The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, Book 1)

I found this book back in 2013 when I was looking at Audible's best sellers for a month, and it was one of the first stories that my library offered for an audiobook borrow, so I decided to give it a try. In fact, I originally was planning to listen to it while I was going to sleep. I did not get to sleep that night, LOL I had to turn the book off. This book had me hooked from the first sentence. How messed up is it that a girl has known her entire life that if she kisses her true love...he'll die? Can you imagine? I mean...seriously how much greater of a tragedy can you ask for? Not being able to kiss the person you want to kiss more than everybody, because you know that person might die. I immediately wanted to know what happened. I had the audiobook, rather than the hard copy, and I was taking college courses that summer so I did not have tons of free time on my hands to listen. But I listened every free moment I possibly had in hopes that I would get to the bottom of it and find out what happened. Unfortunately for me, I got hooked on the first book before the second book had even come out yet. So for this series, I have had to anxiously anticipate every single book as it has come out...and the waiting game has been something fierce. I have had so much anticipation for the second and third books before they came out, and now for the fourth (and final?) book that is going to come out this year. I have reread each book at least once, this one in particular I think I've reread 3 times now? I'm not sure, I've lost count. But I am not embellishing, it is my favorite book. Here's why: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I connect with Blue on so many levels. I grew up as somewhat of a loner because I did not have any siblings, or people my age around me. When I did have neighbors, they were all boys, and while I tried my best to fit in with them, I was never completely accepted into the group because I was a girl. When Blue starts to befriend the 4 "rich" boys from Aglionby Academy, it changes her. Blue has spent her life hating, and judging the boys from this private school for being rich and stuck up, and rude to her. While she comes from a lower class family herself, she feels superior to them because of the quality of her character. She desires adventure, to break from the life she feels trapped in, and to find herself and who she is. She is in an identity crisis because she can't relate to the people around her. She is more clever and sensible than that. She's too complicated for just any person to understand, because there is so much more to her than meets the eye. When she finally starts hanging out with these boys, she sees a completely different side to what goes on in this other world. This world she's never been on the inside of. At the same time, Gansey has had this life full of culture, of traveling the world, of seeing great things. He's addicted to discovery. He nearly died when he was younger, and this makes him obsessed with finding the Welsh king Glendower. He's fascinated by people, and he has morals and beliefs that he has held his entire life...and his friends challenge him. He is a fixer by nature, he wants to help everyone with their problems, he wants to be able to protect everyone he cares about, and they don't always make it easy. It pains him to see Adam beaten by his father, refusing financial help because of his pride. It pains him to see Ronan tortured by the murder of his father, his hypocritical controlling brother, and his lack of desire to do anything to help himself. Then Blue comes along, and she makes Gansey question everything about himself, his life, and his ways of thinking. She challenges him, and offers him different ways of exploring himself, and being himself. It's such a fascinating story about different worlds colliding...making very realistic problems that people can relate to, while enveloping you in this world full of magical things and mystical places. There are secrets, dreams, desires, energies. I have fallen in love with each of the characters, I feel like they are a part of me...like I know them personally and am friends with all of them. I even have 5 snails that I have named after each of them.

