Morrighan's Book Reviews: Ghosts

Showing posts with label Ghosts. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - Raven Cycle #3

* Warning: Spoilers for The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves.

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.

I had so many expectations for this book, that I practically set it up for failure in my mind. And then I read it. Failure? Are you kidding?! It was truly perfect in every way that I wanted it to be. This series has such an Otherness to it that is impossible to explain. Is it YA? Meh. The relationships between the characters are so real, so beautiful and perfect, which is rare in YA books. I didn't think that I could love these characters any more than I did.. but I was definitely wrong. I'm going to say it now, because after reading the third book, I know without a doubt: This is my favorite series EVER. Ever. The characters are so complex and layered, so real and flawed, and I am in love with every single one of them. Even Ronan, the asshole, has my heart. Stiefvater's ability to completely immerse the reader into her worlds is wonderful and disappointing at the same time. Disappointing, only because when you awake from the world, you know that you cannot physically visit it. It's an overwhelming sadness that I haven't felt before from a story. I want to visit her mythical Cabeswater, trek through the forest where the trees speak Latin, search for the mystical King sleeping on the ley line of Virginia. Sigh. I have always held a special place in my heart for history, and more so for archaeology. From the age of 7, I wanted to be an archaeologist; to quest for ancient treasure hidden throughout our vast world. The only thing holding me back from that dream was the fact that the field itself is beyond competitive. You can only be a true archaeologist if your love for doing it is greater than your need for companionship. Sadly, I cannot see myself alone in a desert/jungle/forest, wherever, truly alone for months on end. Your life spent in a tent, in the middle of nowhere.. archaeologists are basically glorified hobos! Enough rambling.. let's get back to the review, shall we..?

In this third book, we get to see the relationship between Blue and Gansey develop a bit more. They are little things, hands touch for a moment, late night phone calls, but they are so important. The heartbreak and sadness between the two of them is overwhelming.

"She had thought it was such a simple thing to avoid kissing someone when she'd been with Adam. Her body had never known what to do. Now it knew. Her mouth didn't care that it was cursed. She turned to Gansey. "Blue," he warned, but his voice was chaotic. This close, his throat was scented with mint and wool sweater and vinyl car seat, and Gansey. Just Gansey. She said, "I just want to pretend. I want to pretend that I could." He breathed out. What was a kiss without a kiss?"

The fact that Gansey is going to die is crushing. I tried to stop myself from falling in love with him, but it was a failed mission. I knew from the moment I started reading The Raven Boys that this broken boy was going to die eventually, dammit! As the case is with Blue, I couldn't protect my heart from loving his doomed ass! Either Blue will kill him with a kiss, Adam will kill him with his anger, or he will get stung by bees. Either way, his life will likely be over by the end of the fourth book, and I hate it! And of course, we still have this...

All of these tweets saying "Maggie, don't kill Gansey!" Oh, please. That kid is going DOWN.
— Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater) September 30, 2014

Noah's character is heartbreaking as well. I feel so much for him, and I have no idea how Stiefvater can possibly fix him. Noah was the first sacrifice to wake Cabeswater, and now his spirit is trapped on the ley line. He was able to befriend the Raven boys and Blue, but the fact that he doesn't have a body hinders his chances at true companionship. I thought, maybe, that would be the favor that they asked of the King, but with Gansey's looming death.. I just don't know! And it's driving me insane! Adam's character is able to grow exponentially in this book. He begins to realize that, just because he is friends with Gansey, it doesn't make him beholden to him. As the economic gaps between Gansey and Adam begin to diminish, the ones between Blue and her Raven Boys grows. Her Ivy League bound boys will be heading to posh schools in their futures, while Blue will be destined to a school that she can afford. I focus on this aspect because, as a college student in a low income bracket, I fully understand the difficulties between a great education, and the ability to afford that great education. Sadly, the privileged will almost always be able to afford that education that the less privileged cannot. This point struck home to me, and I appreciate Stiefvater's analysis of this problem. Just another reason why the realism in this novel, the entire series is perfection!

Through her characters, they all lead back to Gansey. At the heart of this series, the heart of this quest, lies Gansey. But what struck me as insane is the fact that the reader really doesn't know much about him. Which leads me to my theory that Gansey is Glendower. Through this third book, I am still convinced that it will play out that way in the end. The psychics' visions speak of Gansey disappearing into Cabeswater, and they cannot see his actual death. Ronan is the greywaren, the one that can pull things from his dreams. Adam is Cabeswater's eyes and ears, the true sacrifice. Noah is already dead. What is Blue? Where does she fit into the whole quest? I was hoping for a few more hints from Stiefvater about her character. I can't really say much without giving away huge spoilers, but we did get a little. I just don't know how the information we get about Blue fits into the rest of the quest! Sigh.

