Raven Cycle: not as many ravens as you'd expect

Discussion in 'Fan Town' started by Lambda, Jul 19, 2016.

  1. Lambda

    Lambda everything happens so much

    Months ago I remember someone saying we should make a thread and it never happened, but there's at least 3?? people who might be interested. Whatever, I was having feelings about it in the shower, so I'm just going to make this as fast as possible before I chicken out.

    For anyone who hasn't read it, it's a fantasy YA series which is funny and creepy and gets increasingly sad as it progresses, and it's hard to summarize, I'm realizing. But a bunch of teens go on mystical adventures and develop a weird found-family relationship with each other, and it's very good.

    It took months for me to actually get it (the holds line was looooooong) but I'm currently reading book 4! I'm at about page 300 of 700-something (note: for the ebook, it's not as enormous as that sounds), but I might liveblog some of the rest, that didn't occur to me until just now. I'm liking it so far, liking the addition of Henry, very worried about half of the characters. I just want Noah, Blue, and Adam to be okay, to the point that I'm fine with Ronan and Gansey being sacrificed for the others.

    This is such a good series though. I'd actually consider owning them, when I usually never buy books anymore and stick with library books. Maybe not physical copies, but I'd totally get them as ebooks.

    On the subject of spoilers, obviously anything for book 4, but what else? There's stuff in book 1 that would suck for a new reader to be spoiled on, but I don't imagine there's going to be a lot of people in this thread who haven't read it... Thoughts?

    Come have feelings about birds and ridiculous magic teens with me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2016
    • Like x 2
  2. Silvereye

    Silvereye 89 White Paladin Traverses The Cosmos

    This thread is relevant to my interests.

    I always liked Ronan, but book 4 made my have very many feelings about Gansey.

    I am strangely conflicted about the end of the book 4. Because, on the one hand, I am glad that everyone got a happy ending, but on the other hand... I feel weirdly cheated? I made my peace with Gansey dying and then that prince among men goes and lives.
     
    • Like x 3
  3. strictly quadrilateral

    strictly quadrilateral alive, alive, alive!

    My copy of the Raven King is signed and I just have to say that if you ever have a chance to go to one of Maggie Stiefvater's signings, do it. It's almost as much a stand-up comedy show as it is a book signing.

    edit: I think Ronan is my favorite.
     
    • Like x 2
  4. Arxon

    Arxon Well-Known Member

    I only read them all a few months before Raven King came out and I still can't quite believe it's over. Blue and Noah are my faves and
    I WAS SO MAD ABOUT NOAH, why can't my dead son be happy, why couldn't a single good thing happen to him in that book, why did Blue have to explicitly say that she only liked the dead version of him. Why. WHY CAN'T THEY AT LEAST MISS HIM qnq
     
    • Like x 1
  5. KarrinBlue

    KarrinBlue Magical Girl Intern

    I just got the first book from the library!
     
    • Like x 2
  6. Petra

    Petra space case

    Oh my god, these books are so good. I've finished the first 3.
     
    • Like x 3
  7. Lambda

    Lambda everything happens so much

    "He was pretty sure he had just been Ronan's first kiss."

    I need to lie down... I can't handle this... fuck.

    also I love Henry more and more, he is a Gift
     
    • Like x 2
  8. Lambda

    Lambda everything happens so much

    well, rushed through the rest of book 4, now horribly teary and conflicted. my heart hurts

    edit: why did I decide to finish it before bedtime? how am I supposed to sleep like this?
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2016
  9. theprettiestboy

    theprettiestboy wombatman

    The audiobooks are up on hoopla and I've been listening to them on my way to/from work every day. I'm only midway through book 2 but I had to go look up some minor spoilers so I didn't drive myself nuts wondering
    if I was just imagining the subtext between Ronan and Adam.
    I'm just so pleased honestly. These boys are so important to me.

    I love the way that she writes, her turns of phrase are just so gorgeous.
     
    • Like x 3
  10. theprettiestboy

    theprettiestboy wombatman

    I just finished the last one and I'm just. I can tell I'm going to be digesting this one for a while and that is ok.

    I'm so happy about Ronan, because I'm not sure I can think of any other queer characters like him. It seems he's the kind of character that's normally pushed into being either a tragedy or a villain, but instead he's just himself.

    anybody have/want fanfic recs? I forsee a lot of time spent on AO3 with my feelings in the near future.
     
  11. kmoss

    kmoss whoops

    No fanfic, but if you like this series, consider checking out the All For The Game Series by ....Nora...S? something? First book is the Fox Court, I think.

