Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare - MAJOR SPOILERS

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare - MAJOR SPOILERS

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabati is a sacred word. A parabati is your partner in battle. A parabati is your best friend. Parabati can be everything to each other - but they can never fall in love. Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter. She lives for battle. Alongside her parabati, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries - the most powerful of supernatural creatures - teeter on the edge of war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries are found murdered in the same way Emma's parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma's chance for revenge and Julian's chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held by the faerie Courts. All they have to do is solve the murders within two weeks...and before the murderer targets them.
 Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabati to fall in love? Who really killed her parents - and can she bear to know the truth?

Review: I absolutely loved this book. This is the first book in a new series by Cassandra Clare that follows Emma Carstairs as a teenage Shadowhunter. We last saw Emma and the Blackthorn family at the end of City of Heavenly Fire and this book picks up years later when the children are older and are training to be fully fledged Shadowhunters themselves. I think this is Cassandra Clare's strongest first book for a new series - possibly because we already know these characters and the world so well, so we can jump right in to the action. All of the characters that we meet in this book are so well developed and the plot kept me gripped from beginning to end, and considering this is over 600 pages, that's a real feat. In short, I would definitely recommend reading this book. Or any of the Shadowhunter books that Cassandra Clare has written.
 That's all I really want to say in this non-spoilery section so, if you have not read Cassandra Clare's books then you should definitely go and check them out.  

WARNING. THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD...

I want to start with the characters. Emma is essentially a female version of Jace and Will. I'm pretty sure that her levels of sarcasm and snark are worthy of the Herondale name. She really could have been a descendant of the Herondales, although Jem definitely had his moments!
 The whole Blackthorn family in general was so well written. Every character was well developed and had their own distinctive voice and personalities and it was so nice to see them work together, whether it was by solving the mystery of the serial killer or just them having breakfast in the morning. They all have their part to play in the family and, after the events of Heavenly Fire, it was nice to see them having grown up a little bit and to see how they've changed. I loved how Ty challenged Julian, who's suffering from what every parent goes through at some point. He's starting to see that the kids that he's raised essentially by himself, are starting to grow up themselves. They don't need him to do things for them anymore, and he's not ready for that reality yet. I thought those moments where Ty challenged his brother, calling him out on his fears were really sweet. Julian knows that he needs to let his siblings grow, and Ty calling him out on his behaviour showed him that even is he's not ready for his brother to fight alongside him, his brother is ready, and it's not fair for Julian to hold him back.

I was so happy that we got Mark back! The last time we saw him was in City of Heavenly Fire when Jace gave him his witchlight and it was so interesting to see how he had changed in his time with the Wild Hunt, and how he reacted to being back with his family. My heart broke for Mark and the kids when he didn't want to see them, when he thought they were an illusion. It was heart breaking to read. The choice that he had to make, between the Hunt and his family was so conflicting, especially when we realised that Mark and Kieran were together. I hoped that Mark would choose his family but, up until the whipping scene I wasn't sure he would. Speaking of Mark and Kieran, I did actually like them together. They were two lonely boys who were bullied for who they were. Kieran was the prince of the Unseelie and Mark was half Shadowhunter, both were outcasts in the Hunt, though Kieran was definitely taken care of because of his status. While I liked them together, I do agree with Cristina - I think their relationship was based more on debt and loneliness rather than actual love, so I don't think they'll be endgame. Mark and Cristina however - I think they'll end up together.

So much happened in this book! I think my favourite scene was the whipping scene. It showed the family together as a whole for the first time since they got Mark back, and it changed the dynamic of Mark's loyalty to the Hunt when he realised that Kieran had turned him in. I liked how Julian took the whips for his brother, and how Emma took the rest to save Julian. I thought it showed a lot about the dynamics of the family. I also liked Emma's solo mission, when she got swept out to sea and Julian went out to save her, although the scene on the beach afterwards was a little bit weird for me. It seemed strange that two Shadowhunters slept the whole night on the beach and didn't wake up when someone came past. Though what do I know?

