On Rereads: The Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater

On Rereads is a monthly feature on My Thoughts Lit where I talk about the books I reread during the month. It's an opportunity to share some new thoughts on a book I read before and usually to prepare for a new release and sequel. For the foreseeable future I plan to do rereads every month so I want to share my thoughts on these books the second time around.

All the amazing series conclussion are coming out this spring, amiright? So to prepare I am reareading the books in their series. In particular this month's rereads which are The Raven Cycle books. I can't believe The Raven King is coming out tomorrow! *hyperventilates* I have been waiting a year and a half for this book. I' mean, I've had it preordered for a year. I'm so excited and nervous. So I listened to the first three on audiobook to prepare. So here is my thoughts on these rereads....

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater

The Raven Boys -  (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)
The Dream Thieves -  (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)
Blue Lily, Lily Blue -  (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)

I cannot put into words how good this series is. I love it on paper and I love it in audio. It's one of those series that defies genre characterization. Is it contemporary? Sure, maybe. Is it fantasy? Probably. But what subgenre? Supernatural? Maybe. But dubtful. Magical Realism? Most likely. But either way, it a beautifully written and atmospheric read with great character-driven moments, a insanely well-plotted story and  so much magic.  I love the way that the magic is coming in more and more as the series develops and I can't wait to find out what Maggie has in store for us in the final book. It's a series too that fits so well as an audiobook. The atmosphere of the series works great in the audio format and it makes for such an immersive listen

In particular, I love the characters in this series. I just love them so much. It is a series that is full of complicated and likable characters. The main cast of characters is probably five, well there are four people with perspectives. Actually, there are a lot of people with perspectives. Anyway, I digress. It's a large group of people in this book and they're all fantastic. My favorite is probably Ronan. He will never not make me laugh. Then Adam, who is adorably melancholy. (The Pynch feels were super strong in my reread). But I also love Blue and her fiestiness, and Gansey and his determination and kindness. The narrator of the audiobook does a great job with establishing each character. I love Adam's southern drawl that he ineffectively tries to stiffle. I love that you can hear the sneer in Ronan's speak and feel the sass in Blue's. I felt like the characters were coming to life.

But my favorite thing about this series is how well-plotted it is. Maggie does what I like so much with series where each book is self-contained with it's own antagonist and resolution but it builds up the larger story at the same time. But it is by no means boring, there are tons of surprises. I mean I remember the first time I read The Raven Boys and the twists just destroyed me. I did not see them coming. And here even though I did know they were coming, they didn't affect me any less. For one thing, I was kicking myself for not figuring some of them out way earlier. The clues are right there for us. Maggie does a great job of establishing those hints throughout the book. So when I was reading it this time I was picking up on those things. But also, I forgot so many specifics about the plot. I definitely needed a refresher so this was good.

And before I wrap this up, I have to rave about the audiobook for a second. I listen to my fair share of audiobooks and this one was really fantastic. It definitely became a new favorite, So much of my enjoyment of an audiobook comes down to the narrator. Which is often a personal preference. But I was a huge fan of Will Patton's narration. I think he did a great job of characterizations with the different accents and tones for the characters. Plus I think he also did a great job in establishing the world and tapping into that atmospheric nature of the writing. I'm expecting my copy of The Raven King to be a little delayed but I'm no longer mad because I loved the audio so much I plan to listen to it.

Have you read the The Raven Cycle? Are you dying for The Raven King? Did you reread in preparation for their series conclusions? Have you done any rereads lately? What books? Do you like doing rereads or not? Tell me why.  Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!