Make way for the raven king
Jan. 30th, 2024 06:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darkrosaleenIn fall 2013, when I was bored and lonely, I read the first two books of the Raven Cycle. I fell so violently in love with the characters that I made a fresh AO3 account to post fic of them. Three years, twelve fics, and countless stupid tumblr wanks later, I bought the fourth and final book the week it came out, but never got around to reading it because it was 2016 and I had other shit going on.
Until fall 2023, when I was bored and lonely and nostalgic and decided to read the entire Raven Cycle and Dreamer Trilogy back to back. My AO3 account was about to turn ten years old, and I wanted to dive back into the fandom that gave birth to her.
Anything under a cut may contain spoilers, so here's my non-spoilery review of the entire series: mostly positive, still one of my faves. Even the books with a lot of flaws had fun, beautiful moments. I'll always love the rich characters and relationships and settings and language, even when the plot and side quests and villain POV chapters drag. I liked a few controversial plot developments because they weren't the worst possible option, and I loved a lot of elements that the fandom was seething with rage over.
THE RAVEN CYCLE: 9.05/10
The first 75% of this series was my rabid obsession a decade ago, so my ability to rationally review the series as a whole is somewhat limited. I did reread all four books in September 2023, and my overall impression is one of very high highs and pretty low lows. I can still feel the magic I felt in 2013, and I have a different appreciation of some elements ten years down the line.
The Raven Boys [reread]: 9.1/10
Beautiful prose and setting/worldbuilding, great characters and relationships, plenty of hooks for future instalments. Rereading this after books 2 and 3, the plot and characterization feel a bit weak in comparison, but I can still see the elements that hooked me on these characters and their world. The opening chapter in the churchyard on Saint Mark's Eve is one of my favorite book openings of all time.
The Dream Thieves [reread]: 9.7/10
My uncontested favorite book during my first run in the fandom, 2013-2015. There's no sex and very little kissing, just street racing and drugs and illegal fireworks, but it's still the sexiest book in either series. While it's indisputably Ronan's book (and Ronan/Kavinsky's and Ronan/Gansey's), it has my favorite Adam and Adam/Gansey moments, as Adam struggles with his humanity after sacrificing himself to an eldritch dream forest. The slow, subtle reveal of Ronan's queerness across the book was excellently done (I figured it out at "Ronan wasn't a fan of lamps").
Blue Lily, Lily Blue [reread]: 9.5/10
I liked this when I first read it in 2014, but it failed to grab me like the first two books did. Rereading it in 2023, it was my favorite in the cycle. The rainy fall forest vibes are gorgeous, the underground caves with ancient sleepers are wonderfully creepy, and the Glendower mythology of the earlier books starts to take an unsettling shape. This is definitely the scariest book in the series. It also makes Adam and Ronan's friendship so creepy and disturbing that I started shipping them (horror movie twins ♥). The main flaw of this book is that it introduces tons of major plot elements 75% of the way through the series, and that would be less of a flaw if the final book delivered on those new plot elements.
The Raven King: 7.9/10
This book has a (somewhat deserved) reputation as the worst in the series, and I know it killed a lot of people's interest in the fandom. I knew that going in, so while I had plenty of gripes with this book, there were a lot of things I loved: Noah's very scary and tragic arc and (IMO) cathartic ending, Blue not regretting having her first kiss with a gross corpse, Gansey instantly adopting Henry as a best-friend-soulmate like he did with Blue in book 1 (and presumably with Ronan and Adam and Noah pre-canon), Declan showing that he's his father's son with a charismatic recitation of Celtic myth, Ronan and Declan making up and being affectionate brotherly shitheads, Adam having a sexuality crisis over how hot Niall Lynch was, Ronan and Adam being blisteringly horny for each other and living out Ronan's finger sucking fantasies, the Glendower quest not ending up how the characters hoped it would, Gansey ultimately being the least important member of the gang, Gansey actually dying for an explained reason and the characters making a painful sacrifice to bring him back.
My main gripe with this book is the underwhelming failed potential of its villain. The demon had a very creepy introduction with Ronan's mask dream in the first book, and it was truly terrifying as the sleeper that shouldn't be woken in BLLB, but when it actually showed up in TRK it just sat there and unmade stuff for no explained reason. It didn't have thoughts, feelings, or satisfying motivations or backstory; it seemed totally disconnected from the Glendower plot. I'm also very annoyed that the big boss villain took the shape of a giant bee, but Gansey never faced it in person. I really liked the twist of Glendower having been dead for a thousand years, but that widened the gap between the Glendower plot and the Demon plot even further. And it was never really established who the sleeper who must be woken was, since a dusty corpse is obviously the sleeper it doesn't matter if you wake.
