The Raven Cycle is a young adult fantasy series written by the renowned author, Maggie Stiefvater. It's a four book long journey, with the following passengers:
Blue Sargent - Blue was born in a house of psychics. She's the only non-psychic in 300 Fox Way. She meets the Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah while at her shift in Nino's Restaurant. Little does she know her one-time, super awkward encounter will turn into a lifetime of surprises and adventures.
I personally never connected with Blue. Nor did I care for her relationship with Gansey till like the very end of The Raven Cycle. I really did enjoy seeing snippets of her and Ronan's revolting friendship.
Jesus God, Sargent. Do you have stitches on your face? Bad. Ass.
Gansey - Gansey was the superglue which held together the group from the beginning till the very end. He had such an unmatched friendship with each of the Raven Boys.
Once again, although Gansey was the sweetheart of the group, I didn't care for him much, because his character was quite plain, he had no tragic backstory, no daddy issues, neither was he poor. He didn't even have a superpower. He was The Raven King, but why?
Adam Parrish - My man Adam Parrish, the magician, deserves way more love and appreciation than anyone else in the entire book. He's been holding the whole group on his back for four full books! He's hardworking, smart, lovable, and kind of a mess. He contributed way more than Gansey and Blue, but he's still super undervalued.
Ronan Lynch - Oh dear Ronan, the dreamer. The bad boy of the group who's a big softie on the inside. I loved his relationship with Mathew, Blue, and obviously Adam.
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.
Adam smiled cheerily. Ronan would start wars and burn cities for that true smile, elastic and amiable.
Each and every character had me hooked to them. I especially adored their friendship. Specifically Blue and Ronan.
The all had such unique dynamics, and I had a strong emotional connection with them all, thanks to Maggie's beautiful writing.
Henry Cheng was another Raven Boy, introduced in the last book, The Raven King. He was such a fun character. I was expecting him to be a snake who stings them in the end, but he ended being quite nice. However, I feel like the story could've continued without him, he felt sort of like an unnecessary character. I also would've enjoyed him as a part of the main crew in all four books instead of Noah. I really wish he had more screen time in the first three books.
Characters like Neeve, The Gray Man, Artemus, Gwenllian, Piper, Calla, Orla, Declan, Mathew, and Aurora were executed nicely, but we didn't see a satisfying end to them, and they seemed useless and futile, because they didn't contribute to the story much, especially in the last book.
The language was exquisite. The humour, was hilarious. Maggie has a way of saying the most simple things in the most regal way.
My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.
Desire and dread lay right next to each other in his heart, each sharpening the other.
The ending was unsatisfying. Although everyone was good and well, I wish it had something to do with Glendower. We spend four books trying to find him, only to know that he has been dead all along. This being said, the plot of the book was weak, but the characters were strong enough for the reader to ignore the dead plot.
I wish we'd gotten an insight on the minor characters. I have so many questions. Are Declan and Mathew safe? Did Maura end up with the Gray Man? What happened to Artemus? What about Gwenllian, Orla, Calla? I wish Noah had a more important role to play. He was a jolly character, but he seemed unnecessary.
Overall, The Raven Cycle was a treat to read and I am so sad that it is over.