The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven King
Series: The Raven Cycle #4
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: April 26th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

Nothing living is safe. Nothing dead is to be trusted.

For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into this quest: Ronan, who steals from dreams; Adam, whose life is no longer his own; Noah, whose life is no longer a lie; and Blue, who loves Gansey…and is certain she is destined to kill him.

Now the endgame has begun. Dreams and nightmares are converging. Love and loss are inseparable. And the quest refuses to be pinned to a path.

Review

There is so much to say about The Raven King yet so much that would spoil it.  The Raven King was an epic conclusion to a truly magical series.  In preparation for The Raven King, I re-listened to all the books on audio.  Will Patton does an amazing job of conveying the suspense, the magical world of Cabeswater, and the always evolving dynamics between all the characters.  The Raven King audio book was no exception; the audio truly transports the reader right into Henrietta, Virginia.

The Raven King is full of magical battles, tense and high stake situations, and a dynamic cast.  Small pieces introduced in previous books come back to play bigger roles in this one.  One of the things that makes The Raven King such a strong conclusion is that it weaves together all the story lines The Raven Cycle has been building upon in the last three books.  There are surprises all the way through the very last pages.  Just when I have an idea of where something might go, it takes a completely different turn.  The relationships, all of them- family, friends, and significant other- are always changing and always growing.  There is so much to the plot, it never slowed down!

I have re-read this series every time a new book comes out and I am still picking up on new things and quotes I missed the previous times.  If you have not started the series I highly recommend it!  The Raven King had all the plot, beautiful writing, and character development that makes a fantastic book.  I have no doubt that I will come back to this series again and again.