Moving to a new city appears daunting until I get to take a trip to the local library. I was delighted, in particular, to find this hidden gem on the shelves. A good sign for a new city.
Regarding the book, I was really glad to be engulfed back into Stiefvater’s writing. I was a major fan of her Raven Cycle series, which my review of the last book can attest for. (Didn’t think it was possible to hit Goodreads’ characters limit but I did…)(Oh, and I’m selling my extra copy on Depop right now if you’re interested.)
I was glad to find that the magic in her words still exists for me. Plus, hunting and finding hints of her character traits from the Raven Cycle, like Blue’s sensibility being present in the main character was a nice surprise.
My major downfall for this book became its heavy focus on the plot instead of fleshing out its characters, which is what made Stiefvater’s series one of my favorites. I always delighted in what a certain character said in the series, rather than a twist that followed in the plot. Like, I’ll always quote back the best lines.
“No homework. I got suspended,” Blue replied.
“Get the fuck out,” Ronan said, but with admiration. “Sargent, you asshole.”
And given that this is a standalone book and this is all we’ll really see of the characters, it felt unfortunate to experience this when they hold so much potential. The majority of the book felt like that irrelevant mystery in the Raven Cycle with the Latin teacher. I don’t remember anyone going, “Oh, I want more of those.” Which is essentially what this book is about.
But I’m inclined to favor this book given how out of touch with writing my feelings about books I’ve felt lately, and this is the only book in a while to bring me back. So it was peculiarly nice that the author whose series was one of the best to review is also the one that now made me come back to the art of writing.
Make your bookish purchases through my Amazon Affiliate. I’ll make a small commission! All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater:
[…] long-awaited move back abroad finally happened, and as I wrote the last time I moved, I can make out the promise a new city holds by the books in the library. And […]
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