Thursday, January 22, 2015

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater // I attempt coherency


17378508There 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.




Let me flail for a moment, so that I can get all the fangirling out of the way before I dive into my serious and analytical review.


Alrighty then. Let's get serious.

THIS BOOK HAD EVERYTHING IN IT TO LOVE. EVERYTHING. OH MY GAAAWSH.

Yeah, no, I don't think we're getting an entirely sensible review here, no matter how much I try to get the flails out beforehand. Be forewarned.

Okay, where to begin? I don't even know.

My review of The Dream Thieves was extremely short because I was sort of blown away and had no clue what to write. This one threatens to be super long just because there is SO MUCH to write about. Maggie Stiefvater really outdoes herself with each new book on so many levels: characters, description, hidden meanings, EVERYTHING. 

The characters just keep developing further and further, even when you think you've fully understood them. They're ever-changing and ever-growing within their own selves, just like real people. And I think that in BLLB, they grow the most. 

Adam - oh goodness, I am SO PROUD of Adam. I feel like a kind of older sibling to all well-written characters in the books I read, and so WANT them to go down the right path and find happiness. And Adam finally let his past go and figured it out about Gansey and charity and kindness. I AM SO SO PROUD OF HIM. He's growing up into a fine young man. 

We're also seeing another side to Ronan - actually, it's less another side and more just a greater part of him. We've only been exposed to a small percentage of Ronan so far (though it's quite a loud bit of him), and in BLLB we have the privilege of catching glimpses of the rest of him that so often gets drowned out by that really loud bit. I think Adam is seeing those glimpses along with us, and through them, his relationship with Ronan tightens.

Really, BLLB is about the tightening of all the relationships that were forged in the first two books. All of our Main Characters get to know each other so much more and get to see parts of each other that they never thought existed. It's situations like these that make or break friendships, and I'm glad that our lovely Blue and her Raven Boys made it through so far so well. 

(A side note: I entirely empathized with Blue-learning-to-drive. Though I think I was half scared of the power I now held in my hands and half extremely thrilled [I discovered I LOVE driving fast, which comes as quite a shocker to those who know me]. Anyway, I quite often, like Blue:
...could never forget that she was a tiny pilot in a several-thousand-pound weapon
Except I sometimes did. When I was excited about going fast.)

Talking about relationships, can I just squeal a bit about darling Bluesey here? All the shipping comes out in full force in BLLB and UGH STAR CROSSED LOVERS. It's the worst. I'm really curious to see how Maggie Stiefvater manages it.

But seriously, Bluesey is proof of how much romance can happen WITHOUT KISSING. Think about it. We're all squirming in our couches with our hearts exploding out of our chests and all they've done is JOKE ON THE TELEPHONE ABOUT CONGRESS. 

Let's talk about DEATH (since we're talking about Gansey, of course). There was death in The Raven Boys. There was death in The Dream Thieves. But the death in BLLB somehow was more poignant and heart-wrenching - maybe because, as the series progresses, the people dying are characters I like more and more. Is this just portending the death of one of the main characters - GANSEY PERHAPS? I... hope not. But it's kinda been promised from the beginning, so...
Hey, I can hope, right? ...Right?

BLLB seemed to be, so far in the series, the book most filled with hidden meanings and secret foreshadowing and subtle commentaries. I LOVE THAT KIND OF STUFF, because, hey, I love literary analysis, but I also lovingly hate it, because there's just so much I KNOW I missed. That means that I will most likely be buying these books as soon as I get around to it, because darn it, I love a good reread!

BUT SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE. What kind of an ending was THAT? I am dead until book four comes out.



I liked OH SO MANY, but here's one of my favorites:


Have you read Blue Lily, Lily Blue? What did you think?

~Sophia


10 comments:

  1. I can't wait to read the Raven Cycle, the whole thing! I want to get the Ravens Boys so bad, but I'll have to wait a little longer. This was a fabulous review, I love flailing reviews! When people get happy about books I makes me ten times more excited to read them.

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    1. YOU MUST YOU MUST YOU MUST

      I can't wait until you read them!

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  2. I've heard only positive things about The Raven Cycle series. I think it's awesome that there are such deep and growing characters in this series because I strive to do that in my own writing. Maybe Maggie Stiefvater's books will teach me a thing or two about that.

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    1. In my opinion, Maggie is one of the best writers currently living to learn characterization from. She does it so darn well!

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  3. Ahhhh I love your flailing review!! That gif hahah! And your GR updates are PERFECT. I also love how we're just diving deeper into these characters and their relationships with one another. BLUESEY. and PYNCH. And all the different characters too- Jesse and Malory (hah!) and THE GIANT SPOILER WHO I LOVED. And the Ronan and Blue parts, I love their dynamic. How are these books so amazinggggg. I reread the first two before BLLB and I'm definitely reading all three before Book 4 comes out. I'm dying for it, we can be dead together hahah. The Dream Thieves is still my favorite but BLLB was amazing and insane and personal and yeah. haha I have feeeelings. I even wrote two short fanfic pieces which I haven't done since HARRY POTTER because I'm so obsessed with the Raven Boys. I haven't read any of her other books but I got Scorpio Races recently and I hear it's just as good :D

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    1. Pynch is such a funny ship name :-P

      I... think I know whom you mean by THE GIANT SPOILER. I liked her too. :-)

      It's always good to know that someone will die with you. :-) I also am in DIRE NEED of a reread - this summer I'm going to actually buy them all for my own collection so that I can soak in the wonder all over again.

      I read Scorpio Races, and I didn't think it was as good as the Raven Cycle, but still full of Maggie Magic nonetheless. :-)

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  4. Oh also I love the flowers you included in the pic! Hyacinths, right?

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    1. Yes! My mother just bought them unknowingly and they were a perfect fit!

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  5. I keep hearing about this author everywhere... I should really check her out. :)

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    1. Oh. You definitely should. You won't regret it. :-)

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