#trc reread wrapped

[squash1]

everything that actually happens in the raven king (from someone who just reread):

[trb / tdt / bllb]

[cabeswaterdrowned]

the Halsey and Maggie Stiefvater twitter beef has always been one of if not thee funniest twitter controversies of all time to me (encourage anyone who’s unaware to look it up and that includes if you don’t care about trc it’s just very funny). But it’s become exponentially funnier to me after rereading as an adult because one of her objections to drive as a Bluesey song was the “wrapped around his stick shift” line … girlypop there are more car related innuendoes in your books (that I first read as a pre teen) than in like. Anything the cars as gay sex metaphor system is more consistent than any of the magical/fantasy aspects.

[ofliterarynature]

JANUARY 2024 WRAP UP

[loved liked ok DNF (reread) bookclub*]

Mammoths at the Gates • An Impossible Imposter • Greywaren • The Hexologists • Mister Impossible • Reclaiming Two Spirits • (Check, Please: #Hockey)* • Thornhedge • Call Down the Hawk • All the Hidden Paths • All the Beauty in the World • (The Raven King) • (A Strange and Stubborn Endurance) • (Blue Lily, Lily Blue) • The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie • The Missing Page • Bird By Bird • Lucky Red • Portrait of a Thief

I suppose I may as well start with the giant pile of Maggie Stiefvater and get that out of the way, lol. According to Goodreads, this was at least my 3rd time through the entire Raven Cycle. Despite that, I had only the vaguest idea of what happened in the last two books, and now having reread them (again), yeah, that tracks! I can hang with book 3 but I have no idea what was really going on in The Raven King, and as a series finale I didn't love it. It felt a lot like the dreamer plotlines drowned out the original Glendower and ley line story that we started with. But, Maggie being Maggie, I love the way she writes so much that I at least still enjoyed the reading experience. And it made an incredibly clear lead-in to the Dreamer Trilogy (which I had not read), it made total sense, I was hopeful! Again, Maggie being Maggie, I had a good time reading them, I liked learning more about the Lynch brothers, I'm always down for some art forgery, but I just didn't really like it and (while I'm glad for Maggie that she was able to write it) I could have lived without it. It completely did not have the vibe or charm of TRC and, criminally, did not include the Gangsey. How!!!!

The Missing Page - liked it! It felt a lot more solid as a mystery than the first book, which I greatly appreciated, though the villagers in the first book were maybe a bit more fun. I'm not feeling particularly inspired to go look up more Cat Sebastian after this, but if she writes another one of these I'd read it.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - I've had this one on my mystery tbr for a while, and for some reason I'd thought it was set in a much earlier time period than the 1950's? lol. Our protagonist is the youngest of 3 sisters growing up in genteel poverty with an absent father, and she has the run of the village, the house, and an incredibly well stocked chemistry lab left by an ancestor. She is both incredibly clever and terribly naive, and absolutely terrifying because of it. Flavia is fascinating as a detective, because she's not written as the protagonist of a middle grade mystery novel - she's a child. This was an interesting read, but I'm not sure it's what I'm looking for in a mystery novel and I don't think I'll continue the series.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance - reread this in advance of the sequel - it was a bit easier to see some flaws this time around, but had a good time! This *was* my first time listening to it on audio though, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it. It had a different person reading for each of the main characters and their voices just didn't pair well for me - not to mention one of them also read Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House and boy does he do some distinctive character voices.

All the Hidden Paths - didn't go quite so well. I think primarily my mental space was not pairing well with the tensions of reading this for the first time, I do think on a reread I might like it better. Somehow the spy/saboteur was my favorite character? He was soo bad at his job, I found it very funny. But overall, I think it was just a little too close to a rehash of the plot from the first book, leaving me to think Meadows might not be the best at writing mysteries. Luckily it does at least score high on my romance scale.