THE DREAMER TRILOGY: 9.23/10
If you told me in 2015 that the sequel trilogy to the Raven Cycle would be primarily set in Boston and Cambridge, with Declan Lynch as a tragic passionate woobie protagonist and a major plot revolving around the sensual magic of John Singer Sargent paintings, I would've exploded with glee. I could've used more Gansey and Blue (although their one texting appearance was delightful), but I got plenty of my faves Adam and Declan to make up for it. This series has some of the same flaws as the Raven Cycle, but I think it resolves them in a much more satisfying and well-plotted way.
Call Down The Hawk: 8.9/10
I gather that this is the only book in the trilogy that fandom liked. I adored Adam Parrish as a queer New England biker witch, I loved the scenes at the fairy market, and I loved what an absolute emotional wreck all the Lynch brothers and Hennessy girls were. The messy Lynch family was one of my favorite aspects of the original series, and I instantly fell in love with Jordan and Hennessy and their own supremely fucked up family bond. And as a decade-long Declan Lynch stan, I was overjoyed to get POV chapters that revealed his soft squishy parental trauma and flamboyant shoes and attic full of passionate modern art.
My biggest complaint was the endless POV chapters of a character working for a clearly evil organization and wondering if they're evil. I liked Carmen as a POV character, but I didn't need another branch of obvious bad guys to keep track of in addition to all the Lynches and all the Hennessys. It took time away from the wonderfully complex characters (old and new), and their wonderfully complicated love for each other.
Mister Impossible: 9.7/10
This is easily my favorite book in the trilogy. I loved Jordan and Declan and Matthew's adventures through the Boston art scene, I loved Ronan and Hennessy and Bryde grumpily bonding through eco-terrorism, I loved the disturbing sense that Adam and Declan see things unraveling but can't reach Ronan in time to save him. An Adam/Ronan breakup was the one obvious plot point I expected to happen in this series, but I was pleasantly surprised by how inevitable and tragic it was: both Adam and Ronan had extremely good reasons to stick to their guns, even if they both lacked vital information that would probably drive them back together. The Bryde reveal made me roll my eyes a little, but I also texted my friend Ronan dreamed himself a daddy dom??? That boy is the most ridiculously overpowered sub in the world. A devastating, cathartic ending to a great middle chapter.
While I was reading this book, there was a Sargent exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (in the same gallery where Bryde steals Klimt's The Kiss from a traveling Vienna Succession exhibit in Greywaren). I was already in love with Nude Study of Thomas E. McKellar and El Jaleo and Portrait of Madame X, but I had never seen Dr. Pozzi at Home before this exhibit, and his magnetic erotic charisma is staggering in person. I absolutely believe that Sargent portraits are magic, and the trilogy's exploration of art and passion and the emotions of creativity is one of my favorite aspects of all seven books.
Greywaren: 9.1/10
I get why people disliked this book: Ronan spends most of it asleep, Ronan and Adam spend half of it broken up, a surprise big bad villain is introduced for the last book, huge twists reveal nonsensical worldbuilding for the villain organization, even huger twists reveal that Ronan is Dreamer Jesus and Niall was actually a great dad this whole time. It's a little messy, but IMO nowhere near as messy as The Raven King: the boss villain was introduced in the first chapter of the first book and mentioned frequently through the trilogy, he faked his death through a dream ability we've seen other characters use, and he has a reason to want to destroy the world. I also appreciate that Carmen spends more than half the trilogy having defected from the evil Moderators, since I found her conflicted feelings about her brother and developing relationships with Liliana and Hennessy much more interesting than her villain POV chapters.
I enjoyed Adam having a full breakdown in this book (and being Chainsaw's stepdad), I enjoyed Ronan and Adam getting the Orpheus/Eurydice plotline I'd been wanting all series, and I enjoyed Hennessy seducing Carmen by painting her furiously angry portrait, but for me this was really Declan's book. He spends the first half trying (and failing) to take care of two sleeping brothers, and then sinks to rock bottom and decides to go out fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. We finally get some answers about the dead Lynch parents who reappeared in the first book, which leads to gunshot wound tending and daddy-mommy-issue catharsis for poor woobie Declan. While I wasn't thrilled with the final reveal about Ronan being Dream Jesus, at least he's not stupidly overpowered and ten times stronger than all the other dreamers for no reason. The epilogue was sweet without being saccharine, and I appreciated getting a final post-college glimpse at Blue and Gansey and Henry.
I have a few additional thoughts about fandom and shipping, but this is long already and I don't think anyone on my flist is active in this fandom anymore. Might make a part two, or just chat in the comments.
Until fall 2023, when I was bored and lonely and nostalgic and decided to read the entire Raven Cycle and Dreamer Trilogy back to back. My AO3 account was about to turn ten years old, and I wanted to dive back into the fandom that gave birth to her.
