Review: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven King

Series: The Raven Cycle #4
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: April 26, 2016
Pages: 439
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Source: Audiobook

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.

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MY REVIEW

This review MAY contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.

After having finally completed this series, I am left in awe. I seriously don't know what my feelings are right now. All I know is that there is this weight in my chest that both makes me feel like everything will be okay and that perhaps it won't ever again. 

This is genuinely a mesmerizing series. So full of imagination and wonder. The hype surrounding this series is real and valid. So many book series that are hyped as precious gems fall short at semi-precious or even faux. This series lives up to and is worth all the noise surrounding it. 

One major thing that makes this series so extraordinary is the vision of this spectacular world. I have not idea how Stiefvater came up with the idea behind these books, but I can only imagine that it has something to do with magic and whimsy. Her blood itself must be laced with them to let her breathe life into this world. The world building is miraculous and infinite. While this world is nestled into our everyday humdrum, it also sparks with magic. It is both. It balances both. It makes the story itself feel like it could actually happen in our present day. Everything is described so vividly. 

The other thing that makes this series worth screaming from building tops for is the characters and their relationships. The way that each character is woven into the story and how they intertwine in each other's lives is brilliant and moving. Each character has purpose in the story. The background characters are just as important as the main characters and the reader feels pulled toward all of them at the same time. The characters get under your skin and burrow there. You scratch at them until they are a warmth within you. You love them. And you can't imagine what your life will be when you finally reach the last page because you don't want to let these characters go. You want to live with them always. And so they will always live with you. They are just damn incredible characters with beautiful character growth. 

The plot unfolds with adept precision. Stiefvater is a foreshadowing queen. When things fell into place in the last part of the book I was blown away at all the links to past things in the series. There is so much emotion tucked into the plot. Stiefvater's storytelling itself is quite distinctive. When I started this series I could tell that the writing style was very different from anything I had read previously. What I can only describe as quirky with a side of brilliance.

Overall, this series is unlike anything you've ever read. I recommend this series a billion times over! If you are a fan of unconventional fantasy or paranormal then this series will be right up your alley. This series really is something special and I am glad that I was able to experience it. Now please pardon me while I scour the interwebs for fanart of Blue and her Raven Boys. This newfound fandom has lodged in my chest cavity and it is there for keeps.

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES

- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Audiobook Challenge
- Finish the Series Challenge
- Reading Bingo

Check out my 2018 Challenge Page to see my progress!

What is the strangest book or series that you have ever read annd loved?