Lush, Magical, Addicting // REVIEW: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: April 26th 2016
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 4 on 4 of the Raven Cycle
I Got A Copy Through: Scholastic India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: 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. 

There's always something nostalgic about coming to the end of a series. You've been waiting years and years for this moment, and when you flip past the last page, you honestly can't believe it's over. 

This is currently me, with The Raven King. It's so strange to think that a series I've followed for years is OVER, because it certainly doesn't feel like it. I read the last 200 pages in one fell swoop, and it just got over SO FAST, you know? I keep hoping that someone will pop up from behind a bush and say "It's not over! WE GOT YOU GOOD! Here's the next 10 books."

I'll move out of my slightly delusional, slightly denial filled phase and tell you what I thought about the book: 

MY THOUGHTS: 

1. I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR MAGGIE STIEFVATER'S WRITING TO GET BETTER BUT HOLY COW IT DID. From the very first page, she gorgeously drew us back into her magically realistic world and I WAS ABSOLUTELY ENTRANCED.

2. My main problem with book three, Blue Lily, Lily Blue was the PACE. It was just so slow with so many unnecessary tiny plot developments and I was scared that The Raven King would be the same. IT WASN'T. I was sucked in from the first page with some delicious writing and plot lines and just the anticipation that THIS WAS THE BOOK WE'D FIND GLENDOWER. 

3. I officially have a new favourite couple in YA Literature that take me breath away every time they interact or kiss or hang out. SPOILER: 

"Ronan wrenched his tie loose. "You working after school?""With a dreamer."He held Ronan's gaze over his locker door. School had improved....Adam smiled cheerily. Roman would start wars and burn cities over that true smile, elastic and amiable. "

***

"His feelings for Adam were an oil spill; he'd let them overflow and now there wasn't a damn place in the ocean that wouldn't catch fire if he dropped a match."

LIKE I SAID. I FELL, AND I FELL HARD. Please tell me this means that Adam will be there in the Ronan Trilogy because NEED. HELLO? I will combust into a puddle of happiness and feels to have an entire TRILOGY about these two. 

Buy this quote from Angelina Werner's RedBubble

4. The ending was very... Abrupt. There was a particular revelation about one of the Raven Boys that was SHOCKING but other than that, I found it sub-par and lacking the greatness I expected from it. Still, with Adam and Ronan and my heart soaring, I honestly didn't care much for this aspect of the ending. 

5. I don't know WHAT I felt about certain characters including the Laumoniers, Piper Greenmantle and ESPECIALLY Henry Cheng. I sort of begrudged them a space in the story, but I did t care for them at all. 

Let's be honest, I'm TRASH for this series. It's one of the best out there, in my opinion BECAUSE it's so different. I cannot recommend it enough because when you fall, you will FALL HARD AND THERE WILL BE NO COMING BACK AND, really, ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANT ANYWAY? 

The Raven Cycle is an addicting, magical, lush, spellbinding quartet that will leave you gasping for more. 5 stars. 

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

HAVE YOU READ THIS SERIES? 

Are you AS in love with Adam and Ronan as I am? What is your favourite part of this series?

ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE RONAN TRILOGY?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

 

Whimsical and Consuming // REVIEW: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: October 21st 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3 on 4 of The Raven Cycle
I Got A Copy Through: Scholastic India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: The third installment in the all-new series from the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!
Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. 
The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.
Friends can betray.Mothers can disappear.Visions can mislead.Certainties can unravel.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN AWE of Maggie Stiefvater and the whimsical, magical books she writes. She brings magic into the normal, which is the main reason I have LOVED her Raven Boys Quartet to date. That is, until Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

I went into the third book of the Raven Cycle MORE THAN A YEAR after I read The Dream Thieves and I immediately got pulled back into the intrigue, the dreams, the magic and the hunt for Glendower. I couldn’t believe HOW MUCH I’d missed Blue and her Raven Boys and all the whimsicalness that came with them.

And yet, about 200 pages into the book, I suddenly found that the pace of the book had dropped radically, and that I was forcing/ pushing myself to read further because this book was DRAGGING. A lot of the sub-plots suddenly felt unnecessary (a whole murder set up? Really?) and I honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

So, let’s split this up:

THINGS I LIKED:

1.       THE WHIMSICAL WRITING STYLE: If you’ve read a Maggie Stiefvater book, you KNOW her writing style is unlike anybody else’s. A story like The Raven Boys wouldn’t work if her writing didn’t personify every magical and strange thing happening in the book and I will FOREVER be in awe of how Maggie Stiefvater writes.

2.       BLUE AND HER RAVEN BOYS: I AM OBSESSED WITH THESE FOUR TEENAGERS, their friendship, their loyalty and their devotion all while being such different people by themselves. I absolutely loved this one phrase Blue used to describe their friendship, because I FEEL THE SAME WAS WHEN I READ ABOUT THEM: ‘Consuming.’ This series and this friendship is consuming and I can’t wait to read the final part.

