Finally, after finishing the third installment in The Raven Cycle, I can say that I truly enjoyed it, I can say that I felt that spark that everyone else already had with this series, but I didn't. Yes, now I finally get the hype for Maggie Stiefvater and for her novels. 
 Returning to Henrietta: more places to explore, more mysteries, and surely more clues that will lead us and The Gangsey to the dubious and magical Owen Glendower. Do you feel ready for all this? 
 Because I certainly wasn't ready. Blue Lily, Lily Blue is a roller-coaster of emotions and plot twists that did not fail to make my jaw drop. I feel like I can't speak about this book without spoiling the entire series, because there is just so much to it. It's surprising, unexpected, it's frustrating a times, and it does all the right things. I think I might actually call it my favourite book of the franchise! 
 I was pleasantly surprised to notice that Maggie Stiefvater finally fixed a certain problem that I had with both of the previous books: the pacing. Basically, in The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves, hardly anything happens in the first half. Blue Lily, although not exactly fast paced, brings a great improvement: that unmistakable thrill that I get while reading fantasy books, especially magic-realism. I found myself craving more, dying to see how it would conclude. I didn't believe that Stiefvater could do that to her readers. Until now. 
 (view spoiler)[Should I even mention the relationships? I never thought I'd ship Blue and Gansey, since you know from the beginning that they are doomed, but maybe the whole doomed things makes me ship them even more. Also, I see such great potential in Adam and Ronan! (Maggie has to make it canon, okay?) I'm going to stop right here, because I don't think I can put everything in words... (hide spoiler)] 
 While writing this review, I actually stopped in the middle of a sentence and thought: Ioana, if you enjoyed it so much, why the hell isn't this a five-star read? What is it you didn't like? I was genuinely confused for a second, because I couldn't fathom what I didn't like, and then it struck me: Greenmantle... A murderous Latin teacher? Haven't we been there before? Hmm... 
 I just feel that this book's villain, compared to Kavinsky, from the previous books, seems... taken straight out of a comic book. I'm not saying this in a kind way. He's not frightening in any way. He's not even that smart. And let's not even talk about the way they get rid of him (do we agree that that was too easy?)... 
 On a more positive note, I don't even need to talk about the characters. They're as awesome and relatable as usual, and now I certainly feel like I'm part of their group. In each book, I feel their friendship (which, at first, I did not find realistic) strengthening, and I'm in awe of what the writer managed to do with them. 
 Until the next book... Rex Corvus, parate Regis Corvi 
 My review for The Raven Boys 
 My review for The Dream Thieves