Book Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys

“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 theShiver 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."

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Year of Release: 2012

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

Sequel(s): 3 Untitled Sequels

What motivated you to read this book?: I enjoyed Maggie's other books, so I wanted to try this one too! Plus, the plot summary seemed interesting

Book Version: Hardback

Where did you get the book?: Library

Favorite Character: Gansey

Least Favorite Character: Barrington Whelk

Thoughts on Cover: I really like it! Very nice. Love the raven on it.

Recommended to: 

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Review:  This book is probably the eeriest book I have ever read. It gave me the creeps...in a good way. It was written extremely well. It wasn't overly detailed, nor was it not detailed enough. It was perfect. The story and plot were completely original. I have never read anything like it before. It definitely kept my interest. I would give it 4 stars, but it was very slow moving and it had pretty much no romance at all. (Books without romance can be a bit boring at times.) Therefore I'm dropping it down to 3.5 stars instead. Its lack of romance is pretty understandable though, considering that Blue cannot kiss her true love without him dying. However, I did expect her to fall for Gansey right away. I didn't expect her to have a thing with Adam. I guess I am too accustomed to characters falling for each other immediately. I suppose this is more realistic. I like that.

Overall, this book was a good read, but it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. I plan on reading the sequels, but I'm not dying to do so.