Lazy Saturday Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

From Lipsyy : I started doing ‘lazy Saturday reviews’ as a way of getting reviews done in just 30 mins, and they proved to be quite popular. They are quick and snappy, and concentrate less on the plot (or content) and writing and more on my overall feelings about said book. They generally end up being a bit of a rant. My fave!

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Book 3 in The Raven Cycle)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release year: 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 389
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half!

The third installment in the all-new series from the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

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.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue,

I did not know what to think of you.

Would you redeem the series for me?

Or be the final blow that would make me flee?

Okay, now you know I’m terrible at poetry (please Drew, don’t laugh!). My wonderful idea to review the third book in the series with a long and meaningful poem stops here. Not that Blue Lily, Lily Blue did not inspire me, but my creativity is very limited.

Opening this book felt like saying hello to hold friends after the summer. Everyone’s the same but all is a bit different.

The beautiful and magical writing draw me in instantly, as it had done before, and kept me hooked throughout, despite a few dull and confusing parts. The plot did not entirely convince me. I was bored at times and would have preferred a more balanced pace. I tend to get distracted when so many chapters are uneventful. The different threads, all tied to the now familiar search for the sleeping king, were at times unpredictable but not enough happened for me to feel the thrill of the adventure until the last chapters.

The true force of this series is and will remain its characters. 300 Fox Way feels like home and the boys are a delight to meet again. Interestingly enough, I actually appreciate Ronan a lot when the story isn’t all about him! But Gansey remains my favorite. I know, I’m not being very original… Seeing Ronan, Adam, Noah and Gansey’s relations grow and evolve is heart-warming, even if my poor Noah was once again a little too absent for my taste! I love that the author leaves enough room for their development and puts a lot of efforts into keeping them real.

Blue being Blue, something I really like. It is fantastic to see just how she has blended into the group and how different her relation with each of the guys is. The family bound is also strong, not only among the inhabitants of the house but also with the Aglionby students. Maura’s disappearance is strongly felt by everyone and gives more depth to what they are doing and what they are looking for.

I couldn’t have cared less about Greenmantle. I thought his character and his position at the school could have brought more to the story if used more efficiently. I was quite disappointed with him after what we had been hinted in the previous book. I was expecting more. Even his wife had a better purpose.

It was fun to be transported to Henrietta again, but I am still waiting for the excitement of the first book to make its comeback.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue,

A disappointment you weren’t,

although a little spice would have helped you,

A 3.5-star rating to you I grant!

(Nope, still no good!)