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me - first nonfic of the year! I've been eagerly anticipating my library getting an audio copy ever since I first heard about this last year, it sounded cool, I'm fascinated by art museums and behind-the-scenes! Unfortunately I was not into it, and almost 2 months on I can't remember enough to even try to tell you why. It did pair interestingly with another recent read, The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, but I'm still learning how far into memoir territory I can go. Someone stop me from trying the other Met nonfic book I found recently lol.

Thornhedge - wonderful! No notes! I love fairy tales and this was a delight to read.

Check, Please! #Hockey - loved getting to revisit this for book club! I've been meaning to for a few years, because y'all. I've read so much fanfic, and I have no idea what is in the comic, what Ngozi posted as extras, and what is fanon. The comic had less than I was expecting! Still fun, my fellow book-clubber liked it, but my real love was the tweets! I'll definitely try to read Vol 2 this year so I can then browse the larger collection of them compiled in the Chirpbook.

Reclaiming Two Spirits: I saw this one on tumblr and fortunately was able to get access to the audiobook! It's a topic I was very interested in learning more about, and I did! But - this is a research project, more than anything, it could be very repetitive (which, fair. colonizers suck), and it felt distanced from its subject. I feel it's a book that definitely has its place, but it's not objectively a 'good read,' and I'd rather have had something from someone who is indigenous and two-spirit themselves.

The Hexologists - it has its quirks, but this was unapologetically a delight to read and I had a fun time! I'm a sucker for a world with a magic vs industrial revolution, not to mention a married pair of established investigators, and I always appreciate an author who's willing to get a bit silly. If there's ever more books I'd love to read them!

An Impossible Imposter - she is what she is, I had a good time! This one felt like it might have taken some inspo from The Moonstone 👀

Mammoths at the Gate - had a good time with this, as I always do with the Singing Hills books. Stories about stories are like catnip, I should reread them all sometime!

Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott (DNF) - I have only the vaguest memories of reading parts of this for a creative writing class in college, and now that I'm getting more into nonfiction thought why not? Unfortunately the audiobook version I got was read by the author, who absolutely does not have an audiobook voice/cadence. I considered trying again with the version read by someone else, but decided I wasn't actually interested enough to continue.

Lucky Red By Claudia Cravens (DNF) - the host of one of the podcasts I listen to was gushing about this one and I was like, sapphic western? Sign me up! I read about 25% of it, and it all seemed fine, it just wasn't feeling particularly interesting to me. Absolutely give it a shot if you'd like!

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D Li (DNF) - I knew going in this had been getting mixed reviews. I really like the idea of it - I enjoy a heist, am always interested in fine arts/art history drama, and vigilante art repatriation hell yeah! But this felt very much like it was trying to emulate a heist *movie*, and it just wasn’t working for me as a book. If this ever gets adapted I’d love to see it.

[aaronstveit]

11, 15 and 17 for the ask game !!!! 🤍🤍🤍

hii milo thank you for asking!!♡

11. What fandom do you write for most often?

okay so nearly all my published works are for the raven cycle but now i am pretty much just writing les mis! there are still a few trc fics i might work on and i occasionally consider other fandoms but les mis is definitely pulling the reins in my brain rn and i only have so much self control really...

15. What fic of yours would you most like to rewrite?

oh god. pretty much everything i've ever written? i reread a lot of my work after i publish it and i'm like wow. even though i just wrote this yesterday there is so much i would change now. i mean i am proud of all of my writing to at least a certain extent because i put all those words on a page that was empty before and then i shared that writing even though it is so so scary. and other than fixing typos i don't like to make edits to my old work or delete it because i respect the version of me that wrote that stuff too much to go back and change it all. however i would really really love to take down my tatbilb pynch au one day, rewrite the entire thing, and actually finish it. it haunts me for real. i got a comment on it like yesterday asking if i was ever going to finish it and i'm like... well no not unless i rewrite the 50k words that exist already and then write another 50k to wrap it up. which just... does not sound like something i really want to do, unfortunately. but if ever i was going to rewrite something, that would be it. just so it would stop haunting me.

