Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Starred Review Here it is e final volume in the Raven Cycle d it is, simply, a marvel, the strongest and most spacious of the four volumes. This installment finds the world of the Raven Boys (Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah) and their best friend Blue in considerable and dangerous disarray. As strange, increasingly sinister things begin happening in Henrietta and the magic forest of Cabeswater, the search for sleeping king Owen Glendower becomes more imperative, as it becomes apparent that something wicked this way comes. To say more here would be to rob readers of the joy of discovering the book's many secrets, twists, and surprises. Instead, let's observe that if writing a book is taking readers' minds for a walk, Stiefvater never makes a false step. Everything is exactly right: the writing is gorgeous, the characters are brilliantly realized, the compelling plot arises organically from them, the mounting danger and suspense leaves the reader breathless, and the presence of evil is palpable. Best of all, Stiefvater has created a richly imagined, complete world that readers can, with a sense of wonder, inhabit, experiencing viscerally the magic with which it is suffused and falling in love with its unforgettable characters. Like this world she has created, Stiefvater's Raven Cycle is magic, plain and simple. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Few working YA authors have mastered the art of the commercial and critical smash like Stiefvater. Expect this victory lap to be well promoted and well celebrated.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A group of Virginia teenagers finally finds a long-buried Welsh king in this conclusion to the four-part Raven Cycle. A demon has infected the magical forest, Cabeswater, killing Ronan's mother, Aurora, and threatening Ronan's brother, Matthew, as well as Ronan and maybe the whole world—Gansey knows what he has to do. It's all been foretold, and readers have been waiting for it since Blue saw him on the corpse road in quartet opener The Raven Boys (2012). For three out of four novels, Stiefvater combined extraordinary magic and visceral reality in a way that felt entirely true. Here, the magic scatters in all directions, and too little of it makes sense. The characters—Ronan, Gansey, long-dead Noah, Blue Sargent, newcomer Henry, and especially Adam—are as multidimensional and fully realized as ever; Ronan and Adam's budding romance is beautifully told. The writing sings—each sentence, each paragraph marvelously wrought. Yet at the point where the story needs to make the most sense, it makes the least, prophecy and magics piling up on one another in a chaotic, anticlimactic climax. The ending feels trivial, almost mocking the seriousness of the rest of the quartet. Stiefvater couldn't write a bad book, and this isn't one, but it is a disappointment after years of glorious buildup. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Gr 9 Up-The wait is over. The long-anticipated fourth and final volume in the engrossing Raven cycle is here, and it's a doozy. If anything, it is even more steeped in dreams, magic, and possibility than the previous titles and none of the books' ongoing dramas are simply resolved. The masterful Stiefvater juggles multiple plotlines, adds a few new ones, and keeps the pages turning. Most importantly, readers will continue to be invested in her rich and complex characters. The quest for the Welsh king Glendower is completed, but kings aren't always what they're cracked up to be. Gansey and his friends are now desperate to change what they have come to believe is his fate—to die before the end of the year. They also have to cope with the villainous forces of greed and corruption who descend on their town, RoboBees, and a power-hungry demon. And there's that nagging curse that Blue will kiss her true love and he will die, and she's increasingly certain that Gansey is her heart's desire. Strange revelations about Blue's father and the introduction of a new student, who proves to be a stalwart and trustworthy ally, all help to build to the breathtaking climax. Beyond the imaginative storytelling, the colorful cast of characters, and the looping subplots, Stiefvater has tackled big questions about life and death, power and personal responsibility, dreams and promises, and fate and destiny. VERDICT This is a series that is destined for greatness and The Raven King is a crowning achievement.— Luann Toth , School Library Journal

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Almost finished with high school, Ronan, Adam, and Blue near the end of their quest for Glendower, and Gansey nears the end of his life. Relationships develop naturally, bad guys lurk, magical beings are bartered with, and the quartet closes. Fans will likely be disappointed by intrusive plot devices and numerous loose ends, but Stiefvater's writing is lyrical and character development is solid.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A group of Virginia teenagers finally finds a long-buried Welsh king in this conclusion to the four-part Raven Cycle. A demon has infected the magical forest, Cabeswater, killing Ronan's mother, Aurora, and threatening Ronan's brother, Matthew, as well as Ronan and maybe the whole world—Gansey knows what he has to do. It's all been foretold, and readers have been waiting for it since Blue saw him on the corpse road in quartet opener The Raven Boys (2012). For three out of four novels, Stiefvater combined extraordinary magic and visceral reality in a way that felt entirely true. Here, the magic scatters in all directions, and too little of it makes sense. The characters—Ronan, Gansey, long-dead Noah, Blue Sargent, newcomer Henry, and especially Adam—are as multidimensional and fully realized as ever; Ronan and Adam's budding romance is beautifully told. The writing sings—each sentence, each paragraph marvelously wrought. Yet at the point where the story needs to make the most sense, it makes the least, prophecy and magics piling up on one another in a chaotic, anticlimactic climax. The ending feels trivial, almost mocking the seriousness of the rest of the quartet. Stiefvater couldn't write a bad book, and this isn't one, but it is a disappointment after years of glorious buildup. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

Voice of Youth Advocates

The highly anticipated final installment of Stiefvater's Raven Cycle has arrived with Blue and the Raven BoysGansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noahcontinuing their quest to find Glendower, the legendary sleeping king who can grant one favor. The search for the king is halted when a nefarious entity awakens and sets off a chain of reactions that leads to the death of multiple characters, the destruction of dream creations, and the arrival of a crew of unsavory magic smugglers who descend upon Henrietta, the small magic-infused Virginia town. Shady villains, ghosts, new helpful magical beings, angsty romantic decisions, and destined-to-be kisses round out the page-turning narrative and lead to a tense climax. When the king is found, he is not the favor-granting savior everyone expected him to be, and Blue and Gansey's ill-fated destinies finally crash into reality, forcing them to choose between what they desire for themselves and their responsibilities to everyone else they love.Stiefvater excels at building an intricately layered narrative with twisting, unpredictable turns, and her ability to introduce new, complex characters and storylines while also tying up previous loose ends is remarkable. Stiefvater's exploration of character-driven themes that young adults experience in their own lives provokes a visceral reading experience that is enhanced by the magic and mythology surrounding the series. Readers who have invested in the series for years will not be disappointed, for the characters they have come to love are tested and found worthy in their sacrifices and redemption.Jewel Davis.