The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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Source: Purchased (Chapters)
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover, 409 pages
Release Date: September 18, 2012

“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.

I am kicking myself for leaving this book so long. I'm pretty new to Camp Maggie but I would like to stay for a looong, long while. Every book that I read by Stiefvater manages to raise my expectations just a little bit higher but they are consistently met. I loved this book!

I've heard The Raven Boys described as intriguing and there's really no better word for it. The mystery and adventure that permeates every word held my attention long after I'd turned the last page. There's something so fascinating about the obsession and substance of the Glendower hunt and I am desperate to find out more. Maggie Stiefvater definitely has a talent for turning something that I never would have considered into something that is suddenly overwhelmingly interesting.

The characters in this book are all so heavily weighed down by their individual problems. It was frustratingly obvious with the multiple viewpoints the ways that they were hurting each other but from that insight, I also got to see the good intentions that they have. Blue, Adam, Gansey, Noah, Ronan... they all feel like friends that I want to keep in my pocket with me. I grew to care for these characters so much over the course of the book and I definitely sympathised with each of their situations.

Of course, as always, Maggie Stiefvater's prose is so lovely. I felt like I understood what she was trying to say instantly and the word choice gave the book such a smooth, rhythmic tone.

The Raven Boys is so much more than the summary suggests. It is a story taut with emotion and intrigue; wonder and hope. Eagerly awaiting the upcoming instalment!

5 Golden Crowns!

Cover Comments: I love the look of the raven IRL, like brush strokes of paint. The colours would not have been my first choice but they actually work well together.