The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)

by Maggie Stiefvater

 


The fourth spellbinding book in Maggie Stiefvater's The
Raven Cycle quartet.
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true
love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought
this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the
strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure
any more.





Absolutely addictive writing for teen girls... and grown-up girls...
Magic, mystery and adventure at every turn

From the bestselling author of Shiver, Linger
and Forever which all debuted at #1 on the UK book bestseller
charts

Film rights to The Raven Cycle have been acquired




 


"Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering
close." Kirkus Reviews

• ISBN13: 9781407136646
• Publish Date: 26 April 2016 (first published 1 April 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 15 June 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Scholastic
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[lindsey]

I'm torn between three and four stars. On the one hand, it ties up the main story line pretty well, and I couldn't put the book down because I just had to know what would happen next. But, on the other, it seems to leave a lot of loose ends, mainly with secondary characters. There are also a lot of repetitive phrases that annoyed me. Maybe I should sleep on it, and decide on a rating in the morning.

[KitsuneBae]

Not the perfect ending but OMG, love Ronan and Adam. XD

[payton]

I remember when I read the first three books in this series. I sat in a worn black spinny chair. It was the same chair I'd used all summer when I sat on the computer. I had just found out Adobe Digital Editions was a thing and decided test it out. I was using a desktop computer. The monitor was HP and the tower was Dell or vice versa, I can't remember exactly which. Cinnamon wax cubes melted in a snowflake warmer. I was bored and hating life. I was miserable. I decided to download some books that I had heard from other reviews.

The first book was questionable to me. This was the second series I was reading from the author and the two were nothing alike. I didn't know what to do with this taste in my mouth. At first I didn't like it. It was odd and the characters were obnoxious but it was dreamy and I was smarmy and I wanted a new dream to latch onto. This book was the start of that. It was a mistake not picking it up sooner.

I would sit in the dark with those wax cubes going and I still can't properly recount how I felt. I felt triumphant and happy. I immersed myself in these books. They were exciting, griping, held me in front of the screen. I felt like nothing outside of my life could bother me. The first three books were over so quick. I gave myself time to absorb the last of the third book then I started over again. I read the first, second, and third books all over again. No matter how many times I reread these books they do something to me.

I was in a particularly down and miserable part of my life when I started these books. They gave me something to dream about. I still dream about it, I've made it my compass. The friendship and magic in this book is enough to bring me to tears. And even though this is the last book it was something. This whole series is something and I want it to come alive and breathe. I read so many books and so few of them give me the pay off I want, but this series is one of them.

Thanks Maggie for the ride. I'm sure the Ronan trilogy will shake me just as this one did.

[ladygrey]

I reread the first three books in the series leading up to The Raven King. The story seemed so layered, so interconnected, that I thought I'd discover new things in the earlier books from having read through Blue Lily, Lily Blue and also that I'd have the best context to see what was in The Raven King.

So, I was a bit surprised that The Raven King is so stand alone. I mean, it made sense because you don't want a book that everyone has to have read the earlier books. But the overall story felt so threaded together that I expected to see things in The Raven King that revealed some moment in the earlier books that I hadn't fully realized yet. But in the end, I felt like the reread wasn't necessary (not that I didn't enjoy it.).

And more than that, I wanted more from the earlier books - more layers revealed or more threads or more pieces of the narrative that fell into place. Especially the main characters. There were so many new elements, new characters and not nearly enough of the four main characters and not nearly enough of them being them like they were in the earlier books.

I mean, I understood the purpose the "Depending on when..." chapters served but it just meant a whole chapter not with the characters I wanted. The one chapter I did like of that was Declan's. He's been at the fringes of this group throughout the series and I liked getting to understand him a little more and I really liked the reconciliation with him and Ronan.

The one piece that was exactly more than I wanted or could have expected was the prologue. As soon as I read it I thought, "of course he knew. how could I have missed it!" and reread it a few times. It was a beautiful mirror to Blue's prologue in the first book which I did appreciate after Blue Lily being all about mirrors.