Anything under a cut may contain spoilers, so here's my non-spoilery review of the entire series: mostly positive, still one of my faves. Even the books with a lot of flaws had fun, beautiful moments. I'll always love the rich characters and relationships and settings and language, even when the plot and side quests and villain POV chapters drag. I liked a few controversial plot developments because they weren't the worst possible option, and I loved a lot of elements that the fandom was seething with rage over.
THE RAVEN CYCLE: 9.05/10
The first 75% of this series was my rabid obsession a decade ago, so my ability to rationally review the series as a whole is somewhat limited. I did reread all four books in September 2023, and my overall impression is one of very high highs and pretty low lows. I can still feel the magic I felt in 2013, and I have a different appreciation of some elements ten years down the line.
The Raven Boys [reread]: 9.1/10
Beautiful prose and setting/worldbuilding, great characters and relationships, plenty of hooks for future instalments. Rereading this after books 2 and 3, the plot and characterization feel a bit weak in comparison, but I can still see the elements that hooked me on these characters and their world. The opening chapter in the churchyard on Saint Mark's Eve is one of my favorite book openings of all time.
The Dream Thieves [reread]: 9.7/10
My uncontested favorite book during my first run in the fandom, 2013-2015. There's no sex and very little kissing, just street racing and drugs and illegal fireworks, but it's still the sexiest book in either series. While it's indisputably Ronan's book (and Ronan/Kavinsky's and Ronan/Gansey's), it has my favorite Adam and Adam/Gansey moments, as Adam struggles with his humanity after sacrificing himself to an eldritch dream forest. The slow, subtle reveal of Ronan's queerness across the book was excellently done (I figured it out at "Ronan wasn't a fan of lamps").
Blue Lily, Lily Blue [reread]: 9.5/10
I liked this when I first read it in 2014, but it failed to grab me like the first two books did. Rereading it in 2023, it was my favorite in the cycle. The rainy fall forest vibes are gorgeous, the underground caves with ancient sleepers are wonderfully creepy, and the Glendower mythology of the earlier books starts to take an unsettling shape. This is definitely the scariest book in the series. It also makes Adam and Ronan's friendship so creepy and disturbing that I started shipping them (horror movie twins ♥). The main flaw of this book is that it introduces tons of major plot elements 75% of the way through the series, and that would be less of a flaw if the final book delivered on those new plot elements.
The Raven King: 7.9/10
This book has a (somewhat deserved) reputation as the worst in the series, and I know it killed a lot of people's interest in the fandom. I knew that going in, so while I had plenty of gripes with this book, there were a lot of things I loved: Noah's very scary and tragic arc and (IMO) cathartic ending, Blue not regretting having her first kiss with a gross corpse, Gansey instantly adopting Henry as a best-friend-soulmate like he did with Blue in book 1 (and presumably with Ronan and Adam and Noah pre-canon), Declan showing that he's his father's son with a charismatic recitation of Celtic myth, Ronan and Declan making up and being affectionate brotherly shitheads, Adam having a sexuality crisis over how hot Niall Lynch was, Ronan and Adam being blisteringly horny for each other and living out Ronan's finger sucking fantasies, the Glendower quest not ending up how the characters hoped it would, Gansey ultimately being the least important member of the gang, Gansey actually dying for an explained reason and the characters making a painful sacrifice to bring him back.
My main gripe with this book is the underwhelming failed potential of its villain. The demon had a very creepy introduction with Ronan's mask dream in the first book, and it was truly terrifying as the sleeper that shouldn't be woken in BLLB, but when it actually showed up in TRK it just sat there and unmade stuff for no explained reason. It didn't have thoughts, feelings, or satisfying motivations or backstory; it seemed totally disconnected from the Glendower plot. I'm also very annoyed that the big boss villain took the shape of a giant bee, but Gansey never faced it in person. I really liked the twist of Glendower having been dead for a thousand years, but that widened the gap between the Glendower plot and the Demon plot even further. And it was never really established who the sleeper who must be woken was, since a dusty corpse is obviously the sleeper it doesn't matter if you wake.
THE DREAMER TRILOGY: 9.23/10
If you told me in 2015 that the sequel trilogy to the Raven Cycle would be primarily set in Boston and Cambridge, with Declan Lynch as a tragic passionate woobie protagonist and a major plot revolving around the sensual magic of John Singer Sargent paintings, I would've exploded with glee. I could've used more Gansey and Blue (although their one texting appearance was delightful), but I got plenty of my faves Adam and Declan to make up for it. This series has some of the same flaws as the Raven Cycle, but I think it resolves them in a much more satisfying and well-plotted way.