17. What trope is your favorite to write?

angst. i seriously love angst so much, it's a problem (blame @cosettepontmercys). once upon a time i was a happy go lucky young person writing shameless fluff piece after shameless fluff piece and then one day i discovered the great joy of writing sadness and anger and arguments and i have never looked back. if i'm not crying while i'm writing a scene then it needs to be more painful!

fanfic writer asks!

[jeanmoreaux]

*✧ — july 2023 wrap up

besties, idk what’s going on but basically all i wanna do it reread and idk how to change that. it’s not like i don’t want to read new stuff, but i am having a hard time channeling my energy to pick up something that isn’t already familiar to me. that’s mental illness for you. talking about rereadable books; i read giovanni’s room this month and omg it was so fucking good. insane. (thank you, seed, for giving me that final push i needed to give it a shot. ily <3) other than that not much happened, reading wise. 

i did start my rwrb reread today in anticipation of the movie. ngl i cannot see how they’re gonna make some of the scenes work with these actors but i guess we’ll see how it turns out. also, did you guys all realise the switched from a queen (in the book) to a king (in the movie)??? was i the last to clock that????? like the bits of the cornetto scene we’ve glimpsed to far in the trailer, that change makes me a little wary. i cannot say i trust this movie to do a good job adapting the source material, but i’d gladly be proven wrong.

2023 goal: 138/100 books

as alway, feel free to drop book recs, questions, or opinions in my inbox; i am always happy to talk to you about books!

* –> newly added to my favorites shelf

follow my goodreads | follow my storygraph | previous wrap ups

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

* The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton | 4.5★ | review

The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón | 4.5★ 

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami | 3.75★ 

The Carrying by Ada Limón | 4.5★ 

In Memoriam by Alice Winn | 4★ | review

Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés | no rating

Flush by Virginia Woolf | 3★ 

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune | 3.75★ | review

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (translated by Donald Keene) | 4★ 

Two Cures for Love: Selected Poems by Wendy Cope | 3.5★ | review

The Winners (Beartown, #3) by Fredrik Backman | 4.5★ | review

* Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin | 5★ | review

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

rereads

The Dream Thieves (TRC, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater | 5★

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (TRC, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater | 5★

The Raven King (TRC, #4) by Maggie Stiefvater | 5★

Beartown (Beartown, #1) by Fredrik Backman | 5★ | review

Us Against You (Beartown, #2) by Fredrik Backman | 4.5★ | review

Opal (TRC, #4.5) by Maggie Stiefvater | 4★

Call Down the Hawk (TDT, #1) by by Maggie Stiefvater | 4.5★

Mister Impossible (TDT, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater | 3.75★ | review 

Lore Olympus (#4) by Rachel Smythe | 4★

[graysongraysoff]

🎈🤲 💌 :’)

fic writer emoji asks

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

so have you ever read a stephen king book? if you have, that's it, that's the style, i stole it from him, lol. when i went back to reread the dark tower books a couple years ago and i got to the first like mini-chapter of the gunslinger i was like. fuck dude. you read a series at a formative enough time and you'll steal an entire writing style from it, lol.

i feel (i hope!!!!) like my writing style changes, if subtly, from fandom to fandom, though, bc i try really hard to emulate the vibe of whatever piece i'm riffing off of. to go back to jill's ask, i think that's why i used to get so many compliments on my trc fics - i dedicated a lot of effort to mimicking maggie stiefvater's style as best i could, and that really resonated with folks; more than once people told me "this feels like it could be a chapter of one of the books!" and i am very big-headed about that and will brag about it until i die, probably.

