Blue Lily, Lily Blue – Maggie Stiefvater

book 1 | book 2

Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn’t all-encompassing, that wasn’t blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she’d had this kind, she didn’t want the other.

Where do I even begin? This review took me six weeks to write, and it’s literally only because I loved it so much that I don’t know how to describe it. I went through three sleeves of page tabs on this book, and if that doesn’t tell you something… I swear, Maggie has created the single most lovable set of characters I have ever met in my entire life. They’re all incredible in their own wholly unique way, and their story is just… perfection.

Spoilers for books 1 & 2 ahead. And, yes, I am going to gush through this entire review. This is your last warning.

“I’m glad you misdialed.”

“Well. Easy mistake to make,” she said. “Might do it again.”

→ Blue Sargent ←
I have met so many people who wholly dislike Blue as a character, and I don’t know if I’ll ever live long enough to understand why. I adore her. She’s smart, and brave, and angry, and sad, and flawed, and snarky, and more than anything, she loves with her entire being. Despite her odd upbringing and the way her life differs so greatly from that of most of the Aglionby boys, I feel that she would ultimately give anything to keep them and her family safe.

Ronan had not seen; Adam was still sleeping. The only casualty was his pulse.

→ Richard “Dick” Gansey, III ←
Where do I even start with Gansey? He’s been my favorite Raven Boy from the beginning, and it remains the same; he is so well-intended, so caring and doting, so desperate for something more than the falsehoods and politics of his family. He puts his foot in his mouth constantly, but this book has the best examples so far of how much he loves his friends and the lengths he would happily go to for them, whether it’s terror-filled drives in the countryside, looking for Blue, or going against Adam’s wishes to protect him one more time from his father. Through it all, he just feels so human and genuine, and I swear I would read endless pages, filled with nothing more than Gansey’s inner musings on his loved ones.

The only thing more pleasing than seeing Ronan singled out was seeing him singled out and forced to repeatedly sing an Irish jig. “Piss up a rope,” Ronan said. Gansey, unoffended, waited. Ronan shook his head, but then, with a wicked smile, he began to sing, “Squash one, squash two, s—”

→ Ronan Lynch ←
Regarding the last paragraph, if there is one character in this series who can rival my love for Gansey, it’s Ronan Lynch. God, I love everything about his angry, moody, fierce little tattooed self. I love how incredibly torn he is between hating himself or hating the world. I love his quiet kindnesses for Adam, and the hints he uses to let his feelings shine through the rage. I love his dedication to Gansey. I love how alike he and Blue are, despite how much they might want to deny it. And I love his stupid squash one, squash two ridiculousness.

As they moved through the old barn, Adam felt Ronan’s eyes glance off him and away, his disinterest practiced but incomplete. Adam wondered if anyone else noticed. Part of him wished they did and immediately felt bad, because it was vanity, really:

‘See, Adam Parrish is wantable, worthy of a crush, not just by anyone, someone like Ronan, who could want Gansey or anyone else and chose Adam for his hungry eyes.’

→ Adam Parrish ←
Oh, sweet, tortured little Adam. I loved him in The Raven Boys, yet found myself endless frustrated by him in The Dream Thieves. This book, though, brought him rushing back into my heart. I felt like I was seeing his true self again, and more than anything, I adored his moments with Ronan, in which he slowly came to realize and accept the feelings that Ronan was presenting him with through this little acts of generosity and emotional connection.

“We are going so slow,” Noah said, craning his neck to observe the inevitable queue behind them. “I think I just saw a tricycle pass us.”

→ Noah Czerny ←
Noah is, as always, precious, pitiable, and lovable all the same, but this book was the first time that he came across as what he is: a dead, mysterious, and slightly scary thing. I felt so sorry for him as he was subjected to the horrors of possession, and for the first time since midway through book 1, I found myself worried that we were going to lose him before the series ends. I love his friendship with Blue and how comforting his presence is for her, even without the physicality of it.

“I think it’s crazy how you’re in love with all those raven boys.”

→ relationships ←
I felt like I was going to literally experience spontaneous combustion during this book, because I am so ridiculously hooked on these two blooming romances, and how they contrast each other. On the one hand, you have Ronan and Adam, who have every opportunity in the world to be together, but don’t know how to put their feelings into words; on the other hand, you have Gansey and Blue, baring their souls to each other in late night phone calls and car drives, desperately trying not to reach for the forbidden fruit. I don’t know if my heart can take much more. ❤

Adam understood, then, that Gansey and Blue’s awe changed this place. Ronan and Adam may have seen this place as magical, but Gansey and Blue’s wonder made it holy.

→ plot twists & turns ←
Okay, I’m done gushing about the characters. Moving on to the plot, I thought this book has the most captivating story line of all three so far. It was incredibly suspenseful with Blue’s missing mother, and there were some side character moments that broke my heart so much more thoroughly than I thought they ever could have, but anyone who found themselves frustrated with the focus on characters in previous installments would probably be delighted by the non-stop action and scheming in this one.

Mornings like this one were made for memories.

→ final thoughts ←
My final thoughts for this book are the same as they were for the last two: if you haven’t read this series, you’re missing out on an amazing experience. These characters are so wonderful, and the world of Henrietta and Cabeswater is a phenomenon that everyone should witness. I cannot recommend this series enough. It has so quickly become one of my all-time favorites, and I am only sad to know that it’s almost over.

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