Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

 
Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Author: Maggie Stievater
Publication Date:  October 21st, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: 

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.

“Humans were so circular; they lived the same slow cycles of joy and misery over and over, never learning. Every lesson in the universe had to be taught billions of times, and it never stuck.

It is no secret that I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I love the writing and the characters, but I've always felt very "meh" about the story and plot. I've just never connected with the story and the direction Maggie Stiefvater takes the story.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue started out the same way as the previous two. I loved reading about these characters I've come to love, but I had no interest in their quest and the story. For me, this series is a character driven story. I'm reading this series to get to know them and "interact with them". I love the sass, the teasing, and the ease of Blue, Gansey, Adam, Noah, and Ronan's eclectic relationships. They are this misshapen conglomerate of people that work so well together. While they may not always see eye-to-eye, we know they rely on each other.

This series takes place over a very short time period and in this installment the summer is ending and school is beginning. I really wish we had gotten more scenes of Blue and the boys at their respective schools. Aglionby has always fascinated me and I really wish we could have seen more.

This book took a really interesting turn about 300 pages in (rough 100 pages remaining). I started to become really attached to their quest and what they were trying to do. It took almost three books, but I'm now fully invested in this series. It is about more than just the characters now. I also want to follow them on this quest to Glendower.

This book had a lot of heartache. There was so much sadness and I'm now even more scared of what is to come in The Raven King. I'm also very glad I already have The Raven King in my possession, because the ending of Blue Lily, Lily Blue is not something you want to sit on, having to wait to see what happens next.

This is a super long review, but basically for me this was the book that made me fall in love with this story completely. I still would not consider this a favorite series, like many others do, but I now understand the unconditional love people have for this series. I get the devotion to both the characters and the story. It just took me a while longer to get the story part.