Maggie Stiefvater has a gift with words. Regardless of my hesitations regarding plot, I can't say anything but praises about how she built this world, the uncanny sense of magic and absurd that seeps through every line, the talent in every paragraph that makes The Raven Cycle so unique.

It is why the experience needs to be taken as a whole, why it feels like a fever dream. And why, once you wake up and take a step back, it's really hard to make sense of what really happened.

If I had to pick a single word to describe the conclusion to this series it would be underwhelming. Which is funny because the main problem is that there is way too much happening. 

The scope of the problem just kept getting bigger, it became about stopping demons and being the Only Ones Who Could Do It and saving the world and... it should have been about the characters. It still was, but if you shaved down all that dramatics there would be so much more page time for them. It would make their sacrifices heavier and their internal development more throughout. 

I enjoy how subtle the author is, how she doesn't make a big deal about everything and leaves you to pick up the hints yourself, but it would've worked better for me if if the big moments outside were matched more with big moments inside.