Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.
Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...
Wow. What is it about Maggie
Stiefvater’s writing that makes it so hard to write a review? The second book
in the Raven Cycle is just as indescribably brilliant as the first, picking up
where The Raven Boys left off. Blue
and the Raven Boys continue their quest to find Glendower – a Welsh king buried
beneath their town, who is believed to grant a favour upon awakening. With the
ley lines around Henrietta awakened, the different members of the group react
in different ways. Ronan becomes the central character, as the story revolves
around his ability to pull objects from dreams – an ability inherited from his
father, whose murder still haunts him. But other, sinister entities start to
follow him out of the dream world, and two antagonists, fellow Aglionby student
Kavinsky and the sinisterly ordinary-seeming Gray Man, both want his powers for
their own reasons.
The characterisation is superb. All
the characters feel like real people, complicated and three-dimensional. Maggie
Stiefvater builds layers upon layers, delivering more jaw-dropping twists even
than in the previous book. Despite the modern setting, the depth of the story
makes the impossible seem real. The writing has both subtle humour and
poignancy. This is YA paranormal that manages to be totally unique, and I’ll be
first in line for the next book!
Rating: *****
I loved this book, too, and the next one is waiting for me on my kindle - can't wait!!!
ReplyDeleteExcept then I'll have to wait for book #3...
Yep, I'm going crazy waiting! The cover's gorgeous, too!
DeleteI really love books with strong characterization. This is on my TBR list! Thanks for the review and have a great weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) You, too!
DeleteI've tried to read this author, tried to like her, but her flowery prose and slow pace just can't hold my attention. I liked your book better. :)
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks! :) I think sometimes it's a matter of taste - I've not read Shiver, also by Maggie Stiefvater, purely because it just doesn't sound like my kind of thing (whereas anything involving magic and folklore is right up my alley!).
DeleteI love this series!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for the next book! It's one of the few series I can reread over and over.
DeleteHaven't read anything by Maggie Stiefvater yet, but this was certainly an intriguing review. Thanks!
ReplyDelete