🤲what do YOU get out of writing?

difficult to say lately, if i'm being honest!!!!!

in overanalyzing it over the past few months, though, here's where i'm at for the moment: i think there are two main kinds of fic that i write. the first is the kind i write mostly for me, when a piece of media is making my brain go brrr and i just want to play with it, regardless of whether anyone else on earth cares about it at all. the second is the more i guess "fandommy" kind, when it's more of, like, an offering. it's me putting something out into the world and going TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS!!!!!! BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WITH ME!!!!! WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS AT????? COME HERE AND BE MY FRIEND!!!!!!!

i get a lot more out of the first kind than the second kind.

when i'm writing fic just because something makes my brain go brrr, i'm like perfectly content playing by myself in my little sandbox, and it's just kind of a bonus if people end up engaging with it.

when i'm writing fic because something makes my brain go brrr and i want people to care about it with me, well, that can leave me feeling pretty hollow and awful when i post something and it gets a lukewarm response, which is like. nine times out of ten, lol.

i haven't figured out how to feel less bad when i post a fic that i want people to care about and it gets a handful of kudos and no comments, but. the first step is identifying the problem, haha, right?

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

you wanna read some? of course you do.

“Why did you bring me here?” Dazai asked. His voice was empty of emotion, as if he had cried it all out at the bar earlier.

Oda didn’t answer. Instead he nudged Dazai’s hand with the glass of water he’d fetched until the boy sullenly pushed himself up into a sitting position and wrapped his fingers around it.

“I’m not the kind of person you want knowing where you live,” Dazai pressed. “Why should I let you live after I told you my plan for the boss?”

Oda smiled wryly down at him, but he only nodded at the glass. “Drink that.”

Dazai made a face but obediently brought the glass to his lips and began to sip. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again, quietly. “You don’t have to take care of me,” he said. “That’s how you end up like Chuuya.” He stared down at his bandaged reflection in the surface of the water. “It’s not worth it.”

Something clenched around Oda’s heart. “Dazai.”

Dazai looked up, and Oda could think of no excuse, no logical reason for a boy so young to look so tired.

“What happened to Chuuya isn’t your fault,” Oda said.

Dazai smiled one of his insincere smiles, one that didn’t quite reach his one exposed eye.

“Maybe that’s the problem,” he said. “Maybe I wanted it to be. I always told him I’d kill him someday. I’ve got a whole list of ways I could do it, too.”

Oda sighed. “Dazai…”

“You still haven’t answered me,” Dazai cut across with steel in his voice. “Why did you bring me here? Why are you doing this?”

Oda blinked down at him steadily. He wondered if Dazai really didn’t know or if he just wanted to hear him say it. He was the kind of kid who seemed to know everything, but there was something wild and searching in his one unbandaged eye.

“Because I care what happens to you,” Oda answered him finally.

ben parksandrec voice it's about the platonic intimacy between a surrogate father and his surrogate son

[folkdances]

do you still like trc/tdt and etc i finished reading greywaren recently. don’t love the way they wrapped up a lot of the plot threads it felt pretty rushed at times which I think was the main problem. that and how the apocalypse plot was pretty clearly thematically disjointed from what was going on with basically everyone. as a carmen and matthew enjoyer I wish both of them got a bit more resolution esp matthew but whatever. that being said I did really like a lot of the opening chapters like the whole first third. feeling every emotion. + it was nice to see everyone idk it reminded me I really like pretty much every character in this whatever I had fun reading it maybe if I reread it some of my opinions would change

i am still so crazy about trc yes! greywaren 😒 i think it was fun to read but i do not think it did a very good job of tying up all the loose ends the trilogy generated and i really do think that it's the weakest entry into the raven canon ... it is just, frankly, not as good - it's rushed is the biggest problem and that's what made the nathan plot-twist not really a plot-twist at all ... i do wonder how much of it is really mstief's fault, though, because i remember her discussing an alternative plan for the sequel trilogy that was much much more ronan-focused and a lot smaller in scope to the point where i do not even think the moderators were a thing, and she had to change that because of the publishing requirements.

