Blue Lily, Lily Blue

Book 3 of the Raven Cycle

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The third installment in the mesmerizing series from the irrepressible, number one New York Times best-selling author Maggie Stiefvater.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.

Mothers can disappear.

Visions can mislead.

Certainties can unravel.

©2014 Maggie Stiefvater (P)2014 Scholastic Inc.

Great Characters, But Plot Flounders A Bit

3.5 stars overall

If you love a good plot to go with your characters, Blue Lily, Lily Blue might disappoint. As I mentioned in my review of The Dream Thieves, the plot has taken a back seat to the characters. What started as a fairly interesting plot has been reduced to flailing in the wind with these last two books. Stiefvater’s villains also continue to be a point of contention with me. Greenmantle, the antagonist from the last book, makes a personal appearance in this book, but this time he brings his mustache twirling wife along for the ride. However, just as with the first two books, there’s still not much compelling about these villains despite this extended look at Greenmantle. Even the other characters seem to barely spare Greenmantle and his wife more than an exasperated sigh for their troubles. They add no substance to an already sputtering plot that is really starting to become redundant in a droning way.

If you don’t mind a thin plot and love characters, then this will definitely be a treat, as characters continues to be Stiefvater’s strength and is obviously what she enjoys writing. This continues to explore the characters that we have come to know and love and their relationship with each other. I loved how the relationship between Blue and the Raven Boys is described as them all being in love with one another.

"But what she didn’t realize about Blue and her boys was that 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. 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."

Adam learns to listen to Cabeswater’s needs, reconciling himself with the strange nature of its mutterings and manifestations, while coming to terms with his own feelings of inferiority and learning that his friendships are absolute and lasting. Blue discovers that she is so much more than an amplifier for other people’s “magic.” While the full extent of this isn’t explored in this book, it leaves open so many possibilities for her in the next book and beyond. Ronan continues to be Ronan, but we learn more about his dream things including a reveal about someone in his own life that he pulled from his dreams. Gansey seemed to have the least amount of development other than to start showing more frayed ends around that cultured, privileged perfection he tries so hard to show the world.

Other characters in this series continue to pop in and amuse readers such as the always acerbic Calla, and there’s an introduction of a new character that I suppose will be important in the next book, even if I felt his introduction at this points felt a bit forced. (I like the character, but it’s hard to see him fitting in the story at this point.) This book also begins to set the groundwork for what will come after their search for Glendower. They’re preparing to graduate and they’re thinking about what they want to do with their lives. There is disappointment and yearning in these moments as befitting to kids their age. This prods the readers to start thinking of the future (and the end of this story) for this group.

Will Patton returns as the narrator for this book, and even with my mixed feelings of his narration, this series wouldn’t be the same without his voice.

I think Blue Lily, Lily Blue tries to be more than it really is. Part of the synopsis says, “Friends can betray. Mothers can disappear. Visions can mislead. Certainties can unravel.” A mother certainly did disappear, but the rest of this doesn’t really seem to come to fruition. I can see it happening for some of those things, but it’s so murky. The plot is just not strong enough to really strongly support most of those claims. It’s not a bad book by any means, and there are plenty of revelations that come to light in this book along with a heartbreaking moment near the end. However, this book seemed more ambitious than anything. There was much going on with the characters, but it doesn’t really move forward much in terms of story.

great read great listen

Will Patten is great and i live the story! looking forward to the next installment of this cycle

Truly Magical

I love this series, and Will Patton uses his narrative prowess to bring every one of the characters in this book to vivid life, by giving each one a voice. The third book in the Raven Cycle installment pulls the reader in and demands that you continue the journey onto the final book.

narrator is excellent. story is great.

What did you love best about Blue Lily, Lily Blue?

i found this book to be mostly about ronan and his abilities. i had read that this was more about blue and gansey falling in love but that was not what i took away from the book. either way, it is very much worth listening to.

What other book might you compare Blue Lily, Lily Blue to and why?

i dont have a comparison.

Which scene was your favorite?

i liked all of the scenes with mr. diddly. i liked his trusting and protective nature as well as his stature. i could visualize him with ease.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when ronan gave blue his flaslight to cross the waters in the cave.

Any additional comments?

i love this narrator.

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if you liked the first two books, you will also like this one. and if you did, you know you want to read the next one. so what are you waiting for?

excellent writing and performance

This next in the series follows along nicely though sometimes we lose track of some of the characters as if maybe there wasn't quite room to fit them. But I continue really enjoying Maggie's beautiful engaging writing and Mr Patton's reading is superb. His ability to subtly shift to render such a wide ranging cast of characters really makes it.

Good story, well narrated.

I wanted more to happen and I expected more out of the villain. Adam became my favorite character in this one.

SONGS!!!

The narrator has a lovely singing voice that truly reflects the character. Many thanks to all of his hard work, it truly gave me a chuckle every time this character showed up.

Love this series!

I really like this series. This third book puts a few more twists into the story. We see more of Adam's bargain with Cabeswater play out and learn more about Mr. Grey's employer, Greenmantle. We also see the death of one character and return of another.

Magnificently magical third installment

Blue Lily, Lily Blue was everything I thought it would be: mysterious and dark, magical and imaginatively irresistible! The pace of the story was just right and the action scenes were electrifying. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is so lyrical and poetic, too beautiful to be just written down; having it read out loud and narrated through audiobooks definitely does it justice. Will Patton does a phenomenal job, bringing each of the characters to life with his awesomely raspy voice. I absolutely recommend this series to everyone who loves a bit of strangeness, mystery, and magic.