I think my expectations for this book were too high. I have loved all of Maggie's other stories and after reading The Scorpio Races earlier this year and loving it beyond all reason I was expecting to enjoy The Raven Boys just as much. You guess you can see why I was a little bit bummed out when this novel started off slow and took a while for me to get into. The Raven Boys is told from 4 different perspectives and this at first confused me. I like alternating perspectives alright but I definitely prefer first person. I like that instant connection you feel with the narrator, and the immediacy that is created by that style of narration. That may be why I was not instantly drawn into The Raven Boys. Never fear though, after the first few chapters you hardly notice the shifting narration and Maggie's beautiful prose pulls you right in to the story. By far my favorite thing about The Raven Boys was that the friend dynamic was so fleshed out that I felt like I was a part of the group right along with the characters. Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam are all completely distinct individuals with back stories and independent lives, they are the kind of characters that become so real that you can imagine how they would act in real life situations, and leave you remembering them long after you have finished the book. For example while reading this book I kept thinking of the song Tea Partay which is a 2006 Smirnoff East Coast rich money parody song and I kept wondering what Ronan and Gansey would think of it. Now, back to the characters. Blue is the daughter of a Psychic in town and she was born with the power to amplify the powers of those around her. Blue has never seen anything supernatural until the night of St. Mark's Eve when she sees a ghost Gansey in the ancient churchyard. It is said that if you see the ghost they are either your true love, or you killed them, either way Blue is drawn to Gansey and ends up being friends with the entire group and joining in Gansey's quest. Ronan is one of Gansey's old friends, and is described as the most Aglionby of all the boys. Ronan lost his Father under some mysterious circumstances and now has to answer to his older brother Declan in order to have any kind of money. Ronan is hot-headed, comes off as a jerk to everyone, but it is obvious he is covering for something and all this lashing out isn't the real Ronan. I started to realize Ronan had a heart at about the time he finds a baby bird and begins caring for it. I'm actually excited to learn more about Ronan and his family in the next novel. Adam is on a partial scholarship to attend Aglionby and someone ends up meeting Gansey. Gansey in a lot of ways forces Adam to be his friend, without ever forcing him to do anything. It was great to see the struggle Adam goes through being a "have not" in a school and friend group full of "haves". Adam has to work, deal with an abusive father, and still try to balance life with Gansey who represents everything Adam wants. Honestly, he is a great character and Maggie wrote him so well that I was both sympathetic to his situation and understanding when he pissed me off. That brings us to Gansey...Oh Gansey...I could not love this character any more then I do. The chapters written from his perspective were by far my favorite. Gansey has always been rich, he comes from a family of rich Virginians and money doesn't mean the same thing to him, it is just kind of there. He doesn't particularly care about school instead he is truly passionate about ley lines and finding an ancient Welsh King said to be buried along the ley line in Henrietta. The entire reason he choose Aglionby was to hunt for this King. At first I didn't understand his obsession with the search but as the story progressed I wanted him to find the King as much as he did. Gansey is so genuine and thoughtful and just everything! I liked the dichotomy of the two different Gansey's the one he has to put on as a front for the world and the true Gansey that he keeps hidden. I can't think of a more well written character then Gansey, and I already know this little summing up of him does not do justice to the man that Maggie has created. The highlight of this book is definitely the characters, the storyline about ley lines and the supernatural was kind of a back story for all the character development that takes place. In fact, the end felt kind of rushed, like Maggie really wanted all of us to know the characters and what their goals are but then realized that she needed to wrap up the story and just slapped together an ending. Overall, I enjoyed The Raven Boys it was a good novel but it was obviously the start of a series. It felt like it ended just when the storyline was really starting to get good. I will definitely be eagerly awaiting the sequel though if for nothing else then the fact that I adore Gansey and can't wait to see what happens to him next!

The Raven Boys is the first book in The Raven Cycle quartet by Maggie Stiefvater, and launches a story that seamlessly fuses magic with the unique heartache of being a teenager, in a manner found only in the best of YA fiction. It follows a girl, Blue Sargent, who belongs to an all-female family of psychics, but doesn't possess the sight herself. Each year she accompanies her mother on St. Mark's Eve as the spirits of those fated to die within the year pass the corpse road. For the first time, Blue sees someone - a boy from the local all-boy's prep school. Her whole life Blue's been told that she'll be the cause of her true love's death - but could this be him? Quickly Blue becomes entangled with the boy, Gansey, and his three friends Adam, Ronan, and Noah on their quest to discover hidden ley lines and awaken a Welsh king. Ok, that's enough synopsis. You're intrigued, right? Of course you are. Now we can get into the review, because I have Thoughts and Feelings. Oh. My. God. This was the first book I read in 2015, and I'm so glad I started the year with this! It was also the first book I've read by Maggie Stiefvater - I know, shame on me! Let's cut to the chase: I LOVED this. I may have planned out a heist to break into my local library and get the next two books. They're staring at me from the top of my TBR pile and begging to be read. But I can't, because I'm still so MESSED UP over The Raven Boys. Y'all. The Raven Boys is the book I didn't know I've been waiting for. But it ticks all my boxes - magic, boarding school, intense friendships, Welsh & Celtic mythology/history, angsty boys...seriously, ding ding ding. Allow me to draw you a picture: The Raven Boys is like the Marauders meets The Secret History - but better. That's become my go-to description to entice friends into picking it up and sharing my feels. It's working. The story itself, and the magic intricately woven into it, is beautifully written and drew me in so fully that I couldn't bear to stop reading. What really won over my heart, however, was the character development. I enjoyed Blue in this first book, but perhaps I erred as a reader and overlooked her in comparison to her male counterparts. She's so fierce though, and I can't wait to bond more with her throughout the series. I might also be in the minority that my beloved Raven Boy is not Gansey, as much as I adore him. No, the full force of my favor goes to Adam Parrish. Sigh. I described Adam to a friend as "dreamy in a Remus Lupin meets Patroclus kind of way." But with an added streak of ambition and want that makes all the difference when Things Happen. You know exactly who he is now, don't you? Yeah, because THAT'S A TYPE AND I LOVE HIM. Ride or die Adam girl. Each character in this book, from the Raven boys to Blue's eccentric family, is so compelling and full. There are no place-holder characters, no Mary Sues. I developed a strong affection for Noah. I loved the very real acceptance of magic in the world, the honest portrayal of friendships in which the balance of power isn't a balance at all - The Raven Boys stayed with me long after I finished reading the last page.

