Is kinda awkward to write a review for individual books in a series I'm *rereading*, because I know how things will be solved, what details things are hinting at, and while a lot of the surprise is gone, I'm also blind to shortcomings this might have without the foresight.

Regardless of that, if I have to point out anything is that I love the pure weirdness of The Raven Cycle. The most insane things happen and the characters just roll with it, and is an insane completely out of the usual parameters for supernatural/fantasy. 

Writing and plot progression rules are skillfully broken, which contributed to the uneasiness and dream-like feel of the story. Even on a reread, it doesn't feel like you know where it is going because is not following the same paths you're familiar with!

But the highlight here is definitely the characters. Maggie Stiefvater captures something very few authors can: teen dialogue. The tone is genius, managing incredible lines while sounding realistic to 17 year-olds, and being hilarious while acknowledging that their situation makes them Odd sometimes.

Even if this doesn't have the kick in the gut of a full 5★ read, it carries the distinct feeling of a fairytale introduction: magic enough to satisfy you, and introductory enough to keep you turning pages.