    It's a lot more violent (seriously, trigger warning for, like, everything), but seems weirdly similar style/pacing/people, and the two fandoms are pretty tightly linked
     
    • Like x 1
  12. prismaticvoid

    prismaticvoid Too Too Abstract

    Foxhole Court!
    Also ahhh this series. I still haven't read Raven King but I will eventually...
    I identify hardcore with Adam and to some extent with Ronan (Adam's abuse fleas and anxieties about fitting in, being good enough, hurting people, etc hit me really hard), and I desperately need to draw more fanart.
     
    • Like x 2
  13. kmoss

    kmoss whoops

    Foxhole court!! yes. that one :D

    I feel like I identify really well with noah and ronan, back and forth, which might say some interesting things about my general personality >>
     
    • Like x 1
  14. theprettiestboy

    theprettiestboy wombatman

    I will have to look that up, it sounds like my jam
    Also there's apparently going to be a trilogy focusing on Ronan post-trk and I am Excite
     
    • Like x 2
  15. whyguy

    whyguy blarg

    ahh I'm a bit nervous to unbury this thread, but I finished this series a couple weeks ago and I am just overcome by emotions

    how does this author write so many likeable characters?? I seriously love everyone

    like I love ronan, I think that's the usual, but I'm particularly struck by how much I love love LOVE the adults in this series? and the villains, good god. ESPECIALLY PIPER AHAHA

    also, I found it amusing and fitting and satisfying all at once that most of the villains in the series were killed off or otherwise dealt with by characters other than the main kids, often in an almost perfunctory manner.

    because like... the things that our protagonists need to face in each book are so much more magical and personal and BIG than the antagonists. as much as, again, I fucking love most of the villains.

    also the gray man ;-; <3 I am VERY invested in maura and the gray man

    what else... I just spent a three day roadtrip putting together playlists in my head, so I'm basically bursting with songs that remind me of everyone. chiefly, the entire O My Heart album by Mother Mother is just hhhhhh
     
    • Agree x 2
  16. whyguy

    whyguy blarg

    also I was timidly musing about ravenstuck lmao :') and classpect stuff even though I don't even begin to know enough to start making theories

    I feel like there's a LOT of fertile ground for an au, especially in exploring identity and what it means to be a person with all the dream stuff
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2017
    • Agree x 2
    • Winner x 1
  17. whyguy

    whyguy blarg

    OK SO

    I have done more thinking and

    gansey: heir (particularly for the idea of it being something that protected him. possibly time or life?)
    blue: page, from it being the class that "provides others with [aspect]"
    adam: maybe mage? "one who receives knowledge from [aspect]", especially with the theme of characters in the mage class giving up parts of themselves in order to receive their gift
    ronan: rogue, and honestly, rogue of void and "robbing objects out of their nothingness" seems about as close to his power as you can get
    kavinsky: thief, naturally

    I still don't know as far as noah or henry, and I'm pretty lost on aspects, but if anyone has any thoughts on that I'd love to hear it c:
     
    • Like x 1
  18. theprettiestboy

    theprettiestboy wombatman

  19. Bunny

    Bunny aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    Hoo boy I did not know this thread existed and I am both very pleased and very riled about finding it.

    Dream thieves is my fav book in the series. It's just so good and I love Kavinsky and playlists for that book have been a great source of trash boy music.

    And while I say I love K I also have a lot of feelings about most of the characters.

    ALSO I have a lot of feelings about book 4 and most of them are of profound disappointment. That said I am still glad to have bought the book and the series is still a favourite of mine but still. Bitching ahead.

    I came out of the end like, that's it? It felt weird and unfinished or possibly like whoever edited it down did a really hecking bad job. I read it at release and afterwards had many scenes I was very ???? about we will see how many I recall.

    The whole section with grey man and Piper and the Eldritch Terror auction was a mess. It had a lot of build-up then a quick chapter and a lot of fallout that should of happened but didn't?

    Ronan and Adam and Henry. I love them dear antisocial assholes but their refusal to interact with him even once he started being really plot relevant was a bit of a wobbly eh thing. It probably would of helped had he been allowed to be an important dude before the last book, there wasn't really enough room provided for him. (Also him Blue and Gansey should all smooch)

    Tho I was actually pretty disappointed by Ganseys survival or at least the way his death and resurrection played out.

    Also Blue and the whole oh yeah also you are like half tree and that is why you have wanderlust and also can't psychic was kinda baffling?

    Noah deserved better

    The lake tire.
     
  20. whyguy

    whyguy blarg

    YUP yup yup yup

    I agree with everything

    in the end I'm not that upset because it's been so long (or maybe ever) since I've found a book series I've enjoyed so much, and a lot of the thing I found lacking just makes me want to seek out fix it fics and solutions within fandom, so hopefully now I can find that x'D

    but y eahhhh I toooottally feel you on all of those things

    I want much much more

    I am excited about the prospect of more ronan books ;w;

    maybe at least some of the auction stuff will be expanded, because the brief stuff about that I found fascinating and much too short
     
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