Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado, is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.
At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his night running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.–from the back cover of All The Crooked Saints
They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.
Today, I bring you my review for All The Crooked Saints!
You all know how much I adore Maggie Stiefvater’s writing; The Raven Cycle and The Dreamer Trilogy are some of my all-time favorite books. So, I’m glad I finally got around to reading more of her work. And I’m even happier to say that I really loved this one. But keep reading my review of All The Crooked Saints to find out more about I enjoyed it!
Review
Without a doubt, the characters were the focal point of this story. They were all very well-developing and interesting to read about; I loved how their individual stories wove together into the main plot. And, to be honest, I don’t know who my favorite was. I enjoyed reading about Beatriz and her emotional development; she had the biggest role in the overall story, too. But I also found Daniel to be incredibly fascinating, so.
Actually, the only character I found myself disappointed by was Marisita. I loved her and the part she played in the book, but when Stiefvater revealed her backstory, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down by it. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it just didn’t resonate with me.
The writing itself, though, was probably my second favorite part of the book. All the elements of magical realism were just so beautifully written. It had Stiefvater’s characteristic tone and talent, and I absolutely loved it. Honestly, I don’t have the words to describe her writing, but there’s just something so special about it. It’s magical and unique and it never fails to blow me away.
Of course, I enjoyed the plot, too. As I said before, some of the plot points didn’t resonate with me, but overall the story was excellent. It had a lot of different moving parts, but Stiefvater tied them all together perfectly. And, obviously, I loved that the story was told from so many different points of view. (I’m an addict when it comes to multiple perspectives, okay?)
TL,DR Recommendation
I definitely recommend reading this one. It’s a beautifully written story filled with poignancy, magical realism, and amazing characters; I absolutely loved it, and have no real complaints. So, if that sounds like something you’d enjoy, I encourage you to pick it up!
If you do choose to read this book (or if you already have), drop a comment down below and let me know your thoughts! I always love to talk about books. Additionally, if you enjoyed this review of All The Crooked Saints, use the Book Reviews tab above to access my full library of reviews. There, you can find plenty of other amazing books I recommend checking out.
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