All About Books

Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

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.

My thoughts

Blue Lily, Lily Blue makes my heart bleed. Yet again, it’s not so much the plot that makes me love this book so much, but the characters.
Plot-wise there isn’t that much happening, they make little progress in their quest in each book, but how the characters grow and how they change over the course of the books and all the things you learn about them is so precious, they could be stuck in an elevator throughout the whole book and I would still enjoy reading it (Who wouldn’t appreciate Pynch stuck in an elevator for hours hmmm?).

I think I’ve your not fully invested in the lives of these characters, if you can’t connect with them, don’t care about them much (if you don’t, what the he’ll is wrong with you? Go away!) then you might actually be a bit bored.
Me, who is 100% here for the characters got everything I wanted and more. A lot more than I signed up for. TDT might still be my favorite book in the series but there are so many things happening in this one, especially the shippy things, that it is a close second favorite.

Mr favorite thing in BLLB is the character development. Not only do they grow on me (even more with every reread) but they change so much as people and as a group. There group dynamics are constantly shifting but always on point and it is the most glorious thing to read about.

I loved that even after two books we still get to meet new characters. And what kind of characters! Piper is the bomb! I love her so much and was glad that Maggie introduces yet another awesome, funny, entertaining and crazy good character. Not that the story needed it but it brought some fresh air with it and messed up the whole situation even more. I might be a bit biased here because one of them also caused one of my favorite parts in the book (*cough* dying god in a church *cough*).

BLLB already feels a lot like the end is near which is not a good thing at all. Seeing all these visions and things mentioned between the lines that hint at what’s about to come causes a ton of feels that I’m having a hard time to handle. Always having that unavoidable ending in mind, BLLB is actually kind of scary to read. It basically already shows you what it’s going to be like if X or Y happens and that it is a real possibility makes me all kinds of nervous about The Raven King.

What gave me the most feels (besides the obvious shippy things) was thinking about the future of these characters. They all have such different life goals and ideas about the future but also different possibilities that I’m even more scared about where it takes these characters after they finish school than about them possibly dying. I just need my OT5 to stay together forever and ever.

BLLB comes with a theme, just like TDT did. TDT with its dreams and secrets is still my favorite, but I absolutely loved the whole mirror thing in this one too. Nothing special about mirrors you would think, but Maggie makes not only use of mirrors and reflections but also the concept of  reflections themselves and in such a way that it’s suddenly the most interesting thing out there.

BLLB wouldn’t be a typical TRC book without a cliffhangery ending with a ton of feels. BLLB definitely was the hardest of all the three. There was that one heartbreaking thing at the end that I pushed at the back of my mind and tried to forget after reading BLLB for the first time. Reading about it again hit me unexpectedly hard and it only shows me that I’m not ready for TRK because it’s only going to be so much worse.

Maggie yet again did an epic job with this book. It amazes me how she can write books which make me care SO MUCH. I love how well thought out this series is, that you get rewarded for rereading it because you’ll find something new every time. I can’t wait to read TRK just to get to know what hints were hidden in BLLB which only make sense once you’ve read TRK. I just need to overcome my fear of reading it…

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  • Wow, great review!

    I absolutely loved Maggie Stiefvater’s previous novels and have been thinking about reading The Raven Cycle ever since but never actually found time to do so ;)

    xox,
    Marie

  • You probably should have mentioned Pynch stuck in an elevator at an end, because it took me several minutes before I could keep reading. ;)

    I loved BLLB, but I basically spent the entire time panicking about who was going to die, since I’d heard rumors that it was going to be two major characters. It was such a stressful read. (How, exactly, are we supposed to handle TRK?) I can’t wait to read it again, because I think I’ll appreciate it even more. As you said, this book is all about the characters and relationships…my favorite!

    I agree, the new characters in BLLB were great. They definitely added to the story, rather than taking away from the already-existing characters.

    Great review!

    • Thanks!

      Haha, I can’t stop thinking about Pynch in an elevator since it popped into my mind when I wrote the review.

      Ooh, that must have been REALLY stressful. I didn’t even think about it while rereading until it happened. completely blocked it ou.

  • Stiefvater is an absolute GODDESS at writing characters and character dynamics. Even if the plot bores me to tears (which, honestly, TRC does not) the characters will always be entertaining and glorious. I’ve read so many BLLB reviews today and I’m feeling a little emotional about it and I’m filled with Bluesey feels and I just CAN’T wait for The Raven King.

  • “Blue Lily, Lily Blue makes my heart bleed.” You’ve just summed up the entire book right there. BLLB was a bit slower than the other two action wise but that’s because it was too busy torturing us and plotting Gansey’s downfall. (I will cry forever if/when that happens.)

    Great review! Now I’m in Raven Boys mood. If only my books weren’t packed and in storage from the move. But when I get them back, I foresee a reread marathon happening.

May 06, 2015