Maggie Stiefvater keeps getting better... 1. (+) Blue, the protagonist - Eccentric, brave, hard-working, stubborn, willing to accept the paranormal due to her psychic family but unwilling to tolerate when someone treats her wrong (i.e. her first meeting with Gansey). One of the things I like most about Blue is that she's not psychic like the rest of her family, yet she doesn't become sullen or resentful for it. She stays devoted and her own person. I also liked it when she would step up to a challenge even before the boys would. 2. (+) The World-Building - Several aspects of world-building come into play here - the Aglionby school, Henrietta and its quirks, the limits of Blue's psychic family's powers, the amount of paranormal in the world, Gansey's quest for Glendower, a sleeping Welsh noble who escaped the English and will grant a favor to whoever awakens him. Before I had the chance to read The Raven Boys, I had read the starred Publisher's Weekly review of it, which mentioned something about how Maggie Stiefvater didn't take the time to explain why her characters were the way they were, how she played it as they were normal, and how that allowed them to shine. I couldn't agree more - suspension of disbelief in full working mode here. The story didn't ask what you thought of the search for Glendower, or if you believed in something like that ever being possible; it just took you along. Stiefvater does world-building well - she tells you the essentials, like the hunt for Glendower, and the things the boys already know but shows you the rest, and this especially comes into play when the boys discover something new, and you feel like you're discovering it along with them. 3. (+) The Romance - Two romantic interests here -- there were moments when I asked whether or not there was a love triangle, and whether Maggie would put that in as a plot twist to the prophecy about Blue's love life. That's part of the suspense. Though there's not all that much romance, especially considering Stiefvater's previous books, what's there is nice and slow-building, and is clearly laying the foundation for the next novels when maybe something more--for either couple--will happen. 4. (+) The Characters - What really takes the cake in this novel are these characters. Even though they're really strange -- a teenager with enough money to go on a quest for magical glory, etc. -- you still want to believe in them. I hate making these generalized statements, but each of the characters is dynamic and well developed (esp. Adam, Gansey, and Blue since you see things from their POVs), and each has his/her own wants/needs and backgrounds that influence the former...Blue's quirky family, Ronan's secrets and familial history, Adam's desires, and Gansey's fear... 5. (+) Class - You want diversity in YA? Sometimes, it's not just racial and cultural diversity that YA lacks but also class diversity, and Maggie Stiefvater at least addresses that. Class is often one of those things that people don't talk about, but it affects us so much, and YA authors don't usually own to the fact that maybe teenagers won't always find their way around, because they don't have the money for the bus, etc. etc. (how many books have you read that acknowledge that? Class becomes a non-issue.) Stiefvater does it in several ways - Blue and Adam vs. Ronan and Gansey; Blue vs. the raven boys etc. etc. -- and with different things, like accents and clothes. I don't particularly like Gansey's attitude towards money, but the book addresses that issue too, and it was great to see how Stiefvater shaped her characters based on these perspectives. 6. (+) First Book in a Series - Sometimes the first book in a series can just set up the rest of the series and not feel like it had its own plot. Sometimes it's its own book in a series of stand-alones. The Raven Boys functions on its own--definitely has a plot, and with more unpredictable plot twists than I would've expected of a Stiefvater book--and has an obvious, larger series plot. I can't wait to read more about the raven boys' quest for glory. 7. (+) Cliffhanger - Honestly, I don't usually like cliffhangers. However, at the end of this novel, there was such a sense of fulfillment and completeness and longing ('cause I was already like I WANT MORE) that the cliffhanger felt more like the punch line to a joke than something cheap to bring the readers back for more. Brilliantly done. 8. (+) The Writing - Maggie Stiefvater, oh, Maggie Stiefvater. The writing isn't as experimental and prose-like as that in Shiver, but it's as atmospheric as that in The Scorpio Races, though it's now alternating third person instead of first. Few authors can create as sinister a mood as Maggie Stiefvater can. 9. (+) Pacing - I thought that Stiefvater's previous books suffered a bit in terms of pacing, but I always had the sense that things were moving in The Raven Boys - from the first meeting between Blue and Gansey, when Blue would begin hanging out with the raven boys, etc. etc. 10. (+) The Cover - I love that it's so simple but that it also has a way of capturing the atmosphere of the novel. And of course the raven and the ley line triangle are important. I loved The Scorpio Races, but Maggie Stiefvater outdoes herself with the Raven Boys. With plenty of atmosphere and action, and characters you'll adore, The Raven Boys is a book you don't want to miss. One of my favorite books of 2012, and I hope you mark September 18 on your calendars.

