For a year I've been waiting to find out how the magical, legendary, and epic Raven Cycle series would end. When I got down to the last hundred pages, I couldn't stand the suspense and took to holing up in a corner of the library and frantically reading.

I'm going to avoid spoilers, but I will say that the ending wasn't what I expected at all. The bonds between Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Blue are put to the test in some truly heart-rending scenes. Cabeswater is falling apart and the Raven Boys sacrifice everything in order to save it. The truth about Glendower is finally revealed and Gansey discovers what his purpose is in the quest.

A few things that confused me/I thought didn't work well:
1) Blue's perspective was limited.
What I mean by this is that the book briefly focused on Blue's emotions and barely told about how she was feeling about Persephone's recent death, among other tragic events. I've been TEAM BLUE since book #1 The Raven Boys, and I wanted more of her thoughts and feelings to be expressed, especially in the most intense scene between Gansey and her.
2) What happened to Cabeswater.
Surely all readers of this series could tell that the magical being/thing/force/forest was damaged by the recent evil invading its boundaries. However, I've felt that since book #1 that Cabeswater is a crucial setting. It was the place that united the four main characters in the first place. Also it has led them through their journey and has helped each of the characters to discover who they truly are. After Blue, Cabeswater is my favorite character, as weird as that sounds. I'll never forget the first time I read book #1 where the forest was described. It sounded like the most incredible forest that I'd ever read about.
3) The truth about Glendower.
All the action in the series has been leading up to waking the ancient king. Doing this was the main essence of Gansey's being, so I felt that this tension was the most powerful, even more so than the question of whether Blue and him would get together. When it came time for Glendower to make an appearance in this book, it wasn't what I expected. Maggie Stiefvater is certainly not short of surprises! I don't know how to describe it, but I wanted "more" in that scene. Glendower wasn't the king I expected, and I felt that his role in the final book could've been more important.

All in all, this book ended the series on a high note and only left me with a few remaining questions. While none of the books in the series felt as magical as book #1, The Raven King was an exciting, thrilling, and unexpected read.