[lizpaige]

wrapping up the declan outsider pov fic, just editing, but i dont remember what happend to their cars and property shit in tdt and i am too lazy to research so here is my headcanon that is gospel:

Declan's Volvo? Blown up

Ronan's BMW - survived somehow or he dreamt a replica idk

DC Townhouse? Sold for money for sweetmetals (this is canon isnt it?)

if i got this wrong, please ignore me or just cut me some slack. I have read TDT way less than I have reread TRC and there is an obvious reason for that lmao

[likeclarabow]

happy new year abby!!!!!!! congrats on meeting your reading goal, i’m glad that despite your busy life you’re still able to enjoy reading for yourself <3 some bookish questions, if you don’t mind …

what was your favourite reread of 2023? what book did you mean to read but ended up not? what books were you looking forward to but disappointed by? what book took you by surprise? your favourite series? your favourite standalone? your least favourite book(s)? what book did you write your favourite review about? and finally, what book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2024?

may this year be full of blessings to you!

hiiiiii love, happy new year!!!! i'm finally back on my laptop so i'm sorry this is a few days late <333

favourite reread: i did a lot of rereading this year and i loved them all but probably six of crows!! every time i reread that series i'm a little nervous that its not going to have the same magic it did the last time and it always does and this time was no exception its just going to be a forever favourite and i'm so glad i reread it

a book i meant to read and didn't get to: there were a few i meant to at the very least start over my break that i didn't get a chance to (this biography i picked up at a school social and the hundred years war on palestine by rashid khalidi), books i had on hold at the library but it was just never the right time (as long as the lemon trees grow by zoulfa katouh), and my book lovers reread that i was all set to start and then i didn't read for like 3 weeks

a book i was looking forward to that disappointed me: greywaren by maggie stiefvater was soooo messy plotwise and there were things i wanted wrapped up that were just not addressed in a satisfying way yes i gave it 5 stars the epilogue made me cry those 5 stars are for declan lynch and for how much i love the trc/tdt universe as a whole pls take my rating system a little bit seriously (so i guess it wasn't 100% disappointing i just wanted more from the final book) (honourary mentions to nine liars by maureen johnson bc it was sososo fun for 99% of the book but the very end was so unnecessary i'll never forgive her, and harlem shuffle by colson whitehead i liked the writing i just thought the plot would be different from what it ended up being)

a book that took me by surprise: the day of the jackal was supposed to be something i picked up for a few hours for shits and giggles since i've never had any real interest in 70's spy thrillers but i actually enjoyed it enough to finish! also these violent delights by micah nemerever surprised me because i did not know what to expect at. all. and i still dont know how to describe the feelings that book gave me but i certainly didn't expect them

my favourite series: beartown!!!!!! you know exactly why i don't even have to explain </3 (honourary mention to sandra gullands josephine b trilogy its one hell of a historical fiction series and i enjoyed it SO much)

my favourite standalone: rebecca by daphne du maurier!! its just the most beautifully written book that captivated me from the very first page <33

least favourite books: the last word by taylor adams (extraordinarily mid upon first read and it just seems so bleh looking back), ready player one by ernest cline (i can see why my boyfriend loves it but it just didn't appeal to me at all), 20,000 leagues under the sea by jules verne (jules verne knows sooooo many facts about the ocean and electricity and he put every single one of them in this book in very long paragraphs but i forgive my prof for making me read it)

my favourite review: i didn't really write any solid reviews this year (something i'm hoping to do more of in 2024) but my favourite mini reviews are the ones i left for wuthering heights and 20,000 leagues under the sea bc i think i'm funny and bc i think they sum up my reading experience quite well

books i'm most looking forward to reading in 2024: soooo many a curse for true love by stephanie garber, a man called ove by fredrik backman, alone with you in the ether by olivie blake, divine rivals by rebecca ross (!!), penance by eliza clark to name a few

[the-ronan-cycle]

hey besties I dropped off the face of the (tumblr) planet but that NEW SNIPPET FROM GREYWAREN why am i crying because [redacted]’s talking about them being teenagers in the past tense

[tyrianlynch]

Hey besties guess who survived the month of March and is finally queuing up posts again, missed y’all <333

[squash1]

everything that actually happens in blue lily, lily blue (as someone who just reread it)

[if-music-be-the-food-of-love]

I’m reading the final book in The Raven Cycle, and it occurs to me that this is the 2nd book I’ve read called The Raven King in the last 2 months.