And now, we have a basic picture of the quest itself.

"Now she saw what Maura had seen: three sleepers- light, dark, and in between."

Don't wake the third sleeper. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who is the third sleeper and where does he fit into the quest itself?! This book left me with more questions that I had at the beginning. I'm confident that I've overlooked a dozen hints that Stiefvater added, which makes me want to reread this book immediately. I am so lost as to how she will wrap everything up in a neat little package with one book left. Ugh!

To wrap up this extensive, insane review: please read this series! It is truly incredible, heartbreaking, funny, mysterious.. all of the feels imaginable combined into a delicious series! You will not be disappointed at all. My ~~fangirling~~ review is over. The end. (:

"Around them, Cabeswater hummed and muttered with life. Birds that didn't exist outside the forest flapped overhead. Somewhere close by, water ran over rocks. The trees were grand and old, furred with moss and lichen. Perhaps it was because she knew the forest was sentient, but Blue thought it looked wise. If she let her mind wander far enough, she could almost feel the sensation of the forest listening to her. It was hard to explain; it was sort of like the feeling of someone hovering a hand just over your skin, not quite touching."
""I want you to whistle or hum or sing, Ronan, and keep track of time," Gansey said. "You have got to be shitting me," Ronan replied. "Me." Gansey peered down the tunnel. "I know you know a lot of songs all the way through, and can do them the same speed and length every time. Because you had to memorize all of those tunes for the Irish music competitions." Blue and Adam exchanged a delighted look. The only thing more pleasing than seeing Ronan singled out was seeing him singled out and forced to repeatedly sing an Irish jig. "Piss up a rope," Ronan said."
"She nearly fell into the hole. No wonder Gansey hadn't seen it. There was a rock ledge and then, just- nothing. "Gansey?" "I'm here." Gansey's voice was closer than she expected. Quieter than she expected too. "I just- I believe I'm having a panic attack." "You're having a panic attack? New rule: Everyone should give four tugs before suddenly disappearing. Have you broken anything?" A long pause. "No." Something about the tone of the single syllable conveyed, all at once, that he had not been kidding about his fear. Blue wasn't sure that reassurance was her strong point, especially when she was the one who wanted it, but she tried. "It'll be okay. We're anchored up here. All you need to do is climb out. You're not going to fall." "It's not that." His voice was a sliver. "There is something on my skin and it is reminding me of..." He trailed off. "Water," Blue suggested. "Or mud. It's everywhere. Say something again so I can point the flashlight at you." There was nothing but the sound of his breathing, jagged and afraid. She swept the flashlight beam again. "Or mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are everywhere," she said, voice bright. Gansey whispered, "Hornets." Her heart contracted. In the wash of adrenaline, she talked herself down: Yes, hornets could kill Gansey with just a sting, but no, there were not hornets in this cave. And today was not the day that Gansey was going to die, because she had seen his spirit on the day he died, and that spirit had been wearing an Aglionby sweater splattered with rain. Her flashlight beam finally found him. He hung limply in his harness, head tilted down, hands over his ears. Her flashlight beam traced his heaving shoulders. They were splattered with mud and grime, but there were no insects on them. She could breathe again. "Look at me," she ordered. "There are no hornets." "I know," he muttered. "That's why I said I think I'm having a panic attack. I know there are no hornets." What he wasn't saying, but what they both knew, was that Cabeswater was a careful listener. Which meant he needed to stop thinking about hornets."

Related Reviews
| The Raven Boys | The Dream Thieves |

Connect with Maggie Stiefvater
| Official Site | Twitter | Tumblr |

Friday, November 21, 2014

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

This series has been on my TBR pile for quite a while now, and I can't be happier that I finally got around to reading it! I loved it, everything about it! I am always a huge fan of treasure hunts, and The Raven Boys is full of wonderful treasure hunting. The boys are searching for a long dead king by the name of Glendower that they believe is still alive. Hidden on a powerful ley line, they feel that he is still alive somewhere underground, waiting for one worthy to wake him from his eternal sleep. If the king is is found, the one that wakes him is able to ask a favor of him. All of the characters have a different favor to ask. I feel that as the books continue, the favor will begin to merge into one that they all agree on.

