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.
Finishing this book, I was actually speechless. Not because this book didn't bring out any emotions or thoughts out of me, but because it was just so good that I struggled with being able to put them together into one succinct review. But here is me trying.
Just like in the second book, the writing style was able to bring me right back into the world as soon as I started reading. I could see and experience everything as it was being described. There were some moments near the beginning o the book where I felt like the writing didn't flow as well as it usually does but that ended quite quickly. I felt emotions: grief, love, stress so vividly. I even gasped out loud at times. There were so many little details that became important later on which I loved seeing. Sometimes I picked up on these details before the rest of the characters because I loved the incorporation of them so much. The mood was perfect in nearly all the scenes where it counted. You felt stressed in action-packed scenes, somber in some, clandestine in other. The somber mood was particularly just....incredible. Stiefvater also mastered foreshadowing future events in the book and hyping the reader up. In fact there was something that just made this entire book feel like one huge foreshadowing that's just screaming "the end is coming!" It was heart pounding.
Personally, I found the pace to be perfect. It let you deeply understand a character's thoughts and emotions during the gaps between plot points. The book focused a lot on relationships (similar to the first book but even more so) and, that having been my favorite part of the series, so I appreciated it so much and the way the friendships were described made my heart feel so full. There was a bigger exploration into Blue, her feelings about herself, her family and her future which was so relatable and honestly, emotional. There was also a bigger exploration with Adam and I liked him so much more in this book! He has been a continuous problem for me with this series because I haven't liked him as much as I would have wanted but I finally understood him more in this book and I finally find myself rooting for him. It was to the point where I definitely caught myself wanting to cry in some of his scenes. I also really liked seeing the Gray Man's scenes more in this book. I strangely liked how little scenes he was in. I think it was realistic to how many times he would cross paths with Blue and when he did show up, he was memorable and you can really feel him. I really liked seeing how he was with Blue.
Without revealing too much about the villain, I really enjoyed seeing the different dynamics between the characters opposite our protagonists. They were so complex and interesting! One was so realistic, the other both awe-striking and annoying but they were meant to be seen that way, it wasn't a downfall! Stiefvater is so great at characterization, you think what she wants you to think about a character and she really makes you think about what a villain is and how they're traditionally meant to act.
Ronan and Adam's scenes were just incredible. Not only because I love both of them so much but because it was beautiful to see how both of them make the other feel: "worthy." All the relationships between different characters were beautiful. The dialogue really helped showcase this and it was funny, realistic and made you as a reader want to be included in their group of friends. The dialogue was one of my favorite parts and I longed to have more just senseless dialogue between the characters. I particularly loved seeing Ronan and Blue's friendship blossom further. It was just incredible seeing how much this book focused on how much they all love and protect each other which has been and will always be my favorite part of this series.
The plot was a lot more similar to The Raven Boys than it was to The Dream Thieves. It was so similar that the thoughts I had on The Raven Boys review also could be applied to this book. I loved that the book was more centered on the group of character as opposed to mostly one character like the second book. So going into it, I immediately loved unlike The Dream Thieves where I was iffy about the story for a good half of the book. The story balanced the different sub-genres really well. There was just a right amount of romance that doesn't overshadow the plot and is just enough that it leaves you feeling warm inside whenever it does happen.
One thing Blue Lily, Lily Blue had that I noticed was more frequent in this third book than the second was the connections from this book to, specifically the first book. Connections, references, etc. It was actually so fun to read about and remember the journey we had been taken on from the first book to now. As I've said before, there were small details in this book that later becomes more important and I've really enjoyed trying to find them first and think ahead of the story. But even though I do pay such close attention, I still get surprised by the plot because I truly am not sure about what is in store. Which is so spectacular!
Individual scenes were pretty much all great! I loved school scenes - Aglionby even made me want to go back to school, or at least a school like that. I loved seeing not only how the boys handled school but also how other students viewed their little group. I wished we saw more of Blue's school - though, I'll be honest, it just reminded me of senior year stress more than anything, which just means the author did a good job of describing both the school and Blue's thoughts on it. I think perhaps the only thing I have to complain about in this book is that there were a few scenes, I can think of 2 specific ones (one of which was a pretty big subplot) that cuts off at the end of the chapter and the result or explanation of it is never spoken of again. It was annoying just because I cared so much that I wanted so desperately to know what happened or for it to at least be acknowledged again. All I can think is that it was not described for a reason, that it'll play a role in the last book. However, thinking more about it, I think one of the scenes was so central to this book, the climax was supposed to be in this book that it really is frustrating to think we didn't get that final moment of closure. But, it's so easy to put this issue aside.
Overall, this book seems to be more focused towards answering some questions and inching closer to the big end of the story rather than giving plot points. However, I didn't really notice until near the end where I thought 'huh this is almost done, and nothing has really happened.' But oh my goodness the actual end and cliffhanger more than makes up for it. It was so good, so shocking, so heart pounding that I wanted to go straight to the bookstore and buy then read the last book.
The magic of first meeting the characters and the world will never be beaten but the evolution and strength of the different relationships was so much better in this book and it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. Now, I really think this is tied with the first book as my favorites of this series. Which is saying a lot based on how much I raved about The Raven Boys. Which...I guess this review has become a rave review as well. No surprise that this is a 5 star book!
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SPOILERS! (kinda)
This book was all really surprising to me! I didn't expect so many things: I thought we would learn a lot more about Artemus but I think I'm fine with him playing such a smaller part and I also thought Greenmantle would be introduced in the last book as the biggest villain but boy was I wrong! I really enjoyed Colin a lot, actually. I thought everything about his plot line was so fun - both him, being an asshole and a coward (it was so refreshing to see this side of a villain) and also Adam and Ronan's takedown of Colin.
Piper was such an enigma. I wasn't sure if I loved her or hated her. Most of the time I really liked her - she was so unlike what a female villain usually is and I really liked reading about her. She's so psychotic but so girly which I didn't know I needed to read about until now. She was really annoying at times but obviously, as apparently the biggest villain, she needs to be - at least a little bit.
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