I loved the cameo's from all the other characters. We got to see Magnus and Alec (and they're adopted son!), Clary and Jace now run the New York Institute and we got to see Jem and Tessa - I think they were my favourite cameo of them all. I haven't read 'Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy' (although I'm dying to!) but if you have read that then there is a story in that collection called 'The Lost Herondale' and this is continued in Lady Midnight, with Jem and Tessa trying to find the lost child which I loved. I also loved that Jem took Emma in almost by saying he would be Emma's uncle and giving her Church to look after, it was so cute. Church shows up in pretty much every Shadowhunter book - it wouldn't be complete without Church showing up and annoying everyone.
 Speaking of The Lost Herondale, I can't wait to see how Kit reacts to being brought to the Los Angeles Institute. The Herondale Line is growing again and it's going to be interesting to see how many traits he's inherited from his ancestors!

Something is definitely going on with Diana. Her behaviour just screams suspicious BUT I don't think she's going to be like Hodge. I don't know what she's doing or why, but something's going on with her and it's either going to help or hinder the family in the end.

I did not see Malcom being the killer! It came as a total surprise to me. Cassandra set him up to be similar to Magnus - laid back and calm in a crisis and it lulled me into a false sense of security. We trusted Magnus and, since Malcom is Magnus' friend, we can trust him too. Boy was I wrong! I enjoyed the inclusion of the Edgar Allan Poe poem though, and that it all centred around that - it was an interesting idea to use and it really worked and fit in with the book.

As for what is going to happen with Julian and Emma's relationship and Emma's plan to keep Julian away by dating Mark? I honestly don't know how that's going to work out. Badly, probably. I think Julian will fight back against it; he's not stupid, he knew Emma was lying at the end. I think it will be Mark who will be the decider. He likes Cristina and I think that could upset Emma's plan, if his relationship with her continues to evolve. The idea of the bond creating madness in the parabati is really interesting. We don't know much about the bond itself, just that it's rare and sacred. Being a parabati means having your best friend with you in battle, using each others skill in battle. Apart from that, we don't know much else so this is an interesting development. I think Emma and Julian will end up together and that the madness with end up helping them defeat Anabel, who just from those few pages already seems a little creepy.

I think that's all I wanted to discuss about this book. What was your favourite part of Lady Midnight and do you have any predictions about what's going to happen next?

Image from Goodreads - no Copyright Intended

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who's ever been chosen. That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right. Half the time Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here - it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

Review: Okay, I'm going to admit, when I picked this book up, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I've heard so many amazing things about this book that I was kind of expecting to be disappointed. I wasn't. I loved this book so much. It's kind of a continuation of Fangirl, in that it follows the characters in the book series that Cath writes her fanfiction about in that book.

Because this book is based on a book series that doesn't exist, I was a little sceptical about the world building in this book, as I always am in standalone books. There was so much that needed to be set up in this book, the characters, the plot and, most importantly, the world itself, that I was expecting there to be a massive information dump at the beginning and then for the plot to race along. It didn't. The whole thing was so well crafted and built, that you could almost imagine what the other books in this series would be like if they did exist. It takes a very talented author to pull off an idea like this, and Rainbow Rowell did it spectacularly.

The premise of this book was so interesting. It's like the synopsis says - Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who's ever been chosen. It's so refreshing to have a protagonist like this. Who has absolutely no idea what he's doing and has no control over his magic. It adds humour and a twist to trope that is all over YA fiction. Every chosen one is chosen because their skills mean that they will defeat the villain in the end and even though they face problems along the way, they generally manage to accomplish the goal. This was refreshing in that we actually didn't know if Simon could defeat his villain in the end because he was so bad at doing magic.

I'm the first to admit that the books I pick up generally aren't LGBT books. I don't know why, it's just a very rare thing for me to pick one up and love it to pieces. Perhaps it's because, to me, a lot of those relationships are the central focus of the book and can seem a little stilted and uncomfortable? I don't know. Either way, the relationship in this book is secondary to the plot and just fits so well and seems so real that I fell in love with it immediately.

I think my favourite character in the whole book has to be Baz. The sass and sarcasm coming from him at every given moment was amazing. The bickering between Baz and Simon just added so much humour to the book and lightened the book considerably.

I can't wait to pick up more of Rainbow Rowell's books. Her characters are so real and her writing style is absolutely amazing. I'd definitely recommend checking her books out if you want a quick and easy read that will keep you hooked till the very end.

Top Ten Tuesday

So, in honour of Autumn arriving - and therefore the arrival of all the new TV shows that are airing now, this week is my Top Ten Favourite TV Shows of all time.

