The Raven Boys by Maggie StiefvaterExpected Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page Count: 390 pages
Format: ARC
Source: Nicole from The Reader's Antidote
“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.”I'll be honest with you, of all of Maggie Stiefvater's books, Raven Boys is by far my favorite. While I loved Shiver, Linger was just okay and Forever was a DNF for me, and I still haven't read Scorpio Races. That being said, my decision to read Raven Boys was a bit hesitant at first. I'm so glad I didn't let any prior judgments get in the way of my choice. I devoured Raven Boys. The characters have a depth to them that makes them real and the writing style is as gorgeous as always. Raven Boys is a magical story that you won't be able to fully grasp until the very end, when all the pieces come together and you're pushed off a cliff. The only poor choice I made in reading this one was waiting so long to pick it up. Whether you're a fan of Stiefvater's other works or not, your'e going to want to get your hands on Raven Boys ASAP!
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.
The characters are all beautifully developed. Blue is a little bit weird, having grown up as the only "normal" one in a house full of psychics. Despite her peculiar upbringing she knows who she is and she's proud of where she's come from. The raven boys (Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah) all have their own unique identities and stories that make them who they are. Stiefvater did an amazing job at slowly revealing the life experiences that have shaped these characters and made them who they are. I was able to connect with all of them on so many levels, and my heart just broke for them. And despite how different they may seem on the outside, they're all very similar, and somewhat damaged, on the inside. I absolutely fell head over heels in love with all the boys and their decisions affected me just as deeply as they affected each other.
As always, Stiefvater's writing is as beautiful and poetic as always. Her writing style paints a vivid image of the world she's built and as a reader I was able to immerse myself so fully into the story that I began to believe it was real. When something haunting happened, my body would get the all-over-chills and I would have to make sure all my windows were closed and my door was locked. The story itself was incredibly original and unlike anything I've read before. I love the mixture of the paranormal with the mythological as well as a bit of historical fiction thrown in. I honestly had no way of guessing what was going to happen next and I gave up trying and just let myself frown in the story. I admit, I was confused, horrified, frightened, anxious, and heartbroken on more than one occasion while reading Raven Boys, but I love that Stiefvater was able to pull so many emotions out of me!
If you're one of the few people who hasn't already added Raven Boys to your TBR yet, make sure you get on that NOW. Raven Boys will turn your world upside down in the best of ways. you will fell all of the feelings and fall deeply in love with the amazing characters. It's hard to find a book that is so refreshingly original as well as soul satisfyingly brilliant. I'm not a huge Maggie Stiefvater fan, but I can say if she wrote more books like this I would read every last one of them and become a full fledged uber fan. I highly recommend that anyone and every one pick up Raven Boys the second it hits shelves!