his is one of the few books that I can honestly say I didn't and couldn't predict what would happen. There are a bunch of plot twists that help to make everything make sense and definitely pull you in at the end.... if you can make it that far. The first 75% of the book is pretty slow and easy to set down. Once the end comes along, you won't be able to walk away from it. SPOILERS START HERE - Blue is a psychic's daughter who has the ability to amplify the supernatural and other psychic's abilities. She lives with her mom and aunts (mom's best friends) where they run a psychic business out of the house. This is where she learns of her fat that is tied into Gansey's who is a rich boy that goes to a rich ivy league school Aglionby. Gansey has three best friends - Adam, Noah, and Ronan, each of which you will love in their own special way. As Blue goes with her half-aunt on the St. Mark's Eve church run to see which spirits will die within the next 12 months, she sees Gansey's and it is the first time she sees a spirit. "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." This happens at the very beginning and huge spoiler alert - it doesn't even truly make sense at the end. Blue befriends the boys after some time and then begins this long hunt for Glendower, who as legend has it, is a long lost king who is still alive and whoever wakes him will be granted a favor. Now he is supposedly lying on a ley line which is where there is an enormous amount of energy (supernatural) that creates allows for an array of strange happenings. From the beginning to almost 3/4 through the book there is very little action in regards to this adventure. They find a few things, their friendships grow, but nothing at all exciting. The most you get is to know the characters, which with these, is a treat but almost lets you down since you're waiting for Glendower to spring alive and grant some unimaginable favor. Adam is a troubled boy who is ruled by his pride, completely smitten with blue and has an abusive father at home. His character is admirable, but also irritatingly prideful. He constantly pushes away Gansey's help attributing it to pity rather than genuine help. Frustrating, but I think all of us have been there. Ronan is well..... complicated. His father was murdered and Ronan was the unlucky one to find his body. He has a struggling relationship with his older brother. He is the rough of the group that won't ever turn away from a fight. BUT, he also has this loving, loyal and caring side that made him one of my favorites. He finds a small bird who he begins to care for more than the mother bird probably would have. He also finally stands up against Adam's father during one of his beating sessions. At that moment, I absolutely loved Ronan and my respect skyrocketed for Adam also protecting Ronan and handling his father how he should have. Then there's Noah who is insignificant until the end. "The Noah they had never questioned as being one of them. One of the living." This was one twist that completely through me for a loop. Kudos to Stiefvater because I never saw it coming. Noah was actually killed as a sacrifice by Whelk (their latin teacher who fell from the rich graces and hates the world) trying to wake the ley line and Glendower. Noah is their ghost friend who guides them as best as he can and sticks around to help them help one another. He's just awesome and it definitely stung when you find out his own best friend killed him 7 years earlier and didn't even get what he was looking for. During one of the excursions for Glendower they come across Cabeswater; a magical forest with trees that speak latin and a tree that that prophecies. This is where I think the second book will spend a considerable amount of time. Once all the conspiracies come full circle at the end all of the characters begin to work together - except Adam who decides to sacrifice himself to wake the ley line - to complete their hunt for Glendower. The book is well written and I'm hoping that the sequels will be able to focus more on the story now that the characters are all set up. I definitely recommend to give this book a shot and push through - it's worth it at the end!

