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.
As with its predecessors, Blue Lily, Lily Blue is very much a character-driven novel. There isn’t a whole lot of action, though the overhanging feeling of suspense and immediacy propels the story at the perfect pace before shedding its deceptively calm contents in favour of a rather intense ending. In the hands of other writers this could be a cause for concern, but Stiefvater has masterfully crafted complex characters and relationships that readers will easily become invested in and desire to learn more about.
While The Dream Thieves primarily focused on Ronan’s character growth, Blue Lily, Lily Blue devotes equal time to Blue and her Raven Boys (except for Noah, whose scenes were dark and somewhat creepy). The relationship dynamics between that group of friends is so intricate and beautiful, and since my description will in no way do it justice, here’s a quote that will:
“What 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.”
The relationship between Blue and Gansey will always be my favourite, as it’s slow-burn, awkward, tentative, sweet, and fraught with tension. That being said, I loved seeing Blue and Ronan slowly start developing a friendship, seeing how Adam and Ronan began opening up more to each other, and seeing just how important the Raven Boys are to one another.
Blue Lily, Lily Blue was also the book to make me fall wholeheartedly in love with Blue. Although I admired her tenacity and strength before, she truly started to come into her own in this book as she no longer had Maura to lean on and help her make decisions. It also made me appreciate Adam a bit more, as he truly changed for the better – namely, he finally learned that relying on others is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Overall, Blue Lily, Lily Blue might just be my favourite Raven Cycle book yet – and that’s saying a lot, given how much I adore the series. It was beautiful and enchanting, and as soon as I finished, I went back to reread my favourite scene (hint: it involves Ronan and Gansey running into a courtroom) and then proceeded to cry over how much I love Blue and her Raven Boys.
Reblogged this on The Fiction Times.
UGH BLLB. UGH THE RAVEN CYCLE. UGH EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIES AND THIS BOOK, SERIOUSLY.
I agree with everything you said! Especially about Blue. She SO much came into her own in BLLB, and I loved it. I mean, I think we all knew she had it in her, but her strength really came to light in this one. And her and Gansey. I mean. Just. THE PAIN of it all, and the tension, and ohmygoodness their relationship is pretty much the definition of slowburn.
Although Ronan and Adam’s relationship is possibly even more slowburny than Gansey and Blue’s and ohmygoodness these boys wreck me. They seriously wreck me.
I cannot believe September is so far away because I NEED THE RAVEN KING, LIKE THE MOMENT I FINISHED BLLB.
I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book! It was still great and the story-telling was awesome but I felt as if too many things were happening at once and I couldn’t keep track of everything. But I love Blue as a character. She’s bad-ass without being mean but also kind but not sweet. I love her! And Gansey…….*sigh*