Opal (a Raven Cycle Story) (The Raven Cycle)

“She loved him the best when he was very sad or very serious or very happy. ” You all, I can’t even begin to put into words how good it felt to be back in this world. And Opal is such an amazing protagonist to see the world through. She’s so curious, and so precious. My favorite secret. I loved animal days and I loved dream days. I loved it all. “…and something about when Ronan made him laugh so hard that he couldn’t stop made her love him so hard that she felt sad because one day he would get old and die because that was what things with animalness did.” Opal is a short story under forty pages where we are able to see the events that are happening after The Raven King, but through Opal’s eyes. Opal is the little dream creature that Ronan made, and she is so adorable. I literally was laughing out loud so many times turning this. Opal’s mind is a wonderful place to be, and it truly made the story that much more special. “She had to content herself with stolen glimpses through cracked doors, slender one-inch views of duvet and sheets piled like thunderheads, Adam and sometimes Ronan pillowed among them.” And my soft boy and my hard boy. Both so pure, so worthy of love, so perfect. I cried happy, light tears while reading this entire thing. Then I sobbed when it was over, because I missed this world so much. The only other series that makes me feel this way is Harry Potter, and even though JK Rowling is trying to single handedly ruin my childhood nostalgia, there is no higher praise than to compare The Raven Cycle to Harry Potter. If Harry Potter was my childhood, The Raven Cycle is my 20s. I am not sure how Maggie Stiefvater does it. How she strings these words together and makes the most beautiful prose my eyes have ever seen. Her words impact me and touch my soul. Her words leave me speechless. Her words are nothing short of magic. The sort of rain that makes one happy and sad at the same time. Fireflies. Harvesting all the trash. Clenched fists. Long walks home. Secret barns. Secret phone calls. Secret girls. You all, I can’t even begin to describe how good it felt to be back in this world. The transportation power of these books is unlike any other. Cabeswater is truly the one literary place I want to go more than any other, and I can’t wait to have a new home, too. “There were no rules in dreams so you could try anything.”

I quite liked this short story. It's a very quick read and it was interesting to get to know Opal better, as well as to get additional insights in the Raven Boys' lives after the end of the series.

AHH!!!! I needed this little novella! I needed to see my sweet little babies again and now I miss this world soo much and I need to reread TRC again, because I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH! Okay, so this is only about 40 pages long and is told from Opal's POV, which was really interesting, entertaining, and informative. We didn't get much Opal in the series, so I wasn't sure how a story from her POV would be, but omg, it was wonderful! Opal is hilarious, has no shame, but also adorable in her childish innocence (okay, maybe not innocent) and problem solving. I loved every second of reading this story and now I am completely HYPED for Ronan's series. Please Queen Stiefvater, don't break my heart but understand that I will be perfectly okay with you destroying my soul. If you loved TRC, you will love this little novella and definitely be more than ready for more.

This lovely short story is a wonderful little bonus to Maggie's 'Raven Cycle' series that keeps you sated while waiting for the first book in the much anticipated 'Dreamer Trilogy'. It gives a look into the lives of Adam Parrish and Ronan Lynch after the events of 'The Raven King' from the unique perspective of Opal, the psychopomp pulled from Ronan's dreamscape. This is a perspective that hadn't been used in the previous books that gives a lot of insight into the mind of an "excellent dream thing" learning to navigate the mortal, "animal" world. This story fills in the gaps about Opal as a character, establishing her as a fiercely independent, highly intelligent and extremely empathic creature. It also corrects a lot of fandom misconceptions about not only her but Adam and Ronan as well. Themes of love and loss, life and death, grief and joy are explored in a masterful way that reminds the reader that despite the boys having found love and happiness that life isn't perfect. They have seen trauma and are hurting deeply as they move on. And Opal, though she doesn't understand these humans that make her happy and sad she loves them and worries for them. If you are a fan of The Raven Cycle, and especially Adam and Ronan, this is a must-read.

This stood up to every expectation I have of Maggie as an author and of the Raven Cycle which I have grown to love so much. It was so satisfying to read more about Adam and Ronan's summer which we didn't get to see at the end of The Raven King. It was also lovely reading from Opal's POV because she talks about things in such a simple, yet complex way that completely translates how she's feeling. I loved reading about how much love she had for the boys, how she explained extreme happiness and sadness and even the type of sibling rivalry she felt for Chainsaw (loved that particularly cute detail so much). I'll admit I cried reading Ronan's reactions to phone calls he received (I won't spoil who it was from). Ronan and Adam continue to pull at my heartstrings. Overall, I think it was perfect because it felt like an appropriate ending to the Raven Cycle that I had been waiting for and a beginning to the Dreamer trilogy that I have been ecstatic over since learning of it being written. I love all of Maggie's series, but I have to say that for me, The Raven Cycle stands above the rest. Opal's story is no exception.

This is a short story about Adam, Ronan an Opal. She's the dream creature who's part deer and part girl. It was from her point of view and was okay, but wasn't the greatest. Takes place from when the Raven King ends til right before Adam's supposed to go to college. I liked the Adam and Ronan parts the most. It's funny because she's spying on them a lot. I honestly think she has some of Ronan's feelings run her with how attached to Adam she is. This also shows what happens if a dreamer doesn't dream. I did feel bad for Opal because ahe lost someone she watched.

Who wouldn’t be fascinated by an odd little dreamthing like Opal? It was a bit like an epilogue just for Ronan and Adam, but also setting up Ronan’s spin off. By the way, I was so excited to see that there’s a spin off trilogy for Ronan! His skill was the number one most interesting thing about this series and I’m so happy I get more weird and wonderful dreamstuff.

Maggie Stiefvater does it again! I'll read anything she writes at this point. I mean she made me love this dream thing that i can't even fully understand or explain. I mean, come on, who else could do that?? Not to mention that this is so great as a novella. There are a lot of authors that write novellas that just feel like filler material. As if they are just trying to sell me a half baked plot idea. This novella is so well done. It reads in Stiefvater's signature what-the-heck style that is compulsory and addicting. It also gives a good introduction to things we can look forward to in the Ronan books that are going to come out. In other words, this novella did what ALL novellas SHOULD, but rarely ever do: enhance the original story, feel authentic and written with care, bring about perspective from a character i didn't even realize i wanted to deep dive into, and bridge the story of the raven cycle into that of the next one. READ THIS.