Happy Sunday! 

So, I finally got around to reading a book that has a huge amount of hype around it. A book that has inspired obsession and late-night trips to the bookstore, extensive bookstagram posts and bookish tattoos. A book I actually tried reading about 4 years ago, when it was fresh off the press and on sale for the Amazon kindle. And the funny thing is, I couldn’t finish it. That book is The Raven Boys, first book in The Raven Cycle series. Here is the Goodreads link. It’s not that I hated the book the first time around, and I wasn’t disappointed because it was new and I wasn’t part of any bookish community, so I didn’t even know if it was popular. I just liked the synopsis and the cover. I got 8 chapters in and just didn’t want to keep going. I honestly wasn’t engaged at all. So I quit reading and never picked it up again. 

I’m telling this cheerful story to put emphasis on the fact that this book did not let me down a second time. After all the times I’ve seen the fandom love for The Raven Cycle series, I finally get it. This book was epically awesome. It made my week. I feel so incredibly stupid for not reading it before, when I had the chance to have had this book in my life for the last 4 years. I suppose I was just in the wrong frame of mind the first time I tried to read it, because this is completely my type of book. It carries an air of magic and fantasy in a real world. It makes you believe in the mystical again. It made me long for the cool nights of autumn, when the air is crisp, the leaves are changing, and it feels like anything is possible. It reminded me how much I need  stories like this in my life, because I think that if you don’t believe in magic, you’ll never find it. 💙 And this book makes you want to believe in magic right outside your door. 

I read somewhere that these characters are similar to the Marauders and Lily from Harry Potter. And it’s so true! I love the dynamics between the group. And I was surprised by the depth of each character. They are all so unique, with detailed pasts that are slowly unraveled throughout the pages. But there is much more to learn about each character, and I cannot wait to get further into the books for this reason, among others. This book spins a tale of history, magic, and also includes very real world issues such as mental illness and class differences. It also has a little dose of murder, which really keeps it fresh. 

If you are doubting this book or unsure if it is for you, I definitely advise giving it a chance. Some may feel the story starts out a little slow, but if you give it a chance, I think you’ll fall in love. This book lived up to all the hype. I can certainly see why this book has inspired tattoos and book merchandise. I might have to look into both. 😉

Definitely 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars! 

Well, I’m off to read about welsh kings. 

Cheers! ☕️