Quick Review: Mr. Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know Kate and I love Maggie Stiefvater. Especially me. And I especially love her Raven Cycle and it’s spin-off, The Dreamer’s Trilogy. Ronan character is such a good character. He’s such an asshole but also such a softie at the same time. He also has the power to make anything in his dream and bringing back with him when he wakes up. This has caused him a lot of issues throughout his life but most recently since the Ley Lines he uses to dream are dying and he and fellow dreamer Hennessy are on the run from those who want to kill them because they believe they will bring the end of the world. Honestly, with Ronan that wouldn’t be that shocking if he did. We begin Ronan and Hennessy are trying to learn how to control their powers from Bryde but things aren’t as they assume. They never are. Meanwhile, Jordan and Declan are trying to find solutions to keeping themselves and their loves alive if something should happen to their dreamers. It’s a fast paced and fun. I suspected who Bryde might have been but we still kind of shocked when the revealed happened because it definitely changes things. I can only hope that Ronan and others get their shit together soon because the end of the world is coming sooner than later.

Coming to a TV near you

Lately some of the books we have read are being turned into TV shows and we couldn’t be happier about it.  Here’s three that will be hitting the airwaves in the next couple of years.

raven The first being The Raven Cycle by Stacks Fave Maggie Stiefvater. It’s still in development but making progress.  It’s found a home on Syfy with Catherine Hardwick of Twilight fame at the helm.  Now this series is perfect for a series.  There is really just too much for a movie.  Too much of it’s weirdness and nuances would have to be cut out to make it fit into a two hour movie.  As a TV show, we can get all the adventures of Blue and the Raven boys and also expand on the people of Henrietta.  I’m particularly hopeful they dip deeper into the ladies of 300 Fox Way. I’ve been dying to know more about Maura, Calla and Persephone.  Like how did they even meet?

 

who fears death Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor has been optioned by HBO and produced by George R.R. Martin.  This is exciting because it takes place in a post-nuclear-holocaust Africa meaning an all black cast.  Yeah diversity on TV!  I’m not sure how this will play as a TV series. It wasn’t a very long book but plenty of room to expand on the universe.  Go more into Onyesonwu’s people and the conflict between the Okeye and Nuru.  If you are squirmish about some of the violence in Game of Thrones this is going to be any better.  There were several scenes in the book that were very hard for me to read.  I’m not sure how they are going to do them on TV, even if it is HBO.  I can definitely tell you that there will be nothing like this on TV and the fact that HBO and George R.R. Martin are taking it on is impressive.  Almost makes you forget that they are also trying to make a TV show about the Confederacy.  Almost

fifth-season Who Fears Death maybe produced by George R.R. Martin and HBO but in my mind N.K. Jemisin’s novel The Fifth Season is probably closer to Game of Thrones in scale of epic story telling. The Hugo winning novel was picked up by TNT earlier this week.  I’m not even sure how they will be able to present this on screen without giving too much away.  It also means more diversity on primetime television as the main characters are all women of color.  If this done right it’s going to be impressive.  This also reminds me I better get on to reading book two in the Broken Earth series, The Obelisk Gate.

Happy One Year Anniversary to The Raven King and Maggie Stiefvater!

April 2016 was our most successful month page views wise.  We had 589 views, which beat our previous record of 552 in December 2015. It made me wonder what were we writing about a year ago to get so much traffic.  Well, The Raven Cycle and Maggie Stiefvater.  It’s hard to believe that the The Raven King came out a year ago.  That it has been a year since we found out if Gansey, Blue, Ronan and Adam would find the sleeping Welsh King and If Blue and Gansey would kiss and if Gansey would die.  Those mysteries have been solved.  Thankfully, we know that we haven’t read the last of the Gang as Maggie is working on a trilogy about Ronan. Whee!!!

And we have another Maggie book coming in October.  So we have a lot to look forward to but let’s take a moment, in honor of the 1 year anniversary of the release of The Raven King and the end of the The Raven Cycle, to look at everything we have ever written about the series.