1. The Originals - I adore this show. I can't wait for Season 4, it cannot come soon enough. A spin off of the show The Vampire Diaries, The Originals focuses on the Original Family - the first vampires. Family drama, witches causing chaos and centuries old enemies coming back, this show is probably my all time favourite.
2. The 100 - another favourite, and one I know is incredibly popular with a lot of people, The 100 is set in the future where humans were forced to live in space once earth became uninhabitable. But, with air running out on the space station, 100 teens are sent back to earth to see whether it's safe for humans to return. Action packed and definitely gory, I look forward to this show every year.
3. Chicago Fire - following the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 in Chicago, this is another action filled TV show - with a multitude of good looking actors and actresses. What's not to like?
4. The Great British Bake Off - this show is something I look forward to every year. It's recently started again here in the UK and I love spending an hour watching people navigate the pitfalls of cakes, breads and biscuits.
5. Marvel's Agent Carter - I loved this show. It follows Peggy Carter, who debuted in the film Captain America: The First Avenger and her life after that movie. I love watching the Marvel movies and this show has the perfect balance of action and humour that made watching the show so entertaining.
6. Criminal Minds - I discovered this show five years ago on a holiday to America and now I look forward to each new season that comes out. While the cases have definitely been a lot darker the past few seasons, it's interesting to see how profiling works.
7. Bones - I don't even know how long I've been watching this show and I love it so much. I definitely prefer the TV show to the books. I think the humour makes this show, at least for me.
8. Unforgettable - this show follows cop Carrie Wells who has the unique ability to remember everything she sees and hears - which makes her the perfect person to work in the Major Crimes Unit. I've loved this series since season 1 and I'm so upset that it's ending. It's a unique spin on a crime show.
9. Gogglebox - for those who haven't seen this show, it's essentially different families, in their homes, watching various TV programmes. Sounds dull? Think again. Their hilarious commentary of programmes we love and hate makes a show that shouldn't work, absolutely addicting.
10. I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! - with autumn taking over from summer, you can't help but start to think about Christmas, at least a little bit. The one thing I start to look forward to? I'm a Celebrity. A group of celebrities go into the Australian jungle for two weeks and compete in strange and horrible trials to win food for camp. Seeing celebrities making fools of themselves on TV - now who wouldn't want to watch that?

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Cath and Wren are identical twins and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and to let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She would rather bury herself in the fanfiction she writes where there's romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life. Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realising that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible...

Review: I've wanted to read this book for such a long time and I absolutely loved it! It's my first Rainbow Rowell book and, after hearing so many amazing things about her, I have to agree with the masses. She's an incredible writer. She has so much hype surrounding her books and Fangirl really delivered.

The story itself was really well written and thought out and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the plot flowed together. Going into this book, I'll admit, I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen, and how one girl writing fanfiction could fill a whole book, but Rainbow Rowell delivered not only the highs and lows of writing fanfiction, but also a romance and looked at mental illness and how it affects young people. It also looks at the problems with drinking too much alcohol and how easy it can be to develop an alcohol problem, especially when you're trying to fit in with everyone else. This book deals with all of these issues really well without depressing you.

I really loved these characters. I relate to Cath so much - especially with her writing problems. I write fanfiction and, obviously write posts for this blog, so I can relate to having a deadline and not wanting to miss it (and sometimes missing it anyway!) but I also liked the contrast between the two sisters. Like Cath, I am certainly not outgoing - I'm not big on going out partying. I'd much rather stay at home but Wren is the complete opposite and, sometimes, is the kind of person I want to be. She's willing to try anything (although, as this book shows, that doesn't always end up being a good thing). Either way, the contrast between the two was really interesting and the relationship between the sisters was intriguing to read about and to see how it developed through their time at university. I also loved that we got to see the twins relationship with their dad grow as well, despite them living in at their university.

I love Cathy and Levi together. What I love more than that though, is that we didn't dwell on the conflict that surrounded said relationship. In YA novels, I've found that we spend a lot of time listening to our protagonist moaning about whatever stupid thing the boy (or girl) has done and then they go on to do something equally stupid and usually life threatening to prove that they are okay on their own. We had the awkwardness that surrounds any relationship when something goes wrong, but it was actually resolved quite quickly. Whether this is realistic or not doesn't really matter to me - it was simply refreshing to see two characters fight and then make up again relatively quickly, without taking up half of the book. I also really enjoyed the scenes where Cath read some of her work to Levi - I wouldn't be able to do that and I admire her bravery!

