Blue Lily, Lily Blue

• Author: Maggie Stiefvater
• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Publication Date: October 21, 2014
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Series: The Raven Cycle #3

CONTENT WARNING: mention of abuse, death, gore, blood, gun violence, violence

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

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.

The last two books in this series have been sitting on my shelf and staring at me, but I’ve been holding off on reading them so that I can prolong my first read through. However, after reading this one, I’m blown away and can’t possibly not start reading the last book immediately. But before I start, I’m going to try to get my thoughts together enough to write a coherent review.

Stepping back into the world of the Raven Boys is intoxicating, enchanting, and highly addictive. I love the relationship between the main characters, which is very much a found family more than simply friends. And it comes in handy in this book, as things start to get hectic. Maura, Blue’s mother, has gone missing, and Blue is struggling with it. We get to see a little more of her character development in this story. She leans on the boys and some of the women in the house to get through this difficult time, when she doesn’t know quite how to feel. And I can understand that. How does one feel when someone you care about leaves and goes missing?

“The most infuriating part about Maura’s disappearance was that Blue didn’t know if she was supposed to be consumed by worry or anger. She vacillated wildly between the two, occasionally burning herself out and feeling nothing at all.”

While we got to see a lot of Ronan’s character development in the last book, this one focuses a lot more on Adam. It really changed how I viewed him, even though I already kind of had a soft spot for him. As usual, he has a whole lot on his plate and seems to be working hard to find a balance. And he’s finally starting to open up just a little and let people in, which also leads to him starting to see more about others:

“This noisy, lush religion had created him just as much as his father’s world of dreams; it seemed impossible for all of Ronan to exist in one person. Adam was beginning to realize that he hadn’t known Ronan at all. Or rather, he had known part of him and assumed it was all of him.”

The banter between the characters, especially Piper and her husband, was great. I actually started to find myself liking them, even though I knew I shouldn’t. I couldn’t help it! I’m not mentioning who her husband is, because I don’t want to spoil anything, since that was definitely a surprise for me. But let’s just say, Henrietta continues to be a very busy place. And there’s some great plot twists. Some of the story moved a bit slowly, but most of it was fairly fast-paced and the whole book kept my attention. I even loved the writing style, which was quirky but completely relatable.

“The cushions of the couch ate him gratefully. The Dog lay stiffly on the floor beside the couch, crossing his paws and looking generally judgmental.”

I’m a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater’s writing, and while I’m going to be terribly sad to finish this series, I am going to read through her other books afterwards. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorites, with her likable characters, creative stories, and engaging writing.

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 8