These are also sort of opposites! I like writing about two books at the same time. I doubt anyone else has written a review of both The Raven Boys and Attachments in the same blog post.
So, why are they opposites?
I suppose the same reason as Afterworlds and The Sky is Everywhere.
The Raven Boys is very dramatic and all about plot. If it's really about any character, it's a coming of age story for Blue and Adam. The relationships between the characters form suddenly and unexpectedly with little explanation. I really liked how such different people formed a family so naturally. Their group dynamics and their creation would have made a whole different story, irrelevant to the plot line of this one.
Attachments is all about characters and their relationships (or, dare I say, attachments). Lincoln is trying to find himself and a community, so I suppose it is a "coming of age" for him, but one that takes place while he is a mature, non-moody adult. It almost makes me wonder if it's better to grow up and find yourself when let down's aren't so life shattering. Lincoln is cool and very little fazes him - the antithesis of Adam who gets riled over everything Gansey does (also a foil to Lennie from The Sky is Everywhere whose coming of age almost "destroys" Josh). Also, the voices of Beth and Jennifer are so distinctive that I never got lost in their conversations, even with no context between their messages. Rainbow Rowell knows how to make dialogue between friends so natural, so it's obvious how much they share and how well they know each other. Their dialogue is also clever and funny, and I see why Lincoln loves them. (Though I recognize some of the back-and-forth between the girls as the dialogue in Carry On between Penelope and Simon). The plot of Attachments is also better than that of The Sky is Everywhere because it does not revolve around negative nor teenage drama. Lincoln never makes horrible mistakes nor does he dwell on them for long. He always has people he treats well and respects, like his mom or Doris (even when his mom is terrible). This story is a happy story, a story that could truly stand alone. I've started rating books by the way they make me feel when I'm done (such as how I feel changed, mind blown, or ecstatic) instead of their literary quality, and this one got five stars for happiness. This is a book that could never have made me depressed in high school and could've given me some perspective, and I highly recommend it.
The Raven Boys had a great plot and was really exciting. Noah was my absolute favorite character and totally cracked me up. I was slightly disappointed that the story started with a premise that will take four books to complete, but I felt more fulfilled once there was a climax to the story. I felt like Whelk was a mere subplot for most of the story and suddenly became the main plot at the end. My friend told me the stories take on a dreamlike quality, which I suppose is an excuse for the relatively unfinished ending to this book, but it took a star off my review.
Yesterday, I reread Linger and Forever (sadly, I don't own Shiver and I'd have to put it on hold to read it, It's okay though, I don't know how I could stand Grace and Sam without Cole). I actually like the Mercy Falls series better than The Scorpio Races and The Raven Boys because it doesn't revert to plot as often. Every character is completely defined and unique. Sometimes, in Sam's case, so beautifully distinct it's annoying (he keeps touching random things or staring off at stuff, which (as Isabel points out) impairs his ability to do anything!!! *sigh* Gotta love Sam) I absolutely love Cole and Isabel in all their complexity as well as the relationship between Grace and Sam. So far, I think this is Stiefvater's best series.
Anyway, I suppose, yet again, character has trumped plot!