This is a really easy to read book that is perfect for when you need a 'quick-fix' read.

Top Ten Tuesday

So this week is a Back to School freebie, and, in celebration of me starting my first year of teacher training (eek!) these are going to be the top ten books (or series) that I would have on my shelf as a teacher.

1. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa - okay, despite the fact this is still one of my all time favourite series, I feel like this is still a 'child-friendly' series for children to read, mixed with magic and adventure.
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - this book would be amazing to use during writing lessons to teach children about description and using their imagination.
3. The Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling - I feel like it would be my duty to impart the magic and wisdom of this series onto the next generation. At least get them started with the series with the first couple of books anyway, and with the illustrated editions of the novels coming out, I think they would be great in a classroom.
4. Anything by David Walliams - for those of you who don't know David Walliams is a British comedian who also writes children books. Hilariously absurd, I feel like these would be 'easy reads' for those children who don't like to read.
5. The Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon - younger readers love these books - they find Henry's pranks and schemes hilarious so are always good to have on standby if you're teaching a younger audience.
6. Roald Dahl's books - his children's books have spanned so many generations, it seems wrong to not include them in this list because children and adults alike love this man's genius creations and would also be amazing teaching resources.
7. Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan - while I haven't read these books myself, I know that were originally marketed as a children's book and I think keeping these in the classroom would be a good thing.
8. The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton - this is a book that I adored when I was little and, if I was teaching young children, it would definitely have a place in my classroom, if only for nostalgia's sake!
9. Jacqueline Wilson books - these books were the staple of my childhood and, while she does predominantly write for children, her Girls Out Late book is perfect for teens. They deal with a variety of issues affecting children in a way that they can understand and I still love them, even now.
10. Cherub series by Robert Muchamore - kids become spies in this amazing series. These are quite gritty and deal with 'spy' stuff such as drugs so not a good idea for young readers, but teens will adore this series - I know I did!

So those are the top ten books I would have in my classroom as a teacher (depending on the age range I was teaching)! What would make your list?

Uglies and Pretties by Scott Westerfield

Uglies and Pretties by Scott Westerfield

Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis: Beauty guaranteed, but at what price? Tally can't wait to turn sixteen. Only then will she be able to have an operation to turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and live in New Pretty Town, the high-tech paradise, where her only job will be to have fun. But when Tally finally becomes pretty, everything isn't as perfect as it seems. Underneath all the beauty and luxury is a nagging sense that something is wrong. Very wrong. Searching for the truth, Tally discovers a whole new side of the pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. Now Tally has a choice to make: fight and forget what she knows, or fight for her life.

Review: This is one of the books that I got for Christmas in 2015 (I got so many that I've still got about four left to read!) and is a bind up of the first two books in Scott Westerfield's series. I really enjoyed this book. It's a completely different take on Young Adult dystopia and deals with an issue that is still prominent in today's society. Being 'pretty' and having to look a certain way and do certain things to be popular will always be issues in society because of the many different types of media that we're all exposed to on a daily basis and is a big issue today because of it. I really liked how Scott dealt with this issue in this book, showing how looking the right way can take over your life and become all you think about.

I thought the world was really interesting. Bridges that 'talk' and hoverboards as a mode of transport are all things that I can see becoming a part of our future. I think what was even more interesting was that the world wasn't falling apart. We're not living in an outright totalitarian government like in the Hunger Games and we're not living in the remains of what used to be Chicago like in Divergent. The differences between New Pretty Town and everywhere else are apparent but it was a nice change from most of the YA dystopian books that are popular. I also liked how the world was flawed. Not all the bridges 'talk' and there are ways around the ones that do and hoverboards don't always work. These little flaws added to the plot and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

I loved the idea of the 'lesions'. Being pretty in this world doesn't just change your appearance, it changes how you think as well and again, this mimics real life. Thinking you have to look a certain way can take over your life and changes how you think about things. I thought this was a really good way of explaining this and showing people what happens when you have the chance to be part of the popular crowd.