And I pretty much loved Gansey as far as the characters go. I loved Gansey's death. I loved so much the moment when he was so ready and so accepting and so just wonderfully Gansey about the whole thing.
But then I was disappointed that the aftermath was told from Cabeswater's pov. I had to read it several times because I mostly thought I knew what was going on but wasn't sure. I was looking forward to the next chapter to clarify it a bit for me. And then it was all the Adam pages and I thought maybe that was all we were going to get. So difficult. I wanted so much more of Gansey and so much more of him and Blue and so much more of the four of them and... it wasn't enough. I think it's interesting that Maggie had a blog post that she wanted to leave her readers wanting and I get that - I can see her wanting her readers to want for something bigger and something more but that's different than being given two or three pages to the characters we've been on such a long journey with and wanting more of them in the end. kind of... boo.

I loved that Adam already saw what was going on with Blue and Gansey. I liked that it worked itself out but I wanted more of Blue and Gansey after, not just before when it was a secret.

I liked what we learned about Cabeswater and the vision tree.

And I loved when Adam took himself back because his deal was with Cabeswater.

I was very glad that Piper died and that Neeve redeemed herself. I felt like Maggie had so many pieces going at one point I wondered how it would all work out.

I was sad that Mr. Gray left.

I did reread Noah's final death a few times because I felt like I hadn't quite grasped it but it was one example of how the threads of the earlier books played out in TRK. I thought Noah was holding on in order to sacrifice himself on the line for Gansey in his second death. But I kind of liked how he was what pulled Gansey into the whole thing. The part that confused me the most was why he said it was because of Glendower, but then I decided it was because that's what Gansey needed to hear in order to move in the right direction; to bring him to Henrietta and everyone. And I liked how it explained where Noah was going all those times he disappeared and they asked him where he went.

Totally didn't see Glendower being dead!
But I loved the moment when Gansey understood Adam when he couldn't bear their kindness.

Even though I wanted more of the main four characters, I did really enjoy Henry. At first I wasn't sure but then he won me over, probably in the hole with Gansey when he was trusting him with the truth, encouraging him to either be unafraid or be afraid and happy. And I liked how he encouraged Blue to see beyond where she was and to dream well of "after." I loved the scene with Blue and Henry and Gansey outside her school with everyone seeing that she was hanging out with Raven Boys!

Overall, I liked it and it was good and I know there's no way she could make everyone happy or meet every expectations at the end of a series that deep and interesting. But having read the whole series in a few days I realized... it's well written. I like the characters a lot. There's complicated and interesting and dynamic characters and moments. But I don't love it the way I love some books. I wouldn't reread the series for fun. It'd never be the sort of thing I pull up on my phone at an airport when I'm bored. It's something I'm glad I've read and I've made friends through this series and it's been a good experience. But that might be all.

[ross91]

I'm overwhelmed.
I'm sad I finished it so soon but I couldn't stop reading it.
This book was "something more".

[Sam@WLABB]

Once again, Stiefvater brought me into this magical Raven Cycle, and I loved it! I really adore Stiefvater's style. There are times when she weaves magic with her words, and does such a magnificent job of conveying the mood that is necessary to be fully immersed in this magical story. I love that way she doles out these pieces, and then BAM! They come together and become a whole image. That kept me chomping at the bit, and greedy for more, more, more with each page I read. This installment had so many big reveals, and Stiefvater did a great job tying up the loose ends. It was emotional, which should be expected, but I am satisfied with how it ended. Bravo, Maggie!

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

10/5★⎮ I could be clever and start this review by quoting a witty line from the book, perhaps even my favorite line or the line that most strongly resonated with me, but I can't because I would have to transcribe the whole effing book. If I were to describe this story, this series, in one word it would without a doubt be transcendent. Stiefvater's writing, character development, and world building far surpass anything the Young Adult Fantasy subgenre has thus far produced.

I normally take a slight laissez-faire stance when it comes to my audiobook selection. If an interesting book comes to my attention, I give it a try. Occasionally, I will actively search for something that fits a particular taste I have at the time, but this is the only time I can recall marking a book's release date in each of my multiple calendars and planners. I typically try to avoid having such high expectations, because they tend to be summarily dashed upon reading. So it's really saying something about my faith in Maggie Stiefvater that the possibility of disappointment never even occurred to me.

My level of enjoyment is actually best described as a state of perpetual bliss and could not have been higher for a single second of this audiobook. When picked apart separately, it's hard to identify the exact part of this story that so captivates me. But when viewed together, all elements of this story are just...yes. The feeling I am left with after finishing this series is just... yes. It is reminiscent of the feeling I had after completing Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races . The feeling of having just experienced one's own perception of perfection.