3.       THE ANGST: Like I kept saying (yelling, really) on Goodreads, ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK DESERVE TO BE KISSED. There is so much angst, and I absolutely love the build-up but I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE DAY THAT ALL OF THEM JUST. KISS. THAT. PERSON. THEY’VE. BEEN. WANTING. TO. KISS.

THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1.       THE PACE: Like I mentioned in the very beginning, as I reached the end of this book, the face fell, and it fell RAPIDLY. It couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing was happening, and that things we’re just being dragged out until The Raven King. I liked the book, but I WISH IT HAD BEEN PACED BETTER.

2.       WHERE WAS NOAH, EVEN? I couldn’t shake the feeling that Noah was MISSING through the course of the book. While we focused so much more on Colin Greenmantle and his wife (WHAT WAS THAT ENDING? I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THEM) and the ladies of 300 Fox Way and there was a certain death which I DON’T UNDERSTAND EITHER (How? Why? WHAT?) because it was too whimsical but I felt like we lost out on so much Noah Czerny, one of my favourite Raven Boys.

Do I like this book and this series? HECK YES

Will I be reading The Raven King? As SOON as I possibly can.

I only wish that Blue Lily, Lily Blue was better paced and had more Noah but I hope that the finale in simple perfect.

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

Have you read The Raven Cycle? What do you think of it?

Who is your favourite Raven Boy? 

Don't spoil it for me but DID YOU LOVE The Raven King? Is it everything I'm hoping it will be?

 

Sunday Street Team Blog Tour: Gray Wolf Island by Tracey Neithercott - Review + Giveaway

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my stop on the Gray Wolf Island Sunday Street Team Blog Tour! I have the pleasure of being a co-host for the Sunday Street Team and it is my absolute pleasure to be a part of this tour as well!

I just finished reading the MARVEL that is Tracey Neithercott's debut novel, Gray Wolf Island and I hope all of y'all enjoy my review (AND the International giveaway that comes along with it)

If you're interested in signing up for the Sunday Street Team, please do check out this form on Nori's (the Sunday Street Team founder and all around awesome person) blog ~ Read Write Love 28

The very first thing I heard about this book was that it gave off a Raven Boys vibe.

All it took was those three words, and I was IMMEDIATELY sold on Tracey Neithercott’s upcoming debut novel, Gray Wolf Island. A bunch of slightly mystical teenagers on a quest to find treasure coupled with that spooky book cover and for fans of The Raven Boys? I NEEDED TO READ THIS BOOK.

I got through the entirety of this 330-ish paged book in a little less than a day and I can honestly say that while Gray Wolf Island isn’t the BEST book I’ve read in 2017, it comes pretty close. There were a few drawbacks, however, so let’s go more into detail:

THINGS I LOVED:

1.       THE CHARACTERS: What’s a story without good characters, really? It took me all of three chapters to get used to Ruby, Anne, Gabe, Elliot and Charlie and slip into their mystical world, and within the next five I felt like I knew them as well as I knew anyone I’ve known for years. I loved the playfulness, the banter and the camaraderie between all five treasure hunters. I LOVED that Elliot was a know it all and I ADORED the chemistry between Ruby and Elliot. Tracey Neithercott’s characters were some of the best characters I’ve read in terms of the way they jumped out of the page and connected with me and I can’t wait for more from her.  

2.       ALL THINGS TREASURE RELATED: This isn’t much of a spoiler since you find it in Chapter two or Three but Ruby finds a treasure map in the back of Treasure Island which coincidentally is one of my favourite treasure hunting books of ALL TIME. I read it back when I was eleven and I’ve loved it since. This only boosted the fact for me that this book was ALL ABOUT HUNTING FOR TREASURE. The clues, the riddles, the mistakes, the suspense was all really well done and I loved it.

THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

   1.       THE MYSTICISM: For all its talk of a mystical island that housed an unimaginable treasure and characters with such mystical backgrounds (A boy born to a virgin and a boy who has seen visions of his own death?!) I DIDN’T REALLY FEEL THE MYSTICISM? I loved the concept, and the book had me believing it too, but for some reason, the mysticism like I felt with The Raven Boys or even Spellbook Of The Lost And Found just didn’t hit me and I SO WISH IT HAD.

   2.       THE ENDING: I honestly believe that endings should be the best part of a book. Even though my heart breaks, cliff-hanger endings are GOOD endings to books. Closed endings are the good but the ones with a little grief and a lot of happiness are the BEST. I feel like after doing everything so BRILLIANTLY the ending to Gray Wolf Island was very rushed, and I didn’t like it. The big reveal in the end wasn’t properly explained and I WISH IT WAS. Maybe even a few more pages and I could have gotten that ending I so desperately need.

At the end of the day, if you’re a fan of magical realism, treasure hunting and BRILLIANT sassy, know it all characters with gorgeous backstories, Gray Wolf Island should be on your TBR piles!

