"A secret is a strange thing... Ronan Lynch lived with every sort of secret." 
 And so begins a breathtaking installment in Maggie Stiefvater's riveting Raven Cycle saga. 
 Ronan Lynch is unforgettable in every scene. This "fighter of men" and "devil of a boy" never takes shit from anyone. And what has he got to show for it? His "smile made for war," for one. And what about his molten eyes? Accounted for, as anyone remedially perceptive could attest. Then there is Chainsaw, his pet raven. Here's where it gets interesting. Ronan took her from a dream. From dream, to memory, to reality. Likewise with a set of keys for a certain hell-tinged Camaro and a box that can translate a phrase to multiple languages. Not only do his dreams house engaging and unique objects, they are home to unfathomable demons. Night horrors. His demons are armed, and he fights them resiliently. It doesn't stop with his dreams. Some of them intrude during his waking hours. 
 In church, Ronan forlornly questions what he is - and as events unfold in master storyteller Maggie Stiefvater's lyrical and mysterious style, we root for him while we wonder the same thing. 
 While this is undisputably Ronan's tale, the rest of the cast of beloved characters is not lacking in presence. The gripping narrative takes us from scene to scene, and we are let in on the happenings of Blue, Gansey, Adam, Noah, and Joseph Kavinsky. Gansey is still hot on the heels of the mythological Welsh king as he investigates the ley line. Adam struggles to not lose himself. I loved how onioned Niall Lynch was, in all his layers - and the emphasis on his three sons as reflections of these respective layers. Niall Lynch is a study of the complexity of humanity. Kavinsky is unforgettable in his deranged conduct and destructiveness. The Gray Man was introduced as well - a quirky hit man with a penchant for Anglo-Saxon poetry. 
 In an unfaltering voice, Maggie Stiefvater delivers us another thrilling telling. This time we learn more about Ronan, "brother to a liar and brother to an angel, son of a dream and son of a dreamer." This tale is all the more compelling due to the rich cast of unforgettable characters, their respective quests (both physical and psychological), and their intertwined lives. The writing style is dark, brooding, and tinged with a something-is-just-beyond-reach aura. The characters pulse off the page, and we teem with anticipation as the story progresses. Every word beckons for us to breathe it in, and we do. 
 The tale slurped me up, gnawed me and gnashed me, and spat me back out. Just like that. It was riveting. A gorgeously chilling and skillfully spun tale. I ache with a hunger that can only be quenched with the next installment.