408 pages
Release date: Sept. 18, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
HUGE thank you to Scholastic Canada for providing this book for review!
 “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. |
What would life be like if you were the only non-psychic in a house full of them?
This is only ONE of Blue's troubles in the AMAZING new book, The Raven Boys!
This was my introduction to Ms. Stiefvater, and yep, it was a good one to start with! (I've had both The Scorpio Races AND the Shiver trilogy on my bookshelf for MONTHS now and haven't had the time to pick them up!)
The characters are amazing. I wanted to be Blue, with all of her flaws and quirks and awesomeness.
Adam and Gansey are both so, so amazing in such different ways. There's no way I can choose between them.
Noah--Aw, Noah. I think I loved him most of all--but it's a completely different kind of love than what I feel for Adam and Gansey, with the hugs and the hair-petting and...d'aw. Noah.
And Ronan? Well...I love his name! And not much more! Ha!
The mysteries, twist and turns in The Raven Boys are fun and thrilling, and the cliff-hanger ending left me literally stunned and speechless!
The book IS a bit over-long and it does lag from time-to-time, but the lovable characters, the intriguing quest and the fabulous writing will definitely keep you turning the pages.
Keep in mind that this IS book 1 of a series and it definitely can't be read as a stand-alone novel, though!
I can honestly say that book 2 is now one of my most anticipated reads of 2013, and I really, REALLY hope we see more of Ronan--who was kind of left on the back-burner with all of the other important plots that were happening-- as well as some of the foreshadowing Ms. Stiefvater teasingly adds in The Raven Boys!
If you liked the Dead Poets Society or Stephen King's It, I think you'll really enjoy this book.
I highly recommend it to teens 14+, because of the slightly complicated plot twists, and to moms and dads, too!
And, YES, I'm happy to say this is a great book for boys to get into, too!
PLEASE oet me know if you read it! I'd love to discuss it with you!
Raven Boys was so different than what I had expected... different good. This is a different writing for Maggie Stiefvater, a more complex and engaging writing.
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