Title: Gray Wolf Island
Author: Tracey Neithercott
Publication Date: October 10th 2017
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: eARC via NetGalley for the SST Tour
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Right before Sadie died, she begged her sister, Ruby, to do the one thing she could never do herself: Find the treasure on Gray Wolf Island.
With just a mysterious treasure map as a guide, Ruby reluctantly allows some friends to join her on the hunt, each of whom is touched by magic: a boy allegedly born to a virgin, a girl who never sleeps, a boy who can foresee his own death, and a boy with deep ties to the island. Each of them is also keeping a secret—something they’ll have to reveal in order to reach the treasure.
As the secrets come to light, Ruby will have to decide: Can she make peace with her friends’ troubled pasts and continue to trust them? Can she forgive herself for doing the unspeakable? Deep in the wilderness of Gray Wolf Island, Ruby’s choices will determine if they make it out with the treasure—or merely with their lives.
From debut author Tracey Neithercott comes a darkly compelling tale of profound friendship, adventure, and finding the strength to tell the truth.

 Tracey Neithercott’s first book was written by hand and illustrated with some really fancy coloredpencils. It was highly acclaimed by her mother. Now, she writes YA stories of friendship, love, murder, and magic. (None of which she illustrates—you’re welcome.) She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, who suggests improving her novels by adding Star Wars characters.

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Utterly Mystical and Magical // REVIEW: Spellbook Of The Lost And Found by Moira Fowley Doyle

Title: Spellbook Of The Lost And Found
Author: Moira Fowley Doyle
Publication Date: June 1st 2017
Publisher: Corgi Childrens (Penguin Random House)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.
Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets.
When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found . . 

I’ve never seen Magical Realism done better in a young adult novel.

Spellbook of the Lost and Found was on my bookish radar (that truly shows testament to my VERY GREAT BRAIN* because I can actually remember things when it comes to ALL BOOKS that are on my VERY VERY LARGE bookish radar) long before I received a copy of the book, or even actually started reading it.

*The Very Great Brain is an instrument of remembering that works in some situations like remembering how many books I want, but not in other situations like the size of my already existing TBR.

When my overwhelming TBR gave me permission to flip open Spellbook of the Lost and Found, this MYSTERIOUS AND MAGICAL MARVEL entranced me with its soulful writing, magical realism and brilliant characters making itself one of the BEST books I’ve read in 2017.

 Let’s break this down:

“What will you let go of?

What can you not afford to lose?

Consider carefully before you cast the calling;

It may not be for you to choose.

Be Careful what you wish for:

Not all lost things should be found.”

WRITING:

This is my first book by Moira Fowley Doyle and her writing had me STUNNED. It managed to pull me into the story in a tiny magical town where things kept getting lost, into the story of nine teenagers who cast a spell to find lost things. Doyle’s writing had me stuck in her world, unable to move despite everything going on around me and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

IDEA AND PLOT:

I don’t really know how to separate the two in this book but WOW this was one well plotted book with an idea to match. Spellbook of the Lost and Found made me fall in LOVE with the idea of magical realism, its simplicity and brilliance and I so badly wanted to jump into the book and live in it.

Written from three girls’ points of view (Olive, Hazel and Laurel), this book shows you different sides to the story and eventually connects it all. The writing and the plot complemented each other perfectly. I love how everyday things were turned into something magical and that this book also managed to have some INSANE plot twists. SUCH A GOOD BOOK.

CHARACTERS:

I LOVED OLIVE, ROSE, ROWAN, IVY AND HAZEL. It took me a little while to get used to Laurel, Ash and Holly but I did and by the end of the book I fell in love with them too.

I think two of my favourite characters were Olivia and Rose and the amazing friendship they had between them. Both of their dialogue and personalities were brilliantly portrayed and I felt like we got to know them more that any of the other characters.

CONCLUSION:

If you’re a fan of mystical writing, a strange and magical plot and beautifully written characters, Spellbook of the Lost and Found is THE book for you.

Utterly mystical and magical, this book will have you looking for magic in everyday happenings and leave you completely spellbound. 

Moïra Fowley-Doyle is half-French, half-Irish and lives in Dublin with her husband, two daughters and two cats. Moïra's French half likes red wine and dark books in which everybody dies. Her Irish half likes tea and happy endings.

Moïra spent several years at university studying vampires in young adult fiction before concentrating on writing young adult fiction with no vampires in it whatsoever. She wrote her first novel at the age of eight, when she was told that if she wrote a story about spiders she wouldn't be afraid of them any more. Moïra is still afraid of spiders, but has never stopped writing stories.

Have you read Spellbook Of The Lost And Found or The Accident Season? What did you think of them?

If you read both, which one did you like better?

What is your opinion on magical realism? What are some of the best books that you've read that have magical realism?

I'd love to hear from you!