What I’m Listening to Now: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Public Service Announcement

What I’m Thankful for

Cover Reveal: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Books that Rocked My Face off, Part two

Let’s Do Some Reading: Goals for 2015

Cover Reveal: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Discussion Posts: Re-reading series before the new installment comes out

Books that Rocked My Face Off in 2015

What I Can’t Wait to Read in 2016

First Listen of The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Countdown to The Raven King!

What I’m ReReading Now: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Observations on The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Observations on The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Observations on Blue Lily Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

My To-Read List for the next month or so

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 1

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 2

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 3

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 4

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 5

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 6

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 7

What I’m Reading Now: THE RAVEN KING BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER

What I’m Listening to: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Review: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Our Top 5 Posts of 2016

My Top 10 Books I read in 2016

Top Eight for 2016!

Th Raven Cycle as a TV Show Yes Please

The Raven Cycle as a TV Show Yes Please

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SQUEE!  This is the most fantastic news!  I’m so happy that it’s being adapted for TV and not a movie because  a 2 hour movie could never hold the likes of  Gansey, Blue, Ronan, Adam and Noah.  This would be perfect for as a Netflix show or even maybe AMC.  I just hope they do it justice.

Thanks to Library-Mermaid on Tumblr for the gif.

In Memoriam of all the Series that Ended in 2016

In the tradition of award shows every way, we at Stacks would like to recognized those series that are no longer with us.  They have ended.  They and solved all their mysteries and tied up any loose ends.  We were said to see them go but they will always be remembered for the joy that brought to our lives.

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Our Top 5 Posts of 2016

2016 was a mix bag of a year but let’s focus on the positives,shall we?   This year was a banner year for us at Stacks.  In the last weeks of the year we are going to take a look back of some of our highlights.  So here are our most viewed posts of the past year.

  1. Review: Half Lost by Sally Green Who knew this was going to be such big crowd pleaser?  This book really broke my heart.  The ending was so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.  I originally reviewed this back in January but we are still getting views.
  2. Preview of the Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan So this post is originally from 2015 but the excitement over Riordan’s new book carried over into 2016.  It’s views more then doubled my review of the book.  I’ll try not to read too much into that.  😉
  3. Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 1 My excitement over the The Raven King was subtle.  Okay, not so subtle.  This was the first of a week long celebration of Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle series.  I examined different aspects of the series and tried to predict what was going to happen in the final book.
  4. Review: Endure by Sara B. Larson Another surprising addition to the list.  This review from January about the final book in Sara B. Larson’s book was a pretty good series.
  5. Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 2  and rounding out our top five is Part 2 of my The Raven Cycle love fest.

2016

Discussion: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater Part 4

the raven king Ronan is a greywaren.  He can bring items from his dreams.  Adam made a bargain with Cabeswater and now has a mystical connection with the forest and Blue is a mirror.  She reflects other’s powers off of them and makes them more powerful.  Gansey has brought together a powerful crew to assist him in his search.  Ronan has fully embraced his powers and seems to have a pretty good understanding of how it works and how it affects Cabeswater.  Adam is still learning how to use his new powers and how to communicate with Cabeswater.  Even though the death of Persephone was a blow to his learning, I got the sense that by the end of Blue Lily Lily Blue he was in a much better place.  How he and Ronan took control of the expedition into the cave the last time showed a new kind confidence in him that he didn’t have before.  Blue is wild card because she is just discovering her powers.  So how will all of their powers combine help with the search for Glendower?  You know that they will have to work together if they are going to find him.

Also, will Ronan figure out to save Matthew from the same fate as their mom?  (BTW, Ronan’s mom is named Aurora.  Do you know who else is named Aurora? Sleeping Beauty.  Guess who just made that connection?  Me, that’s who.) Will this have any effect on the search and Cabeswater? Will we find out more about the mask of Niall and how it relates to Adam?  Is Ronan also a little psychic too or was it just a random dream?  So many questions that need to be answered.

Part 1: The Role of New characters

Part 2: The Role of Characters who are not new but new to Henrietta..

Part 3: The Role of Persephone’s death.

