Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys
(Raven Cycle #1)
by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 408
ISBN: 9780545424929
From Publisher for Review

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“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)
Sixteen year old Blue Sargent has no psychic abilities whatsoever, unlike her mother, who can see the dead. That is until one night on St. Mark’s Eve, when Blue see’s the spirit of a young boy named Gansey; a boy from a nearby private school. Also known as a Raven Boy.  When Blue’s path meets with Gansey’s in real life, Blue manages to get caught up in a journey that will change her life forever.

Wow. The characters in the book are just awesome. Blue was a very strong heroine; I felt that she had a good head on her shoulders.  She knew that an event in her future could take the life of someone she loves in the future, and she took that information very seriously.  I was actually glad to see that she had restraint.  I also really liked her mom, Maura, and all of the other psychic ladies that lived with them. They made for some very interesting characters!

The Raven Boys were all so mysterious; even with all of the information we got on them, I wanted to know more. Gansey is definitely not what he seems. There is something about him that I can’t put my finger on just yet. And I love him for that.  Adam, bless his heart, was such a wonderful young man. You couldn’t help but love him for the situations that made his life so difficult.  I just wanted to give him a big hug!  Ronan was an excellent bad-boy.  I am dying to know the mystery behind his story. We are given bits of information, but I feel that we were left hanging a bit about him. (Hopefully answers will come in the next book.)  Noah had me completely fooled from the beginning! Finding out his story was definitely a page turner.  I love the relationship between these four boys. You don’t find one quite that strong very often. They definitely had each other’s backs.

The book is told from multiple viewpoints, and I found that to be quite interesting. I haven’t read many books that have that perspective, and I enjoyed seeing the different characters points of view. I do feel like I was left hanging with some parts of the books, but again, I am hoping we will get answers in the next book. The book definitely leaves you wanting to know more. What is going to happen with Blue and her Raven Boys? I’m dying to find out, that’s for sure.

Overall, I thought this was a great read! I really enjoyed reading Shiver and The Scorpio Races last year, and I am glad to be able to add The Raven Boys to my book shelf!

Happy Reading!

11 comments:

  1. None of the German bookstores around here carries The Raven Boys - but after your review I want to read it even more! It sounds absolutely awesome!

    Thanks for the great review :)

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  2. I loved this one so much! I can't wait for book 2!!

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  3. I definitely loved reading The Raven Boys. And I love the actual raven boys. They were so varied and interesting. I can't wait for the next book.

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  4. Thanks for the review-I am SO looking forward to reading this since every review I've seen has gotten me so pumped!

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  5. I have never read any of Maggie's books but I've heard they're good. I do love the summary for this book and the cover isn't too bad. I'm really glad that the Blue was likable as well as the other characters! Great review!

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  6. I really like Blue too, and Boys oh my, they were so fascinating. I can not wait for the next book. So glad you liked this. Great review.

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  7. I really, really loved this book! Ronan is certainly my favorite character, and I can't wait to find out more about him in the next one.

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  8. VERY compelling review, Christy. I have never read anything by Stiefvater but this one is sounding more and more interesting. I like the relationship you described between the boys!

    Molli | Once Upon a Prologue

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  9. Holy cow, I loved this book. Maggie is a genius. Her writing is so lyrical and her characters are beautifully written. I adored Blue. Blue rocked hard. And her crazy family--awesome.

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  10. I really want to read this one and need to get a copy of it ASAP. I still have SCORPIO RACES and BALLAD by Maggie on my shelf to read, but I'm also craving to pick this one up. Really wish the day had more hours, so I could get more reading done. :D

    Awesome review, my dear! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

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  11. Yay! I've been seeing this one around and I wanted to know more. Thanks for the review.

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Thanks for stopping by! :)