by Maggie Stiefvater
Hardcover, 409 pages
Published September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press
ISBN 0545424925 (ISBN13: 9780545424929)
Blurb
“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.
The Good
- The characters. The characters in this book are so REAL it is amazing. Their reactions, their interactions, the way they talk—all of it comes together to make each and every person in the story amazingly flawed and believable.
- The settings. Maggie’s settings are described perfectly. I think part of the reason why her stories are always so addictive comes from the fact that you feel like you’re really there. She doesn’t just tell you colors or time of day; you get smells, tastes, temperatures, sounds. Maggie engages all five senses everywhere her characters go so you’re constantly living right there in the moment with them.
- The surprises. It isn’t very often you read a YA book that really and truly surprises you, but this one definitely did. The twists and turns are artfully foreshadowed so once they are revealed, you notice the breadcrumbs immediately, but at the time they are dropped within the story they seem like minor, unimportant details.
- The Camaro love. I just loved the Camaro within the story. Knowing Maggie’s love for her own Camaro from following her blog, I felt like this was a really cute way for her to embed a piece of her own life.
Overall Rating
I tend to love pretty much everything Maggie writes, and The Raven Boys was no exception. The beautifully flawed characters, the engrossing settings, and the artfully crafted twists and turns all come together to make a highly addictive read. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment.
