The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Richard Gansey III had forgotten how many times he had been told he was destined for greatness.

He stood, letting the day’s failure roll off his shoulders and fall to the ground.

“No homework. I got suspended,” Blue replied. “Get the fuck out,” Ronan said, but with admiration. “Sargent, you asshole.”

“I do,” Ronan said. “Well, I don’t. I’m not proud of it.” Ronan patted her leg. “I’ll be proud for you.”

Making Ronan Lynch smile felt as charged as making a bargain with Cabeswater. These weren’t forces to play with.

“Do you love him?” Maura asked curiously. “I’d rather not,” Blue replied.

“Is it? Is that why you look like hell?” “Thanks, Parrish. I like your face, too.”

I don’t understand why you keep saying such awful things about Koreans. About yourself. And Henry saying, I will do it before anyone else can. It is the only way to not be angry all of the time.

It was this: this moment and no other moment, and for the first time that Gansey could remember, he knew what it would feel like to be present in his own life.

Adam had realized this before, but now he realized it again, more fully, larger, the ridiculousness of Ronan Lynch in a classroom for aspiring politicians.

Finally, Ronan said, “Jesus God, Sargent. Do you have stitches on your face? Bad. Ass. Put it here, you asshole.” With some relief, Blue lifted her fist and bumped it against his.

Seondeok said, “I miss your father’s finds; they are most beautiful. He was a very troubled man, but he had a most beautiful mind, I think.”

Ronan wrenched his tie loose. “You working after school?” “With a dreamer.”

“Stupid raven boys,” she said, and got in the car.

Ninety percent of how Ronan conveyed his feelings was through his body language, and a phone simply didn’t care.

Ronan felt that he had caught happiness without meaning to. He could do anything.

Blue headed toward the kitchen and Ronan jogged on ahead of her, jostling her intentionally with his hip. “You asshole,” she said, and he laughed merrily.

“Why do we breathe air? Because we love air? Because we don’t want to suffocate. Why do we eat? Because we don’t want to starve. How do I know I love her? Because I can sleep after I talk to her. Why?”

Gansey didn’t think Adam was an idiot. But he had had his own feelings hurt over and over by Adam, even when Adam had meant no harm. Some of the worst fractures had appeared because Adam hadn’t realized that he was causing them.

“I think,” Gansey said slowly, “that it’s about being honest with yourself. That’s all you can do.” Adam released his hands from each other. “I think that’s what I needed to hear.”

Henry was aware he had a great vocabulary. It was not the same thing as having the words you needed to express yourself.

She was the oldest, and had seen a demon before, and knew that sometimes it wasn’t about saving yourself, it was about holding out for long enough until someone else could save you.

“I love this tree,” Blue said finally, in English. “You don’t have any claim to it. If anyone could live inside it, it should be me. I’ve loved it way longer than you could have.”

Make way! they shouted. Make way for the Raven King! It was loud enough now that lights were beginning to come on in the houses.

He was a book, and he was holding his final pages, and he wanted to get to the end to find out how it went, and he didn’t want it to be over.

“Leaves,” Ronan Lynch’s voice said, full of intention. “Dust,” Adam Parrish said. “Wind,” Blue Sargent said. “Shit,” Henry Cheng added.

Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love.