I hate to say I purchased this book right when it came out, and only just cracked it open a day ago. The cover art kept meeting my roving eyes (is it not awesome?), but I was right in the middle of wading through another story. Also...and I am going to get so many evil eye's for this...read a book by this author a long time ago that just didn't do it for me. So I've never picked anything up by Maggie Stiefvater again...until I spied The Raven Boys. The cover alone nearly sold me, but after a glance at the synopsis, I was hooked. The Raven Boys opens with Blue, a young girl whose whole family consists of psychics. All but Blue that is. And while you'd think Blue would be a unique or odd individual...she happens to be the most sensible badly dressed teenager you've ever come across. The only thing halfway remarkable about Blue is her name, and that she acts as a battery to other psychics and paranormal things such as spirits. But for Blue's whole life, she has been told time and time again that she will ultimately fall in love. Which is a great thing right? Unfortunately for Blue, any future with her love is a mockery as it's told that her kiss will seal his death. So what's a girl to do when she comes face to face with the boy who's supposed to be her true love? First of all, be shocked. Second of all, be friggin' mad. Her supposed "love" is nothing more than a rich Raven boy, Gansey, who is seemingly obsessed with finding a magical being. And he is always flocked by his three friends, Ronan, who is about as friendly as a nest of vipers, shy, sweet Noah who blends into the walls, and finally Adam...a non-rich Raven boy whose analytical gaze moves something, which feels a lot like gooey girl emotion, inside Blue. These four boys all seem tied with Blue, and while she tries her hardest to resist the temptation of a magical hunt, it's near impossible to stay away. Especially when the first order to have ever graced her mother's lips are "stay away from those boys." If that isn't interesting Blue doesn't know what is. But as they get closer and closer to finding the magical path, they also begin to uncover secrets that could tear their little band of misfits apart. First of all, let me say I love the fact that there are parents in this book. So many YA books easily forget to include a parental/authority figure, or if there is a guardian they are made to look incompetent. A definite **mini yay** for that. The romance angle, for all those who care, wasn't deep at all. Like the romance actually floated through the book here and there, but it wasn't in-your-face. Very subtle, and so many variations of heart felt feelings that made me actually WANT more romance. You can tell there will be a triangle soon, but I am totally okay with that as I, personally, like `em. The characters were all very three dimensional, and I could easily empathize with all of them even though they didn't "act" like normal/typical teens. But given the circumstances of how each grew up, it's totally understandable and goes with the story nicely. The plot was spot on, and I found it utterly fascinating as we get pieces and bits of nearly each characters point of view. The majority of view point changes are from Blue to Gansey, but the other characters all had their moments, which really made them come alive for me as you get to know them better. Also...I can't say I was totally interested in what they were hoping to find, but I found THEM interesting in their hunt. If that makes sense. I will say that the much anticipated show down was a bit abrupt to me, and slightly sucked. I was hoping, blood thirsty reader that I am, for a personal one-on-one smack down in regards to the villain...but it just wasn't so. (sigh). BUT...it does end with some major revelations that had me not only sputtering, but looking for a release date to a second book. Any fans of Stiefvater should find a new treasure here, and those of us who love romance, action, adventure, and a spooky theme will definitely find a new love with The Raven Boys.

