Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

February 22, 2017

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by 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.

(There are no spoilers for the book but there are some spoilers from the past two books.)

“You can be just friends with people, you know," Orla said. "I think it's crazy how you're in love with all those raven boys."

Orla honey, not just Blue; all of us. We’re all inexplicably and utterly in love with the raven boys.

Its weird how when I think of this series, I think of the boys and Blue as one entity and at the same time think of them as their own individual person. It’s not that they can’t exist without the others; it’s that they’d rather not. The chemistry between the characters is what drives the story. The plot may be about a sleeping King and in this book, a missing mother but what drives the plot forward is the hesitant romance brewing between Blue and Gansey, the understanding between the Ronan and Adam and the relationships forged at 300 Fox Way.

There was a part of Blue and Adam I didn’t like. The part of them that always thinks Gansey is being condescending; the part that thinks him helping them is charity. I loved how Adam finally understands in this book that it’s not about charity but it’s about helping; it’s about being a friend. His character development in this book is astounding! I finally completely understood Adam.

"I was here. I exist. I’m alive, because I bleed."

Gansey! Oh my Gansey! I love him even more than before now that I’ve seen the other sides of him. This book shows the different facets of him making him feel all the more real than just a fictional character.

I was kind of disappointed that there wasn’t as much of Ronan as I would have liked but since The Dream Thieves was mostly about him, it’s only fair that the others get some page time too!
Also I’d like to see more of Noah in the books? Like, ever since we found out that he is in fact dead, we’ve been seeing less and less of him and it feels like he’s now more a part of the setting than the group.

Also, PYNCH!! Like omigosh! I can see it starting and I’m shipping it so hard! <3

I know when I'm awake and when I'm asleep," Ronan Lynch said.
Adam Parrish, curled over himself in a pair of battered, greasy coveralls, asked, "Do you?"
"Maybe I dreamt you," he said.
"Thanks for the straight teeth, then," Adam replied.

“Queens and kings

Kings and Queens

Blue lily, lily blue

Crowns and birds

Swords and things

Blue lily, lily blue”

The plot is intricate and beautiful just like with the first two books. Maggie Stiefvater weaves the different plot points of the the story together to form a trapestry so wonderfully magnificent.

And also, the epilogue was quite an ending! Like WHAAAAAA.... Did not see that coming! I’m scrambling around trying to get my hands on The Raven king because I’m normally a curious little creature and this ending has me wanting to pull out my hair until I can know more!

It was amazing that she and Ronan didn’t get along better, because they were different brands of the same impossible stuff.

I CANNOT gush enough about Maggie Stiefvater’s writing! It’s legit the most wonderful and magical writing ever. When I’m reading the books I literally get transported to the world of the raven boys and that’s the best thing ever. I love when books have great imagery. This series is several steps ahead; I’m basically inside the books when I’m reading and it definitely is the most wonderful feeling ever.