Book Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Rating: Fire 

Guess who’s finally trying to get on top of her book reviews? This girl!! I finished this book months ago but finally here is my review to the third book in the Raven Cycle, Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I think this book might be my favorite out of the series (although I still haven’t read the last book) because it focused on Blue more, and Blue has been my favorite character since the beginning. I always knew there was more to her than she thought so I’m glad this book focused on her more. Also, minor spoilers if you haven’t read the two previous books. 

“Queens and kings
Kings and queens
Blue lily, lily blue
Crowns and birds
Swords and things
Blue lily, lily blue.”

This picks up basically where Dream Thieves left off. Blue’s mother is still missing, and the boys are starting school again. I don’t really know what else happened in this book, because there wasn’t much plot and a lot more character development (which I love so I’m okay with that). That being said, the plot was still more clear than the previous books, if that makes any sense. The other books were basically all about the search for Glendower, but this one is about Maura first and foremost.

What I love is how all the characters have become more. Originally in the first book, Gansey was the special one. He was the charismatic golden boy, loved by all, and everyone else was just ordinary in comparison. But now, we learn that really, he’s the only unspecial (is this a word?) one. Everyone else has some psychic, otherworldly powers, and he’s left with only the human abilities. But I also love how all the characters don’t see him any differently.

“Adam was beginning to realize that he hadn’t known Ronan at all. Or rather, he had known part of him and assumed it was all of him.”

I love Ronan. He’s my favorite Raven Boy. I love how he doesn’t fit the stereotypical bad boy cliche. You know, the bad boy who dabbles in some bad stuff but secretly has a good heart and is really just misunderstood? Like no, Ronan really is bad and violent and malicious. But he is so loyal and his friendship with Gansey is so heartwarming and even his friendship with everyone else is so sweet. Like you can tell when he truly cares for someone, which isn’t often, he’d do anything for them. Like this was just a small part in the book that sticks with me but it was when there was some sort of hole and Blue was about to fall in it and Ronan pulls her back without hesitation. The fact that he didn’t even think about protecting her, and they get on each other’s nerves a lot, just made me smile so much. Just Ronan and Blue in general. Favorite male/female platonic friendship right there! The whole thing with the lake. Like man, was Maggie Stiefvater trying to make me sob?!

“I was here. I exist. I’m alive, because I bleed.”

Adam is better in this book, although I’m still not on the Adam fan train yet. He’s starting to let go of his pride now and accept help from others, such as Persephone, which really makes him a better person. And he’s not acting that weird mix of superior and inferior anymore, where he always talks down on himself but acts like he’s better than everyone. And the whole thing with Cabeswater makes me like him a bit more, although I still don’t totally understand what is even happening with Cabeswater. It’s not that I pity him, per se, but I understand and feel for him more in this book than the rest. The whole thing with his father (and the really sweet courthouse moment with Gansey and Ronan) brought a lump to my throat.

The last Raven Boy is Noah. Oh, how my heart bleeds for Noah. I don’t have a lot to say about him, because I still don’t totally get his character, but he is without a doubt the sweetest Raven Boy, and I feel so bad that he has all these weird violent spurts this book. His scene with Blue was so so cute (if you read the book then you know what scene I’m talking about) and that’s probably my favorite Noah moment ever.

“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.”

Also, their friendship is actual goals. Like, this is what I’m talking about when I talk about good friendships in books and them giving me unrealistic expectations on how friends can act. As Blue says, they are all in love with each other, and complement each other, and I just want to be part of their friend group. Accept me, please!

The only thing is I know and love all these characters now, but I still have no clue how they all fit into the bigger picture of waking Glendower up. These series is so good at satisfying me yet leaving me completely clueless about what is happening, yet I love it anyway. Hopefully the last book will answer all my questions.

“‘Blue,’ he warned, but his voice was chaotic. This close, his throat was scented with mint and wool sweater and vinyl car seat, and Gansey, just Gansey.
She said, ‘I just want to pretend. I want to pretend that I could.'”

Oh, and also. Maggie Stiefvater is having too much fun teasing us romance wise in these books. I am just burning up, waiting for something to happen between any of the characters, because there are so many hints, and she just won’t give in! Blue and Gansey literally are going to give me a heart attack! And Ronan and Adam. Like please, just give us readers something! I swear, if in the fourth book there is not one kiss, I’m going to be so mad. 

And last note. I have no idea if this will make any sense to someone who has read the book, but if not just pretend you understand what I’m talking about. How dare Maggie Stiefvater rip out my heart like that?!?! I think my jaw dropped when I came to that part in the book. Out of everything that has happened in the series, that was the most unexpected and heartbreaking. 

I’m living in a mixture of fear and anticipation for the final book (I get it in September- THAT’S TOO LONG TO WAIT!). I’m not sure if my heart could take what seems most likely to happen in the final book, and I think I’m going to sink into a deep post-series depression when I finish the series, but I cannot wait.

Have you read this book? Who is your favorite character? What did you think of all those heart wrenching scenes? WILL THE LAST BOOK GIVE ME EVERYTHING I NEED?