I was looking forward to reading this book so much. I love Maggie and this series was quickly becoming one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the momentum that was built in the first two books just did not carry through to this third book, leaving me underwhelmed and disappointed.
The New villains were not well rounded, developed, or likeable. This was surprising given how amazing the Grey Man and laundry Kavinsky were in The Dream Thieves.
The plot was not easy to follow or well focused, making the book feel like it moved very, very slowly and making it difficult to read. The plot was also a little repetitive, the same points and clues discussed and revealed multiple times. There seemed to be a lot of metaphors and implications that I just couldnt understand.
There was a good bit of character and relationship development, which was nice. I loved the scenes with Gansey and Blue on the phone, and Ronan in this novel is just fantastic. Adam is further developed, but also very frustrating in this third installment. While these old, well-established characters are further developed, the new ones are all but ignored. This is unfortunate because there is a lot of potential.
The ending wasnt a cliff hanger like in the previous books, but it also didnt really have any kind of wow factor for me either, which was really disappointing. Id rather be frustrated that I have to wait another year to resolve a cliff hanger.
This book was not bad by any means, but it is definitely the weakest in the series so far. The plot was hard to follow, slow, and repetitive. The character and relationship development is the highlight of this book. This was just so disappointing to me. I can only hope book four ramps back up the plot and focuses on the hunt while still maintaining and developing the characters.
The New villains were not well rounded, developed, or likeable. This was surprising given how amazing the Grey Man and laundry Kavinsky were in The Dream Thieves.
The plot was not easy to follow or well focused, making the book feel like it moved very, very slowly and making it difficult to read. The plot was also a little repetitive, the same points and clues discussed and revealed multiple times. There seemed to be a lot of metaphors and implications that I just couldnt understand.
There was a good bit of character and relationship development, which was nice. I loved the scenes with Gansey and Blue on the phone, and Ronan in this novel is just fantastic. Adam is further developed, but also very frustrating in this third installment. While these old, well-established characters are further developed, the new ones are all but ignored. This is unfortunate because there is a lot of potential.
The ending wasnt a cliff hanger like in the previous books, but it also didnt really have any kind of wow factor for me either, which was really disappointing. Id rather be frustrated that I have to wait another year to resolve a cliff hanger.
This book was not bad by any means, but it is definitely the weakest in the series so far. The plot was hard to follow, slow, and repetitive. The character and relationship development is the highlight of this book. This was just so disappointing to me. I can only hope book four ramps back up the plot and focuses on the hunt while still maintaining and developing the characters.
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Cycle, Bk 3) on + 2527 more book reviews
I got a copy of this book to review through Netgalley. This is the third book in the Raven Cycle and I really enjoyed it a lot. These books continue to be a bit dreamy in writing style and this book is once again told from many viewpoints. The fourth book in this series is due to release out late 2015.
Blues mother has disappeared and Blue is desperate to find her. In seeking her mother she learns about a prophecy. Supposedly three sleepers are hidden in Cabeswater; two need to be awoken and the other should be left sleeping at all cost. Gansey is still desperate to find Glendower, the lost king, and the crew figures out that Glendower is one of these sleepers. Adam is trying to cope with the deal he made to become part of Cabeswater and is learning to communicate with Cabeswater. Their search leads them deep into the caves and crevices of Cabeswater unraveling secrets that might be better left untouched.
I would not recommend starting the series on this book. There is just too much going on here. The last book was very much Ronans book, this book was a bit harder to pinpoint. Adam is in the story quite a bit, so this might be more Adams story. We do learn quite a bit more about Adam and his dad. However, Blue is in the story a lot and most of the story is about the search for her mother.
Ronan isnt in the story as much, he still plays a role but he is much more in the background. Ronan spends the majority of the book off at the Barns doing mysterious things by himself. Gansey is also in the story a lot. He is still a bit of an enigma to me; mostly he seems like a pretty bland character but every once in a while he has some very intense moments that make him a lot more interesting. There are also a lot of emotionally packed Gansey/Blue moments in this book...much more than in any previous book. We also finally get to meet Ganseys mentor.
Blues family continues to flitter in and out of the story just like in previous books. There are a couple new characters as well, Greenmantle and his wife Piper. These two have reasons of their own for tracking down Glendower. They end up being tied into the story of the mysterious Grey Man.
The plot is well done and, although it at first seems a bit scattered, things are starting to come together nicely. The story does end on a pretty awful cliffhanger, so just a warning to those who hate cliffhangers (does anyone actually like them?)!
I continues to enjoy Stiefvaters slightly dreamy and ambiguous writing style. There is some beautiful description in here and some wonderful thoughts and conversations between characters. Its tough to explain but these books always make me feel warm and snuggly, while still being a little odd and creepy. Stiefvaters writing style is just so distinctive that every time I pick up a book by her I feel like I am reading an old friend.
Overall a very well done continuation of this series. This book is more magical realism than outright magic, it is a bit ambiguous and dreamy at times as well. However I continue to really enjoy the quirky characters and am enjoying how this story is unfolding. I also loved reading about all their underground explorations. Recommended to those who enjoy paranormal YA or to those who are fans of Stiefvaters writing style in general.
Blues mother has disappeared and Blue is desperate to find her. In seeking her mother she learns about a prophecy. Supposedly three sleepers are hidden in Cabeswater; two need to be awoken and the other should be left sleeping at all cost. Gansey is still desperate to find Glendower, the lost king, and the crew figures out that Glendower is one of these sleepers. Adam is trying to cope with the deal he made to become part of Cabeswater and is learning to communicate with Cabeswater. Their search leads them deep into the caves and crevices of Cabeswater unraveling secrets that might be better left untouched.
I would not recommend starting the series on this book. There is just too much going on here. The last book was very much Ronans book, this book was a bit harder to pinpoint. Adam is in the story quite a bit, so this might be more Adams story. We do learn quite a bit more about Adam and his dad. However, Blue is in the story a lot and most of the story is about the search for her mother.
Ronan isnt in the story as much, he still plays a role but he is much more in the background. Ronan spends the majority of the book off at the Barns doing mysterious things by himself. Gansey is also in the story a lot. He is still a bit of an enigma to me; mostly he seems like a pretty bland character but every once in a while he has some very intense moments that make him a lot more interesting. There are also a lot of emotionally packed Gansey/Blue moments in this book...much more than in any previous book. We also finally get to meet Ganseys mentor.
Blues family continues to flitter in and out of the story just like in previous books. There are a couple new characters as well, Greenmantle and his wife Piper. These two have reasons of their own for tracking down Glendower. They end up being tied into the story of the mysterious Grey Man.
The plot is well done and, although it at first seems a bit scattered, things are starting to come together nicely. The story does end on a pretty awful cliffhanger, so just a warning to those who hate cliffhangers (does anyone actually like them?)!
I continues to enjoy Stiefvaters slightly dreamy and ambiguous writing style. There is some beautiful description in here and some wonderful thoughts and conversations between characters. Its tough to explain but these books always make me feel warm and snuggly, while still being a little odd and creepy. Stiefvaters writing style is just so distinctive that every time I pick up a book by her I feel like I am reading an old friend.
Overall a very well done continuation of this series. This book is more magical realism than outright magic, it is a bit ambiguous and dreamy at times as well. However I continue to really enjoy the quirky characters and am enjoying how this story is unfolding. I also loved reading about all their underground explorations. Recommended to those who enjoy paranormal YA or to those who are fans of Stiefvaters writing style in general.
