Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater | Rating: ★★★★★

...she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other.

At last, here we are. I've blown through this series in less than a week and this morning I finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue (the third installment in the phenomenal The Raven Cycle series) and I have to say that it is perhaps the best book yet. Here’s why: after the massive cliffhanger and the events to the previous book, everything only grows more challenging and thrilling from this point on.

Within the first few chapters of BLLB, which picks up where TDT left off, we are beginning to see something growing stronger and more spin tingling than before in the plot. It’s almost as if it’s reaching its climax, but the promise of more to come is still there.

Maggie continues to bring us into such a fantastically dark and magical world that it’s just… breathtaking. She’s made a lifelong fan out of me and I can’t help but to admire her mind, her writing (which is almost poetic and refreshingly vivid and sarcastic) and everything she’s done so far with everyone’s favorite Raven Boys.


It’s all so much. This series is unbelievable.

So, if you couldn’t tell by my thoughts so far, I’ll say it loud and clear for you: The Raven Cycle is at mind-blowing levels of good and certainly is my newest obsession.

Yes, that is all I can say about Blue Lily, Lily Blue. It’s all things that a good young adult book should be and then some.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is pure magic. And its pull is undeniable to readers; it's so easy to see why there's so much hype in the book community for this series.

I think my favorite part of this series is how The Raven Boys work with the women of 300 Fox Way. Maggie’s characters shine on their own in a way that other authors can’t even dream of, and when they are together it’s a glorious spin on friendship and family. What strikes me most about them all is their bravery and wit and just how well it blends together.

That’s another thing about Maggie’s characters in The Raven Cycle: they are all wonderfully crafted. Intelligent, sarcastic, completely unique and colorful even with the similarities between them.

Every character just has a certain sparkle to it in her works: the minor characters, the good guys, the bad guys and everything in between. It takes an excellent author to bring all these traits to life and Maggie manages to do so gracefully.

There are so many developments in Blue Lily, Lily Blue that I am not all that sure where to begin. We’re left wondering if we can find Blue’s mother, Maura, in time. We see serious growth in Adam that redeems his character from who he was in TDT.

Also, let’s recap on romance:

1. Maura and Mr. Gray. I didn’t expect to want these two together and because of Maura’s disappearance there’s not a lot of interactions between the two. Even still, there’s something to long for when it comes to their dynamic and that only expands as you see his interactions with Blue.

2. Ronan and Adam. We saw little hints of development for these two fuckers. I’m. So. Totally. In. We knew already that Ronan had feelings for Adam in TDT and really, my feelings for these two to end up together only grow in BLLB. I’m in desperate need of Pynch.

3. Blue and Gansey. There’s something so wonderful about these two and what has grown between them. Good news is that there are some wonderful scenes between these two in BLLB but the bad news is we already know their fate. Blue cannot kiss her true love. Gansey is destined to die. Fuck. Everything.

If you’re looking for a book to read that will fuck you up emotionally and leave you on the edge of your seat, Blue Lily Lily Blue is the ultimate book for you. Hands down, it has been one of my favorite reads of the year and I would easily recommend it to anyone. I need the next book NOW. Is it 2016 yet?