I feel everything has been said about this book, but I’ll chip in anyway. Unlike everyone in her family, Blue can’t impress people with visions or other mental abilities. According to her own words, she is a battery, making others’ energy stronger when she is around. She uses it to help the family psychic business. The other things making her special is the prophecy warning her she will kill her true love. How depressing. The Raven Boys are four very different but complementary older teenagers attending a prestigious pre-ivy league private school . The bad boy, the leader, the quiet, and the poor. Don’t worry, this is the simplistic version. Each of these boys carry secrets and burdens. Are you still with me? Now comes a quest, the strong desire of one of the boys to find something very special. Guess who is great at finding things? In the meantime, our frustrated Blue finally sees something. A boy. On a very special day. A vision that seals her fate to those of the boys. I was a little skeptical about the romance. And the paranormal. And the blurb. And the hype, of course. But I think I’m in love. Let me tell you why. The characterization makes it impossible not to fall for a character, or in my case all of them. The variety of personalities creates a likeable group you are bound to root for. Blue’s family is colorful and loveable. Yes, they are psychics. But that is not all there is to them. The author manages to play with the cliché and build a string of interesting women. They are not cardboard characters, there is a background, there is life. A mother raising her child alone, in a house full of creative minds. The boys. A novel could be written about them. Wait, it’s been done. I don’t feel like saying too much about them because I believe no words could describe them better than the ones used by the author. All you have to know is that a leader can me a thousand more things. So can me the bad boy. It applies to all of them. Maggie Stiefvater gave life to characters with distinct personalities that you can’t fail to love. Blue. Yes, it took me a while to get used to her name. Then I remembered someone had called their kid Apple, which is cute, but unusual. Blue became one of my favorite female characters. It bothers her to be seen as sensitive, but she can’t deny she is. She is friendly, curious, clever. It was refreshing not to get stuck with the strong main character with a hidden show-off super power whining about how her life is so boring until the day something happens and bam, she is transformed into a superhero. Blue is different, in a different way (this is so deep!). Her actions, the relationships she has or builds make her who she is, not her power. I cannot wait to see what happens to her in the next books. Her relationship with her mother and her family felt genuine and spot-on, differing in many ways from the usual teenagers-parents bonds we can find in books. The romance. No insta-love. No long paragraphs about longing for each other. No heavy forbidden-love atmosphere. It is only an element among many others in the plot. I really loved the way every relation was built, how deep the bonds between the boys were, and how love took its place without causing waves or demanding tear-jerking chapters. Back to the plot now. Psychics, Magic. A dead king. A quest. Trees. Nothing that appeals to me. Except this time. Everything is framed so perfectly that it creates a suspenseful and absorbing story that leaves you turning pages faster than the wind gets rid of a tree’s leaves. Don’t dread falling into something too supernatural for you, the right balance keeps you knee-deep in reality while sending you down the magic road. The writing. I don’t even know what to say. I wish I used words the way Maggie Stiefvater does. She makes the trees alive, turns conversations between teenagers into something entertaining, powerful, or the saddest thing you’ve ever read. She gives nouns and verbs a deeper meaning. Feelings become tangible. Her writing style made me hungry for more. If case you hadn’t noticed by now, I fell in love with everything in this book. The story swept me away and the characters filled every chapter with life. I finished this book last night, and I miss everything about it. Isn’t it what you call a book hangover? Don’t send my a doctor or aspirin, I’m happy here.

I have to be honest: I'm a Maggie fan. I adore Stiefvater's writing voice and her ability to weave a story, not just tell it. My first encounter with her writing was Shiver, which I liked a lot. Then Linger, which I loved. Then Forever, which I really loved. Then Lament, which I liked a lot. Then Ballad, which I loved. Then Scorpio Races, which I really LOVED a lot, and now, there is The Raven Boys. Any of these I would recommend...as well as her blog...as well as her grocery list. I think you get my point. I'm finding that the things I love in her books (and other authors I admire) are repetitive, the way I like different artist from a genre of music for the same reasons. So, though this is specifically about The Raven Boys, the writing aspects apply to all of her books. 1)Poetic prose with adventure-packed plot--I was used to Stiefvater's rolling, watery awesomeness with words and writing structure from previous books, but what surprised me was how well that combined with physical action in scenes. I rode the wave of discovery with the characters and felt it even more as insightful, yet subtle, character-revealing writing combined with physical blows and fast cars. It created a complete, complex reading experience and was so cleverly done that I didn't know I was in the process of understanding the character. All I knew was that I understood him or her once the moment was over. I hope that makes sense. Speaking of characters... 2)Characterization--There are multiple characters in the forefront of this story--one girl, Blue, and four boys: Gansey, Noah, Ronan, and Adam. Each one is 3 dimensional, and, in true Stiefvater fashion, unique with individual motivations and traits and needs and priorities and surprises with nooks and crannies that beg to be dwelled upon after the book is over. 3)The End--The Raven Boys has an ending that somehow still felt complete, even though it's going to be a series. When I got to the end, I felt equally satisfied and intrigued, happy to know that all the characters will be safe for the next year or so as I wait for the sequel and interested enough to know that I will reread this book and devour its sequel when the time comes. As a reader, this is how I like my series books, especially if I have to wait a year or more for the next one. Concerning The Raven Boys, I will be appropriately tortured for the time in between books. 4)The Mythology--Stiefvater tends to shy away from trendy mythology as foundations to her books. Even when she chose well-known myths, such as faeries and werewolves, she turned them on their heads. Her faeries were merciless and homicidal. Her werewolves were literal wolves (yes, wholly wild animals), changing by seasons rather than moon cycles. Less known mythologies were the man-eating water horses and, now, a dormant Welsh king waiting to be woken. She walks a different line, not necessarily rejecting well-known mythology, but definitely making sure that the story is not defined by the general public's assumed limitations of it. When Stiefvater chooses a less known mythology, though, I feel she shines. The Scorpio Races and The Raven Boys are my favorites of her books to date. I wonder, though, if my fondness for them is because I didn't have to break apart any preconceived notions of the myths, as I was not familiar with the mythological basis of these two books, and could focus solely on the story through the first reading. If you buy it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