But wait just one hot minute: Am I delusional or did that ending not seem entirely like an ending? It's possible I just don't want this euphoric experience to end, but I could swear it sounded like she was teasing something more. Did anyone else get that sense?

Narration review: If I am being completely and totally honest, 47% of my anticipation for The Raven King stemmed from the desire to have Will Patton's voice in my ears again. He is one of those narrators that you either love or hate. Fortunately, I'm on the sunny side of that debate. I ❤love❤ him. He is easily, and I do mean easily, one of my top three favorite narrators. But he's also a great example of personal preference when it comes to narration. He has such a distinct way of narrating that it's understandable why he can be polarizing among listeners. I recently had a chat with a fellow audiobook enthusiast who couldn't stand Patton's narration of this series and vowed to enjoy it via the traditional book format from there on out. I was a little astonished that her listening experience so greatly differed from my own. The moral of this story is: Listen to audio samples before purchase (and also don't be afraid to make returns if you had a negative listening experience)!

Will Patton will forever be synonymous with The Raven Cycle in my mind and I am just as sad about having to say goodbye to his narration of it as I am about saying goodbye to the series itself. The two together were a match made in audiobook heaven. Thank you Mr. Patton, for bringing such a beautiful thing to life. ♣︎

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

-----------------------------

When it comes to The Raven King, there are a lot of things I could talk about.

I could talk about its plot — how this book weaves every little detail from previous books together into something that is so remarkable, and so, so satisfying.

I could talk about the characters — how tangible they feel, how ridiculously over-invested I became in all of their stories. But it's not just about the specific characters, either. There are moments when each and every character flawlessly displays these truths about how people and emotions work, truths that are so succinctly and effortlessly presented that it hurts.

I could talk about Maggie Stiefvater's way with words — which is, as usual, incredible. The Raven Cycle's words will both delight you and cut you, deeply. There were moments when I grinned like an idiot, and moments (including nearly the entire last 20%, I'm not ashamed to admit it) when I was sobbing. And that's not hyperbole. I mean literally sobbing.

I could talk about how, as the finale to a much-beloved series, The Raven King had a lot of expectations to live up to — and it did so. It really, really did.

I could also turn into a total fangirl and talk about my ships. (My shiiipssss.)

But I don't want to get into those things in detail. Talking about details could get spoilery, and this series is one that you need to experience, beginning to end, in the right order. So, no details. No spoilers.

There's just one thing I really want to talk about, which is: the reason for this "review."

First of all, I have never considered myself to be terribly good with words. No matter if it's writing or talking, I completely lack the ability to express myself when it comes to certain topics — especially articulating emotions. I never know how to say what I feel. I'm often not sure exactly how I feel, which is common, I think. Words just don't come easily when it comes to emotions.

And yet, I'm going to try to use my words a little bit and hopefully get my point across. The thing is, I've always longed for something bigger, something stranger and magical and more. Nearly everyone can probably relate to this feeling, whether it's a big thing for you or a smaller thing. For me, it's big. It can be a sad feeling, but it can also be happy, and I feel it near-constantly, in many different aspects of my life. It might sound odd, but I've grown to like this feeling, in whatever form it takes. But I don't know how to explain it, not properly.

For some reason, though, I tend to gravitate toward different forms of media (tv, movies, books) that poke this feeling with a sharp stick.

There are no sticks in The Raven Cycle's arsenal. The Raven Cycle impales that feeling with a sword. Not only does it evoke that emotion so strongly, the series as a whole expresses what it's like to feel that feeling — using its words and its story — better than anything I've encountered before. The Raven Cycle hurts. It's not always a good hurt; but also, it is. (See?? I'm bad at words.) But my point is: I can finally, finally point to something concrete and say, Yes, that. That is the unexplainable feeling. That's what it is. This series is that.

And the fact that I can do that, point to something like that, when I don't have words myself... It means a lot to me. So, thanks, Maggie. ♥

. . . Okay thank you that's all now back to your regularly-scheduled programming READ THIS SERIES you can thank me later k bye

--

There were books involved...

This book is magnificent and perfect. Maggie Stiefvater is endlessly talented.

[Stephanie]

Leave me here in my grave, I am dead. As I have said before, I will say it again: "Make way for the Raven King" will be engraved on my tombstone. Perfect series was perfect and Maggie really brought it with her word-smithery. Goodbye, it was great knowing you, everyone.