Review: The Raven Boys

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Source: bought

“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.

Nancy’s Review:

When I first saw the cover of this book, I didn’t think much of it. It didn’t draw my attention enough to even read the summary. However, once The Raven Boys started showing up on all the book blogs I follow I figured it might not be that bad. I took a chance and bought it. I’m so happy that I did!

At the beginning of The Raven Boys I wasn’t sure what was going on and I felt that the pace was slow. I wanted the story to move forward faster than it was going. I was just about to give up when I got really into it. About halfway through, Blue (the main character) FINALLY meets the leading man, Gansey. I was so disappointed that they hadn’t met earlier. I was expecting the story to just go down from there, but it was just the opposite.

The book picked up speed as Blue, Gansey, and his friends searched for clues that would lead them to what Gansey has spent years looking for. I know I’m being vague, but I’m not giving anything away. I was impressed with just how much I ended up liking it! There was so much adventure and mystery that I was very much intrigued. Though we didn’t see much romance between the main characters, I was not bothered by this. There were so many other important things going on that I was solely focused on that.

I think this was a very promising start to what I’m expecting will be an amazing series. I really loved it. The plot twists and the story lines of each character were so detailed that it was just a joy to read! Despite the rough start, The Raven Boys delivered. I highly recommend it and I can’t wait for the next book.