Call Down The Hawk: 8.9/10
I gather that this is the only book in the trilogy that fandom liked. I adored Adam Parrish as a queer New England biker witch, I loved the scenes at the fairy market, and I loved what an absolute emotional wreck all the Lynch brothers and Hennessy girls were. The messy Lynch family was one of my favorite aspects of the original series, and I instantly fell in love with Jordan and Hennessy and their own supremely fucked up family bond. And as a decade-long Declan Lynch stan, I was overjoyed to get POV chapters that revealed his soft squishy parental trauma and flamboyant shoes and attic full of passionate modern art.
My biggest complaint was the endless POV chapters of a character working for a clearly evil organization and wondering if they're evil. I liked Carmen as a POV character, but I didn't need another branch of obvious bad guys to keep track of in addition to all the Lynches and all the Hennessys. It took time away from the wonderfully complex characters (old and new), and their wonderfully complicated love for each other.
Mister Impossible: 9.7/10
This is easily my favorite book in the trilogy. I loved Jordan and Declan and Matthew's adventures through the Boston art scene, I loved Ronan and Hennessy and Bryde grumpily bonding through eco-terrorism, I loved the disturbing sense that Adam and Declan see things unraveling but can't reach Ronan in time to save him. An Adam/Ronan breakup was the one obvious plot point I expected to happen in this series, but I was pleasantly surprised by how inevitable and tragic it was: both Adam and Ronan had extremely good reasons to stick to their guns, even if they both lacked vital information that would probably drive them back together. The Bryde reveal made me roll my eyes a little, but I also texted my friend Ronan dreamed himself a daddy dom??? That boy is the most ridiculously overpowered sub in the world. A devastating, cathartic ending to a great middle chapter.
While I was reading this book, there was a Sargent exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (in the same gallery where Bryde steals Klimt's The Kiss from a traveling Vienna Succession exhibit in Greywaren). I was already in love with Nude Study of Thomas E. McKellar and El Jaleo and Portrait of Madame X, but I had never seen Dr. Pozzi at Home before this exhibit, and his magnetic erotic charisma is staggering in person. I absolutely believe that Sargent portraits are magic, and the trilogy's exploration of art and passion and the emotions of creativity is one of my favorite aspects of all seven books.
Greywaren: 9.1/10
I get why people disliked this book: Ronan spends most of it asleep, Ronan and Adam spend half of it broken up, a surprise big bad villain is introduced for the last book, huge twists reveal nonsensical worldbuilding for the villain organization, even huger twists reveal that Ronan is Dreamer Jesus and Niall was actually a great dad this whole time. It's a little messy, but IMO nowhere near as messy as The Raven King: the boss villain was introduced in the first chapter of the first book and mentioned frequently through the trilogy, he faked his death through a dream ability we've seen other characters use, and he has a reason to want to destroy the world. I also appreciate that Carmen spends more than half the trilogy having defected from the evil Moderators, since I found her conflicted feelings about her brother and developing relationships with Liliana and Hennessy much more interesting than her villain POV chapters.
I enjoyed Adam having a full breakdown in this book (and being Chainsaw's stepdad), I enjoyed Ronan and Adam getting the Orpheus/Eurydice plotline I'd been wanting all series, and I enjoyed Hennessy seducing Carmen by painting her furiously angry portrait, but for me this was really Declan's book. He spends the first half trying (and failing) to take care of two sleeping brothers, and then sinks to rock bottom and decides to go out fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. We finally get some answers about the dead Lynch parents who reappeared in the first book, which leads to gunshot wound tending and daddy-mommy-issue catharsis for poor woobie Declan. While I wasn't thrilled with the final reveal about Ronan being Dream Jesus, at least he's not stupidly overpowered and ten times stronger than all the other dreamers for no reason. The epilogue was sweet without being saccharine, and I appreciated getting a final post-college glimpse at Blue and Gansey and Henry.
I have a few additional thoughts about fandom and shipping, but this is long already and I don't think anyone on my flist is active in this fandom anymore. Might make a part two, or just chat in the comments.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-31 03:00 am (UTC)This is how I felt about the last two books, really. I feel that Chekov's gun really matters to me, that people and things who will be important at the end need to be foreshadowed near the beginning, and things from the beginning that seem important need to either be important, or be discarded early. I fell completely out of the fandom upon reading TRK, and I did not trust the author enough to even start the sequel trilogy. (She already had one strike against her for totally dropping the Books of Faerie, and the second book had felt like it was completely disconnected from the first one anyway.)
no subject
Date: 2024-01-31 05:26 pm (UTC)I genuinely think that the Dreamer Trilogy was better about this, both because the reveals had more foreshadowing and because the things that didn't get explained weren't hammered early on as ~ooh, isn't this thing weird and intriguing, don't you want to know what it means~ and then never getting an answer. But just like TRC, I was way more interested in the characters and setting and writing than the plot and worldbuilding.