Reading them back to back has been…interesting. All the raven stuff throws me off sometimes.

Tho right now all my brain is thinking is that they better figure out how to save Gansey.

[johnbottoms]

trc wrapped . which trc scenes did u reread the most this year <3

[imnotrealimsleeping]

I’m back with more opinions. Once again saying I did like Greywaren and I haven’t reread yet but I just have insanely high expectations/standards because trc is the best series ive ever read. 

okay that being said: I think my biggest issue with Greywaren was how.. neatly everything was wrapped up. I know there’s some controversy (ish not really) over whether TRK is a good conclusion or not, but I thought it was literally the perfect ending for a series like The Raven Cycle. So much was left unanswered, but in a way I found super compelling that also suggested future adventures (Camaro wheel!!! Gansey and Blue and Henry leaving!!! Ronan trying to dream up another forest!!!! ADAM!) and there was still so so much room for each character to grow 

I wanted Ronan to be happy at the end of tdt, but the greywaren reveal magically solving all his questions about him self just felt so empty. I need more time to think about the actual reveal itself/ronan being an eldritch being but it was just too neat! I think a big part of what makes ronan such a compelling character is his constant questioning of who he is and why he exists (doesn’t get much more relatable than that lol). Him not having that anymore feels so un-Ronan. anyways would love to hear other peoples opinions

(: if u read all of this i love u

[ravencyclebigbang]

The TRC Big Bang is proud to introduce TEAM 22

Depending on where you began the story, it was about quartzink Artist ❦  @quartzink How did you come up with the idea for this project?

Thinking about the dreaming tree scene in the first book, and how would love to see more of the tree as well as more of Blue's tree heritage explored

Depending on where you began the story, it was about Chequay Writer ❦ Chequay on AO3 Why did you join this project? What are you looking forward to creating?

The concept of people turning into trees is one that's fascinated me for a really long time, People becoming trees is just, inherently as a concept, chef's kiss. The artwork for this immediately jumped out to me, and giving Blue more time with herself, with Fox Way in future years, and with Gwenllian was perfect. I had just reread the books and this was the perfect way to answer some questions and fill in some ideas that I'd had, and when the artist mentioned how circular time plays into it, I was hooked. Also, Blue gets to be tall for once, even if it's just because she's, you know, a giant tree. 

Depending on where you began the story, it was about tdt2013 Beta Reader ❦ @tdt2013​ What drove you to joining this team?

This idea was just so eye catching to me I couldn't pass it up!! It's such a unique and interesting idea and I can't wait to see it all come together! 

Please enjoy a sneak preview of Team 22’s work!

Blue stared out from her tree at Ronan, standing in front of her. This was Cabeswater: this was dreamspace. He was there, real and tangible, as much as anything was real and tangible. Ronan was young again: 16 instead of the 53 years old that she’d grown used to him as. She could not see, she had no eyes, but heard the difference in his voice, heard the familiarity of it. “Cabeswater,” he said, “tig i’mentenig.” Where did she come from? Blue knew now: she had not spoken the dream language, back then, but she had also come to  it. She invent had been both. She had watched Ronan learn it, watched Niall Lynch speak it as well. She was creator and confused, at different times in the circle. The trees answered as a chorus, and Blue added her voice: Wifen nex Graywaren. She is yours, Graywaren. Opal. She felt the presence of the little psychopomp, reached out to her with her heart. It was a moment before Opal began to climb the tree, little hooves hooking themselves into the knots. Blue felt it as keenly as if she’d still had arms. She held the girl in her limbs. Ronan swore, stared at her. She felt a memory, a premonition: an orange Camaro, wrapped around a tree. A hubcap spinning along the forest floor. She could not see the occupants of the car. Perhaps that was for the better.