I really liked the Smoke, I just would have liked to have spent more time there. There's a whole community living out in the wilderness that I wanted to get to know better. We really don't spend much time there in the first two books and I really want to know more about the camp and the people there, though I suppose that will come the further into the series you get. I enjoyed reading about Tally's journey to the Smoke in the first book. Shay's directions were so obscure and neither the reader or Tally knows what's beyond the limits of the town that it was a guessing game for everyone as to where the story was going to go.

The only thing I didn't really like in this was the romance. It just seemed really half-hearted and lack luster and, by the end of reading both books, I'm not invested in David and Tally's relationship. I think this is because David is still such a mystery to us; we don't really know much about him and the romance seemed to happen so fast that the book ended with me not invested in the relationship and not really caring about it.

Other than that, this series is a really nice, fresh approach on a YA dystopia and I would recommend to anyone who likes a good dystopian novel.

Image from amazon.co.uk - no Copyright Intended

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater - MAJOR SPOILERS!

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater - MAJOR SPOILERS!

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he's drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams, Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey...and is certain she is destined to kill him. Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path.

Review: This book was probably my most anticipated book of 2016. And I was terrified to read it. It has sat on my Kindle since it's release week until, finally, this week, I began to read the final book in the Raven Cycle. And it was fantastic. A brilliant end to a series that is full of magic and adventure. This whole series has kept me gripped from beginning to end, and the wait between Blue Lily, Lily Blue and this final book was excruciating. If you have not read this series, I would definitely recommend it. The characters are wonderful and the plot is so interesting to read. That's really all I can say without spoiling the whole series so, if you have not read this series, go and read it and then come back so we can discuss.

WARNING. THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD...

This book was so well written. Even up until the last moment, you honestly don't know what is going to happen next which makes it so addicting to read. The one thing I would say, because this book is quite intricate in it's plot, is that it would probably help to re-cap Blue Lily, Lily Blue at least before reading this book, because a lot of the characters that we meet in that book come back to play in this one and, if you're like me, and haven't read that book in a few months, you do forget who some of these characters are and where they've come from.

The chronology of this book was incredible. We heard from everyone at least once - which is a lot of perspectives to juggle - and also, time itself played a big part in the plot. 6:21 was the elusive moment which Cabeswater replayed often in the book and, of course, we went back to the moment Gansey and Noah died and saw that moment play out. It would have been easy to feel overwhelmed with this, but Maggie handled it really well, and all of the perspectives worked well together in moving the plot forward, which a lot of authors would have struggled with.

The whole main squad has always captured me from Book 1. All of their personalities mesh really well and I love the humour and friendship that comes from all of them. Gansey has always been the leader of this group - it's his quest after all - but he's a very natural leader who always seems to have some idea of what to do or where to go. I loved that in this book, we got to see Gansey at a loss for what to do. After the events of Blue Lily, Lily Blue, no one is entirely sure of what to do next and it was interesting to see how Gansey in particular dealt with not having a clear plan of what to do next. The quest for Glendower also took a backseat in this book, because of the demon attacking Cabeswater and I kind of liked that that happened. A lot of books wouldn't have been able to do that - to put the quest that we've spent the last three books on, on the back burner for a while. It would have felt wrong; like the author was searching for something else to do in the final book. To me, it made sense that we focused on Cabeswater before we carried on searching for Glendower, and it was no less exciting than any of the other books. In fact, I'd say this book was more action packed than the others!

Noah has always been an interesting character. Both he and Gansey died on the ley line at the same time, though Gansey was saved and Noah was left to die. I loved that we got to see that moment again, from Noah's perspective. Gansey had said that someone had told him he was going to be saved because someone else had died on the ley line that shouldn't have, but he never knew who it was. I loved that it was Noah who said it to him. I thought that was so fitting and beautiful as, what I assume was his final act before moving on completely. Gansey even says in this book that he doesn't know who it could have been - he thought it was Glendower, but I'll discuss that later - and he wants to thank them. The first thing I thought of after reading that small chapter from Noah's POV was, that Gansey did thank Noah for what he did, by letting him join the quest for Glendower; for letting him be a part of something and for not dismissing him when they found out he was dead. I think for Noah, that was all the thanks he needed. Not only to see Gansey using his second chance, but to be a part of it.

