for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Kirkus Reviews declared: "Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering close."
Related Books: The Raven Boys * The Dream Thieves * Blue Lily, Lily Blue
My Thoughts:
Before I get started with this review I feel the need to assure you I won’t talk about specific events with this one since I don’t want to give any of it away. It’s mostly going to be my reactions in general.
As you can tell by my reviews of the previous books (linked above) I’m pretty obsessed with The Raven Cycle. The week before The Raven King‘s release I re-read all of them. Every free moment I had was spent either listening to them on audio or curled up with the books. By the time I got my hands on The Raven King I was feeling fully immersed in the world.
And oh what a world it is. I just can’t get over how invested I feel when reading these books. The Raven King was no exception. I felt like I was headed back to Cabeswater and Aglionby and 300 Fox Way in an almost physical way. Like, I know I’m still in my house and it’s all fiction but I can see it all play out like a movie in my mind. The world-building and character descriptions and phrasing are all that vivid. I just cannot even begin to explain it. Maggie Stiefvater has such a way with words.
Honestly, I was maybe a little too invested. I snatched up a copy of The Raven King as soon as I saw it but then just looked at it for a day or so. Every time I thought about starting it I would get nervous. Like, butterflies-in-my-stomach nervous. I could only read a few chapters at a time to start. I was just feeling so anxious! I felt like I had been waiting so long and I cared so much about these characters and what would happen to them. If I didn’t read it nothing bad could happen and all the things I was hoping would happen were still a possibility! Once I cleared my schedule and could devote the rest of my day to it, I dove in and didn’t stop until the end. I listened to much of it on audiobook. However, once I got towards the end of the book I had to stop. I was literally sitting on my couch and rocking back and forth because I so desperately needed to know what would happen. I mean, I was holding my breath at parts!! Once I grabbed the book I flew through to the end. I was actually shaking as I read it. Once I finished I went right back and re-read parts of it. I have never felt like that about a book before. Sure, I’ve been a sobbing mess (thank you Code Name Verity!) but this was something else altogether.
Since finishing The Raven King I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’ve been texting friends who are reading it and have finished it pretty much constantly. I’ll be working on something and all of the sudden I’ll remember part of the book and internally freak the heck out all over again. I am so totally gone for this book. I felt like everything that happened fit exactly with what had already gone down. I am so in awe of Steifvater’s skill with weaving this series together. It’s simply incredible and I am somewhat heartbroken that it’s over. Raven Boys forever.
Excelsior.
Note: Whether or not you re-read the previous books you have to check out Maggie Stiefvater’s recaps at Recaptains!
The Raven Boys * The Dream Thieves * Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Morgan @ Gone with the Words
Her recaps are the best!! They are epic and I love them just as much as I love rereading haha. Her notes make me grin. And oh this book!!! When I got it I carried it around and stared at it for a few hours… and then I sat down and read the whole thing in 6 hours! I definitely sped through because I HAD to know what was going to happen! And it was so intense!!!! I can’t wait to read it again and really savor everything. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since, and I’ve barely read at all the past few days! Loved your review and glad it lived up to your hopes and expectations too 🙂