Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, I confess, I havnt really read any of Maggie Stiefvater`s books. I skimmed through some, couldnt get past the first chapter in The Scorpio Races, then saw this one and thought I would give it a try, not realizing that those books were written by the same author as this one.

THANK GOD FOR THAT! I freaking loved this book from the beginning. While I was expecting more romance, the abundance of action made up for it.

One thing Im thinking about, though -- how much research did she do to write this book and how much of it was true and made up?

Props for making what seems like an ordinary YA book with people who have normal social and high school problems turn out to be a VERY interesting action story that has a touch of paranormal and magic. I though this would be one of those forbidden romance because of society books, and I understand that in a way it is -- but at the same time it isnt.

I was ripped through corners I didnt expect to be there throughout most of the book and I was emotionally involved. I skimped on school work to finish this (although a couple of times I was wondering how LONG it would take me to finish the book because it was LONG!)

Because of this book I am willing to give her other ones another try.

Now, the characters.

Blue is amazing. Shes tough and quirky and very secretive. I loved her from the moment she stood up for herself against Gansey.

Gansey? Im still unsure about him, but I have a feeling I will come around with him in the next book. I cant tell whether or not hes a stuck up rich kid or what.

Everyone else? They are strong secondary characters and I loved that about this book. Already I can tell who is loyal and who is about to jump off the deep end. Its fascinating,really.

I do suggest that any paranormal YA reader should pick this up as soon as they can. Its a must have on any bookshelf and I cant wait to buy my own copy, along with the second.


 

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

by Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author)

“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