Observations on Blue Lily Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

blue lilyAll the feels!  Re-reading this book just reaffirms how painful The Raven King is going to be.

  • What’s the deal with Henry Cheng?  I mean seriously?  Maggie has already said he is going to play a bigger part in the next book but what?  What was he doing out that late at night when Gansey and Blue run into him?
  • Speaking of, is there ever been a more romantic non-kiss.  It almost puts some actually literary kisses to shame!
  • I want to know more about Persephone’s backstory.  Actually I want a spin-off series that is just about Persephone, Maura and Calla.  Hey Maggie, can you make that happen?
  • Adam learned a very important lesson.  That it is okay to ask for help and even if you don’t ask, if a friend offers it’s not out of pity but out friendship.
  • Piper Greenmantle is not someone I would want to meet in a dark alley.  That woman is truly scary.
  • What is Gansey doing in the faculty lounge?  Does he already know he’s going to die and this is him making plans?
  • Why haven’t any written the Murder Squash song?
  • I love how all-in Ronan is to being Supernatural.  He’s owning is Greywareness!
  • Also how touching was his revelation about Matthew?  How he’s working on saving him.  With what happened in the cave, do you think he’s figured it out.
  • I like Blue and Ronan’s relationship. For all his guff, Ronan can’t help but care.  He saved her from falling twice, once in the beginning of the book and in the end and then stayed behind in the dark to make sure she got to the other side.  He’s a class act when he wants to be.
  • What kind of man buries their daughter, face down in a grave for robbers to find? Maybe Glendower isn’t worth it after all.
  • Jesse Dittley wasn’t kidding when he said his cave was cursed.  May he Rest In Peace
  • Never Scrying by yourself kids.

So, we are now two weeks away from the release of The Raven King and the anticipation is just killing me.  Will they find Glendower?  Will Blue and Gansey finally kiss and will it kill him?  Will Ronan and Adam kiss? Who is the third sleeper? Is it a huge spider because I am not okay with that! What has Neeve been doing all this time?  I have so many questions that I hope to get answered soon.  Dear readers, what are your questions for The Raven King?

Observations on The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

ravenSo it turns out that I never did a review of The Raven Boys. I guess that makes sense since it did come out in 2012 and well, Stacks did launch in 2012 but it took us two years to really get things going here.  Check out Kate’s review and now a few observations.

  • Richard Gansey III is smooth with the ladies, amorite? Blue’s and Gansey’s meet-cute may not be all that cute but it was pretty funny and a perfect set up to their relationship.  Gansey is earnest but a little clueless but also shows how much both have changed throughout the series.
  • On that note, Adam is a pretty smooth operator with the ladies.
  • I love the way Ronan is described as he is more a sharp object then a person.
  • Is Barrington Whelk the worst name ever?
  • Neeve is shifty you didn’t have to be a psychic to figure that out.
  • Does anyone else want a floor plan of 300 Fox Way? and Does anyone else want to live there? I do.
  • Speaking of, I want to have drinks with Maura, Calla and Persephone and I’m not sure there is ever too much vodka.
  • You have to love a book that features Welsh history and Latin as major plot points.
  • Adam makes me so sad but I love him.  He hasn’t excepted his situation as how things have to be and is doing something about it.  I think he’s actually the best thing to happen to Gansey and Ronan.
  • Blue is amazing.  She is not afraid to stand up for herself. I also think she is the best thing to happen to Gansey.  She challenges his perception of what it means to be poor.  While Adam lives the life Gansey assumes all poor people live and life with violence and little love.  Blue’s home life doesn’t fit that.  It may be chaotic with all those women live in 300 Fox Way but it’s definitely a house full of love.
  • Poor Noah.  How many times did he tell people he was dead?
  • Neeve will show up eventually.  You think so?
  • Adam what have you done? Next time you sacrifice yourself, know what you getting yourself into.
  • How adorable is Ronan with Chainsaw?
  • Speaking of Ronan, if you could bring anything from your dreams what would it be?

Ok, now onto The Dream Thieves.  It’s my favorite one so far.  Also, 20 more days until The Raven King!