i am so disappointed. the book came damaged. creases to the pages, the edges and spine bent all out of shape, the cover SCRATCHED and DIRTY!!!

Every now and then, a book attacks me and holds on tight and when I finish with it, it refuses to let me go. That’s the case with the first book in the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, whom I declare to be my new favourite author. I came to this conclusion not far in, primarily because of her unique way of molding her characters and settings, bringing everything literally to life. (Yes I know what “literally” means. I use it within the context of the story and the magic of Cabeswater.) I’ve written off some authors because they obsess with describing everything with pretty metaphors that leave the plot behind. Here, the plot and characters are swept along in a river of descriptions that don’t so much use adjectives or comparisons, but exclusions – descriptions of what the character is not – or things they do or collect that define them. And most often, their actions, gestures and reactions. Because of this, her characters and places always give me a sense of movement, or in the case of Ronan, movement that could come at any moment. By far my favourite character, Ronan is a bundle of venom, poised like a sharp-clawed cat about to strike at any moment. Yet, Stiefvater also gives him the perfect amount of vulnerability and harsh truth to make him more than just the bitter character that should be detested or pitied. Sometimes I got so wrapped up in her depictions that when I shook myself from their hypnotic power, I was afraid that I’d been carried away and missed what was going on. But nope. Everything was still clear and enticing and as the mystery deepened, I was pulled right along with it. This is the story of Blue Sargent, a young adult with the ability to strengthen the psychic powers of the women around her, but lacking in those abilities herself. From a very young age, her fate – her curse – was revealed to her: true love’s kiss would bring the death of that person. (Sorry Disney.) Blue does not stress over this destiny until she meets Gansey’s spirit on the Corpse Road, and later meets Gansey himself, who turns out to be one of the dreaded Raven Boys of Aglionby Academy. This is a young adult book and before I scare some of you away with the seemingly obvious sickly sweet romance plot, allow me to assure you that this is anything but the case. First of all, I really liked the maturity with which Steifvater presents the young adults in the book. The writing style is respectful of the teens Stiefvater writes about, as well as those who might be reading, while still appealing to me as an adult. Secondly, there’s Gansey himself. He’s a young man born into generations of privilege to the point that he doesn’t understand how his offers of money to those less fortunate can be taken as deeply offensive. He has a good heart and his mind functions on a strong sense of right and wrong and of concrete evidence, even when dealing with the unknown, such as his obsession. Somewhere along the way, I equated Gansey to Bruce Wayne (sorry, Gansey) for the way he gathers those in need to him and they all look to him for command, if not support, and how he can shift into his rich boy persona to handle a situation, but his true self is the one obsessed with finding ley lines and the secret of a dead king. Gansey and Blue are destined to meet, obviously, but I loved the way everything wrapped together. Nothing was extraneous or added to mislead. And when new elements popped up, they were shocking, culminating in a tense ending. Or rather, the beginning. This is the first in a the Raven Cycle and the end of The Raven Boys works like a fantastic door, opening onto all sorts of new mysteries that I’m really excited to find out about. But as if I needed more motivation, the very last line ensured that I will be grabbing book 2 as soon as I can.

A constantly exciting and mysterious first book. Highly enjoyable from start to finish, with a fun cast of characters. Excited for book two.

2 gun icinde hasarsiz bir sekilde elime ulasti, ayrac hediyeniz icin de tesekkur ederim :)

It only took me a couple of chapters to completely fall in love with all the characters. ALL of them! It's a must read if you like an amazing character-drive story.