Blue has seen Gansey, the leader of this misfit group of treasure hunters, on the Corpse Road. Which means that he will be dead within a year's time. Gansey is the first spirit that Blue has ever seen. Her family is full of powerful psychic women, but Blue has never had many powers. The only thing she feels that she is able to do is increase other's powers around her. She is a battery, meant to recharge and amplify others psychic powers. But when she able to see Gansey's spirit on the Corpse Road, there are only two possibilities behind the vision. Either she is the one who kills him, or he is her true love. But Gansey is just another Aglionby boy, rich and privileged, spoiled and stuck up. Or is he? Not to mention the fact that for all of her life, every psychic that meets Blue has told her that she will kill her true love by kissing him. There is no possible way that she could ever fall in love with Gansey, this rich, broken boy on a quest. But sometimes, even knowing the outcome, there is nothing one can do to stop the inevitable.

I love the story line, the characters, the world, the supernatural aspect.. all of it! I connected with each and every one of the characters in this story. Blue is my favorite, and I see a lot of myself in her. Eccentric tendencies and all! The way that she dresses, the fact that she doesn't give a shit what other people think.. I instantly connected with her character. Gansey is another of my favorite characters.. yes, he is rich, privileged, maybe a little spoiled; but he is also a broken man. From his almost death, to his vision of the ley line and Glendower, he is on a never ending quest to find his King and free him from his sleep. Adam's character is a little less likable. He is not like the other boys, rich and spoiled. He is a scholarship student living in a trailer park. His self loathing and embarrassment of himself got a little old after a while. He constantly thought that he wasn't good enough to be around the Aglionby boys, and that he had nothing to offer them. I found myself hoping that Blue and him would not get together, regardless of how perfect for each other that they were. I wanted to throat punch him most of the time! Ronan's character is complex, and I can't really describe him all that well. He is angry and dark, and the reader eventually finds out exactly why he is this way. I found myself drawn to him and his sarcasm, regardless of the powerful anger that he expressed. He is also a tortured, broken man; trying to understand himself and his world that never seems to make sense. And Noah. Well, he is a bit more interesting than we first thought. I can't give any spoilers, but just know that his character is revealed in a really crazy way that leaves the reading thinking, 'what the hell?' I have to give the characters 5 out of 5 stars, because I fell in love with each of them in their own way.

The world building is wonderful. I absolutely adore the story of supernatural, psychic abilities in this misfit group of teenagers. The treasure hunting aspect added a whole new dimension that I instantly was drawn to. Cabeswater, an enchanted forest that the group discovers on the ley line, is magical and exciting. A place of great power and mystery. Their sleepy Virginia town is not so boring anymore! I cannot express enough how much I loved this book, just read it! I am officially recommending it to everyone, everywhere, read it! I am more than looking forward to reviewing The Dream Thieves for all of you, as I have already finished reading it! As soon as I get some time this weekend, look out for that review, as well as for Blue Lily, Lily Blue!

"“I guess I make things that need energy stronger. I'm like a walking battery." "You're the table everyone wants at Starbucks," Gansey mused as he began to walk again. Blue blinked. "What?" Over his shoulder, Gansey said, "Next to the wall plug.”" -Gansey & Blue
"“How do you feel about helicopters?" There was a long pause. "How do you mean? Ethically?" "As a mode of transportation." "Faster than camels, but less sustainable.”" -Blue & Adam
"“When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and watching it, nowhere near the cavity of the tree. The Blue that was before her stood inches from a boy in an Aglionby sweater. There was a slight stoop to his posture, and his shoulders were spattered darkly with rain. It was his fingers that Blue felt on her face. He touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Tears coursed down the other Blue's face. Though some strange magic, Blue could feel them on her face as well. She could feel, too, sick, rising misery she'd felt in the churchyard, the grief that felt bigger than her. The other Blue's tears seemed endless. One drop slid after another, each following an identical path down her cheeks. The boy in the Aglionby sweater leaned his forehead against Blue's. She felt the pressure of his skin against hers, and suddenly she could smell mint. It'll be okay. Gansey told the other Blue. She could tell that he was afraid. It'll be okay. Impossibly, Blue realized that this other Blue was crying because she loved Gansey. And that the reason Gansey touched her like that, his fingers so careful with her, was because he knew that her kiss could kill him. She could feel how badly the other Blue wanted to kiss him, even as she dreaded it. Though she couldn't understand why, her real, present day memories in the tree cavity were clouded with other false memories of their lips nearly touching, a life this other Blue had already lived. Okay, I'm ready- Gansey's voice caught, just a little. Blue, kiss me.”" -Blue's vision
"“Fate," Blue replied, glowering at her mother, "is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast.”" -Blue & her mother

