The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: Sept. 18. 2012
Pages: 409
Series: The Raven Cycle, book one
Source: Purchased hardcover and ebook
About the Book: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before. (goodreads)
My Thoughts: Maggie Stiefvater forever. Seriously. I am such a fangirl and have been since Lament came out. I love her writing style, her word choice, her characters, the cadence of her writing… just all of it! And Raven Boys, oh Raven Boys. It had it all for me. I loved how my interest was peaked with the subtle start and grew as the story intensified. The Raven Boys rivals The Scorpio Races as my favorite Stiefvater book (and that’s saying something!)
As I’ve tried and tried to write this review I realize that I can’t speak intelligently about my love for this book without going on and on and on. I think it may be the forst time I’ve actually used the kindle highlight feature and boy did I use it! Instead of an absurdly long and detailed essay on why you should read The Raven Boys and every book by Maggie Stiefvater I’ll just hit the high points!
* Blue: She’s awesome. I love when we get glimpses at her thoughts. I love her intense feelings about Raven Boys. And I really loved watching her get to know the Raven Boys at the center of the story. Her developing friendships with them really highlighted her character and helped the reader to better know her.
* Gansey: He’s totally the male version of the manic pixie dream girl. I picture him in constant motion. Always going, always something to do. He comes off as thoughtless to some but really he tries to do the right thing. His world is just so very different from everyone else’s. Can you tell I really, really like him? Like, I just want to hug him and tell him it will all be okay and that he’s okay just as he is!
* Character Descriptions: I love the ways the Stiefvater describes her characters to us, particularly Ronan. He is probably the Raven Boy I feel I have a handle on the least but I love, love, loved the phrases and comments used to describe him. I cannot wait to get to know him more in book two!
* Glendower: The legend of this ancient king was so fascinating to me. Gansey’s obsession totally rubbed off on me as I was reading. The pace of the story seemed to echo the escalating clues and such in Gansey’s search for Glendower’s resting place.
* 300 Fox Way: Blue lives in a house with her mother and a number of other women including her mother’s best friends. They’re all psychics. Well, all except Blue. I loved this house full of fascinating (and quirky!) women.
* Mystery: There are a number of different mysterious happenings. I loved seeing how they fit together and learning new and surprising things about the characters. I was totally blindsided by a number of revelations and enjoyed going back to see the clues I missed.
* The Ending: Don’t get me wrong, it totally leaves the reader with their jaw hanging down! It ends in a totally casual manner that is totally shocking at the same time. I know. Crazy.
* Phrases and Cadence: Basically I just love the words. The book is very lyrical. Stiefvater is a master and I stand in awe. I totally want to give you some examples but they aren’t nearly as powerful outside of the story. That’s what is so great. The characters and their individual personalities are so very present in the writing. I felt totally immersed.
I’m going to stop there even though there is so much more I could go on about. I am so glad that I finally read this book. Thanks to the Forever Young Adult book club in Milwaukee for giving me the push I needed! It was so much fun to meet and discuss a title I loved so very much. The Dream Thieves cannot come soon enough.
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[…] do I even start. As you can tell from my reviews of The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves I am a huge fan of this series. Maggie Stiefvater’s storytelling is […]