All their friendships and becomings and realizations… GAH. I love them all so much.

SPOILER: I also wish they’d had more time to mourn Noah. I always knew they couldn’t keep him, much as I hoped things would play out otherwise, and I want to see how they cope with his loss. I suppose he’s really been slipping away since the moment they learned he was dead so there’s been a certain amount of long form grief spread across all four books and basically culminating in Blue and Noah’s moment under the tree, but still. NOAH.

(Also, I feel compelled to state that I always knew he was a ghost because he so obviously didn’t go to any classes. However, I did miss the “I’ve been dead for seven years” thing the first time through, possibly because I listened to it while I decorated a Christmas tree.)

Fave scene? Possibly the amazing metaphor for Adam’s kiss. Or the scene when they all show up in the cave and Gansey can’t believe it (really, Gansey, after all this time?) Love how it echoes the scene when they show up at the trial for Adam. I had no problem with Glendower being dead, because it was so clear Gansey was the Raven King. Love how they’re all kings, actually. (Oh, I get it: Raven boys, Raven king …)

I found this one the most horrific and frightening of the four; there were scenes that verged on too terrible for me to read, but it’s very much an illustration of that comment about fairy tales (C.S. Lewis??): kids don’t need to know there’s no monsters, they need to know monsters can be killed. (Something like that.)

Totally agree with your Number 4; there were actually several times in the series where I felt, “that was so easy, after all that build-up.” And I’d add that—much as I’m glad at how everything turned out!—it almost felt like there wasn’t actually enough sacrificed. When Ronan asked Cabeswater to sacrifice itself, I thought “noooo!”, but I thought it was appropriate, and I even thought it might mean that Ronan and/or Adam would lose their magic, and I thought that would be sad but also appropriate. Or that Gansey would be different in a way that was a loss, somehow. But I’m not complaining about the happy ending!

Thanks for your post: I have no idea how I’m going to review this one. How to adequately portray its awesomeness!

Oh, damn, I’m so sorry! What kind of thing has been happening? I have been getting more than one person who’s said they’re having problems with Disqus, so I’m pretty close to giving it up as a plug-in.

So, Stiefvater — there’s some romance in the series, yes. But I would say overwhelmingly they’re books about friendships, and how friendship is as important as, and often more important than, romance. If that makes a difference to you? It’s got romance, but not nearly as much romance as friendship and adventure.

I didn’t NOT like it, I just didn’t particularly like anything about it. It just didn’t grab me. Maybe it wasn’t the book’s fault, maybe I need to be in the right mood or something. I’ll try again because the way you describe it makes me think I would LOVE the series.

I know lots of lady INTJs, too, but almost all of them are women I know online. Maybe online communication is especially suited to us?

What! No! It’s not a downer! There are sad things that happen, but not more sad things than any of the other books in the series. If you were okay with those, I think you’ll be okay with this.

OH NO! I hope you didn’t find out anything too enormously monumental. (But as I say — I truly do believe these books are unspoilable in some important ways. It’s about the journey, not the destination.)

YOU SHOULD THANK ME. Man, I am doing such great work convincing people to read this series. You’ll thank me later.

IT IS. Actually I’d say it’s better than Blue Lily Lily Blue! Lots of things get resolved. Lots of friendship moments. It’s great.