Ronan is probably my favourite character in this series. His ability to bring things out of dreams amazed me in the second book, and still does, even now. It's such a cool ability to have - to be able to dream up anything and bring it out into the waking world. I mean, I could live without having to worry about bringing the nightmares out as well, but I'd take it. I love how he uses his power as well, especially in this book. He tries to dream a protective suit for Gansey to wear, to protect him for hornets. He doesn't know about Blue's prophecy so, as far as Ronan knows, hornets are the only known thing to kill Gansey. I just thought that was so sweet. Tough, prickly Ronan dreamt something up to protect his friend. His tentative relationship with Adam as well was really cute and I'd love to see more from them both. How he treats Blue as his little sister, commending her on getting suspended is so funny. I love how their relationship has grown over the course of the series.

I liked seeing Blue's growth towards the boys and Aglionby in general. Seeing her make friends with Henry and his friends was really nice, especially considering her initial reaction to Gansey and the group at the beginning of the series. It was really nice to see her change her opinion and realise that they're not all bad.

Adam as well, had his own growth, going back to his family's trailer park and confronting them at the end of the book. Again, it was nice to see Adam grow and realise that the abuse he suffered wasn't his fault and that he could, not forgive his parents, but to move past the abuse he suffered was lovely to see.

I thought Artemus was such a funny character. I liked how he was one of the 'tree-people' and that Blue had inherited some of that as well. I liked how everything revolved around trees and forests, it was really interesting. I thought it was so funny that he essentially lived in the cupboard in the house so that Gwenllian couldn't hurt him and then, when she managed to get in to the cupboard he became the tree in the garden, which I thought was so funny. Blue was so disgruntled because that tree had always been hers. He' definitely a coward to me - I don't really understand how Glendower appointed him, perhaps he was a different person all those years ago, but, he did redeem himself slightly by actually talking to Blue and telling her a bit about her heritage. He definitely could have done more to help, I think.

I liked how we started off with one dying tree and then worked our way up to the whole forest being unmade. I thought the demon added an interesting aspect to things; how it favoured Piper Greenmantle and gave her the ability to do all sorts of crazy things. The auction of the demon was a little strange for me though and it seemed like that was the one area that wasn't resolved in all of this. We saw all of these buyers, including the Grey Man who had left Maura and Blue to protect them, we saw the auction and how Piper was killed by her father but, we didn't see anything from them after that. I want to know where all these buyers scattered to and where the Grey Man went afterwards. Did he go back to Maura? We didn't see her at the end either so we don't know. This was the only aspect of the book that felt unresolved to me, simply because we don't know where all these people are now.

My heart broke for Gansey when we finally found Glendower. Not only was he hidden under the place where he died the first time, but, he was actually dead. Dead as in there was nothing left of him. So, the favour that we were all hoping would save Gansey either from dying or by resurrecting him, didn't happen. That moment when they were all trying to bring him back to life was heart wrenching because you knew there wasn't anything else they could do, other than kill Gansey. It was their last chance to save Cabeswater and their friend. I did enjoy going back to the place Gansey died the first time. It felt like we'd come full circle and, again, it was interesting to get some more background on that event.

Cabeswater is as much a character in these books as Gansey and Ronan and Blue. I never saw it coming that Ronan dreamt Cabeswater. That came as a real surprise but, when you think about it, it does make sense. Ronan dreamt Matthew, his little brother. It shouldn't have been surprising that he dreamt a magical forest as well. I really enjoyed seeing the bond between the group and Cabeswater; how they tried to protect Cabeswater, and how Cabeswater tried to protect them, either when it was under attack from the demon.

I said above that I was nervous about picking this book up. I think that's because Maggie had promised that the prophecy would be fulfilled and Gansey would die and, going into this book, all I knew was that it would be Blue's kiss that would kill him, but I couldn't figure out how we'd bring him back - because Gansey couldn't die completely. Even at the moment he died, I still didn't know how we were going to resurrect him. And I loved the answer to this seemingly impossible riddle. Cabeswater remade Gansey. That scene just astounded me. How it took the emotions of the group and used them to remake Gansey as best it could. I loved that moment - it just seemed to describe the entire series in one scene. Amazing.

I think that's everything I wanted to discuss about this book. The Raven Cycle in general is an incredible YA series and the Raven King is a really satisfying conclusion to the series.

Image from Goodreads, no Copyright Intended