Related Reviews
| The Dream Thieves | Blue Lily, Lily Blue |

Connect with Maggie Stiefvater
| Official Site | Twitter | Tumblr |

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Categories: YA, Paranormal, Ghosts

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Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life..

With all of the hype surrounding this book, I wasn't really expecting all that much. I've found that I don't enjoy most of these over-hyped books circling the YA genre these days, but Anna Dressed in Blood was a wonderful read! My blogger cohorts have been recommending this book left and right, and I finally got around to reading it! I've read so many reviews of this book, I felt like I already knew the characters before I read the first page; most of these reviews stated that the book was terrifying. I have to admit, I don't scare easily. In fact, I think the last time a book or movie scared me, I was 7 years old watching Freddy Krueger. But this book was pretty creepy, I must say. It didn't scare me, but at 2am alone in my house, I found myself looking behind me while walking to the kitchen in the dark.

The characters were well written, and I enjoyed reading the point of view from a male character which is rare in YA books. Cas was a little over the top with his brooding, but I suppose if put into his life, I would feel the same way. I liked the fact that he never really felt like part of the living world. Although I'm not sure how well I accept the fact that he falls in love with a creepy, blood covered, murdering ghost; but hey, who am I to judge? Anna's character is fairly insane. She has been endowed with a hefty curse that forces her to murder every person she comes in contact with, she is somehow able to spare Cas's life when he enters her home. Cas and Anna are both fascinated with each other, and their relationship develops throughout the story. The other characters are also well written and described. I found myself enjoying the mysticism, the witchcraft, and the crazy rituals that were performed. Although I find myself laughing when authors use the term, Wicca to describe some ancient mystical practice. Do your research folks! Wicca was founded less than 60 years ago, and has absolutely no roots in ancient paganism! That is one of my biggest pet peeves while reading; authors that do not fully research what they are writing about, dammit!

The world building in this book is well done; I fully enjoyed the descriptions of ghosts and what they can do. It was a completely new view on spirits and their abilities. I loved the fact that ghosts had the power to kill people, to rip their limbs from their bodies or tear them in two. Ok, so maybe I'm a bit morbid, but it was definitely a new, refreshing idea. Cas's ability to kill them was sexy as hell, regardless of his broody, grumpy personality. A 17 year old guy with an athame that travels the world slaughtering ghosts and saving the innocent; I'm in Miss Blake! All in all, I really found myself enjoying this read, with the exception of the poor research about witchcraft and mysticism. I would recommend this to all the paranormal junkies out there! It was refreshing and original!

"“But hey, at least we’ll have this strange story to tell, love and death and blood and daddy-issues. And holy crap, I’m a psychiatrist’s wet dream.”" -Cas
“I’ve seen most of what there is to be afraid of in this world, and to tell you the truth, the worst of them are the ones that make you afraid in the light. The things that your eyes see plainly and can’t forget are worse than huddled black figures left to the imagination. Imagination has a poor memory; it slinks away and goes blurry. Eyes remember for much longer.” -Cas
"Over the course of my life I've been to lots of places. Shadowed places where things have gone wrong. Sinister places where things still are. I always hate the sunlit towns, full of newly built developments with double-car garages in shades of pale eggshell, surrounded by green lawns and dotted with laughing children. Those towns aren't any less haunted than the others. They're just better liars.” -Cas
"By the time I had gotten off the phone, I knew that I was going after Anna. My gut told me that she wasn't just a story. And besides, I wanted to see her, dressed in blood.”

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Connect with Kendare Blake
| Official Site | Twitter | Facebook |

Review Request Policy

First and foremost, I am nothing if not honest. I cannot promise my review will be positive, but I will be professional about a negative review. I accept all genres, save for non-fiction and poetry, although I do prefer fantasy and science fiction. I more often than not will only read physical copies because I do not own an EReader, but will occasionally accept EPUBs.

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You will receive an email from me to let you know if I am able to review your book or not. Thank you and happy reading!
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