I am beginning to think that Maggie Stiefvater is one of the smartest writers in the world. Though this book sagged somewhat for me in the middle, it not only redeemed itself by the end, but thoroughly nestled itself deep within my heart. Stiefvater's storytelling is so unique, so specific, that it's impossible not to fall into the world of her characters and want to stay there. Her observations on life and science and religion wrapped up in this book are so sharply noted and so deftly spun into musings that genuinely seem new. The setting of All the Crooked Saints is comprised of two of my favorite things - the desert and the 60s. The music and magical realism threaded through the book feel familiar and strange all at once, and by the end, I'd realized that this book is not really YA. The only real marker of YA that I can see is a set of adults that are set in their ways, and the teenagers who move them to understanding and action. I almost wish it wasn't marked as YA, because so often, people turn their noses up at the mere mention of it. But at the same time, I'm so happy that this kind of quality exists on YA shelves, and that teenagers are picking up these books and falling in love with the magical words of Maggie Stiefvater.