The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Hardcover, 408 pages

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Published by: Scholastic Press

The Raven Cycle, #1

Source: Houston Public Library

For fans of: Supernatural, Romance, Fantasy, Magic, 

     “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.

*MY THOUGHTS*

“‘There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St, Mark’s Eve, Blue. Either you’re his true love, […] or you killed him.”
pg. 16

 

     It wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be though. It was good, and had some very interesting twists, but there wasn’t much happening in the middle. I loved the beginning of the story and the end, but the middle was a little too boring for my taste. Almost to the point where I wanted to put it down again. The only thing that made me keep going is Stiefvater’s writing. 

“‘He asked for a specific. I gave him a specific. Sorry it wasn’t puppies.“
pg. 147 

     Stiefvater definitely has a way with words. The writing was colorful and full of details without adding too much extra fluff. The story itself was a little hard to follow because the ley lines and Gloendower and others were kind of weird, but as the story went on, it gets a little easier. Plus the things they find are pretty cool as well. Stiefvater shows her amazing imagination in this novel. I can’t wait to read everything else by her. 

“‘Life isn’t negotiable.“
pg. 224 

     I really liked the main character Blue because her family reminded me of mine. Everyone is crazy and funny and our family is huge. All of them had their own special gift, and it was interesting to see what they did with it. It was also interestig to see who the  “villain” was. I knew it would be somone clse to Blue, and in a way he was, but at the same time, he wasn’t. It’s a little hard to explain without Spoilers. The big twist that threw me for a loop was the body situation. It was kind of crazy. I remember asking “WTF” out loud because I just didn’t believe it. 

“…the boys seemed to act as a unit, a single, multi headed entity. To see any of them without the presence of the others felt a little… dangerous. “
pg. 257 

 

     This story is one that I’m sorry I missed out on. I can’t wait to continue the series and see what the mini cliff hanger means. So glad I don’t have to wait a year for the next book. I’ll be getting this one from the library as soon as I return this one.

Overall, I give this