Cycling On
On
October 21st, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the
third book in the The Raven Cycle Series
by Maggie Stiefvater hit bookstores – and my Kindle. In the third installment
of the four book series, Blue and her Raven boys continue their search for
Glendower, the long-dead Welsh King.
The
book begins with Blue’s mother, missing in the underground cave for three
months searching for her long lost lover (Blue’s father.) She has left nothing
but a cryptic note to hint at where she went or when she will be back. While
waiting anxiously for her mother to return, Blue continues to work with the
boys to find Glendower, hoping the entire time to find her mother as well. Adam
is learning how to control his new connection to Cabeswater, the forest on the
ley line that they believe will lead them to Glendower. Ronan is attempting to
get rid of the man who ordered his father’s death: the man that is now the new
Latin teacher at the boys’ high school. Blue and Gansey’s relationship is
progressing at night through quiet phone calls and late-night drives, away from
the eyes of their friends. As the story’s plot thickens, the gang finds a way
through the caves. But there is much more in there than they expect.
The
book is fast paced and interesting. It twists and turns with every chapter,
making it extremely unpredictable. The relationships between the characters both
as a group and one on one are extremely well-done. All the characters relate to
each other differently while simultaneously relying on the group wholeheartedly.
As Blue says, “They were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed
with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation
and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag,
spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they
would be with one another.” The scenes between Blue and Gansey are filled with
subtle tension that leads their relationship to a much more heart-pounding and
engrossing place than was present in any of the relationships within the first
two novels. Meanwhile, Adam and Ronan’s relationship is also progressing in
unexpected ways.
Blue Lilly, Lilly Blue is definitely a page
turner. The series seems to get better with every book and I personally can’t
wait to see how it ends.
By: Caitlin Muchow
