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“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 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.
é “Masterful...like nothing else out there now.”
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
é “A study of courage and loyalty tested
utterly compelling.”
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
é “A book with cross-appeal to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and action-adventure, this seems to have a shot at being a YA blockbuster.”
Booklist, Starred Review
é “UpOn the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, fall brings the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses, and with them, death . . . The author takes great liberties with the Celtic myth, but the result is marvelous.”
School Library Journal, Starred Review
“Stiefvater not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with “The Scorpio Races” but crushes it with pounding hooves
. If “The Scorpio Races” sounds like nothing you've ever read, that's because it is.”
The New York Times Book Review
“Tactile world-building, an island full of compelling characters, and the budding romance between Sean and Puck all make for an unforgettable book that's quite unlike anything else out there.”
NPR Books
“With this beautifully executed drama, Stiefvater has established herself as one of the finest YA novelists writing today.”
Entertainment Weekly
“Tense, atmospheric, and utterly original.”
People Magazine
Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Shiver, Linger, Forever, and The Scorpio Races. She is also the author of Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception and Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children. You can visit her online at www.maggiestiefvater.com.
The Raven Boys is a story that is full of fantasy and supernatural occurrences that actually originate from factual, real life beliefs that I actually looked up after finishing the book. However, with this stellar and rich plot, The Raven Boys has a cast of unique, individualistic characters that you can’t help but fall a little bit in love with and also be jealous of their friendship and want to be a part of their posse. Four boys, The Raven Boys, the name given to boys who go to Aglionby, the private school for rich kids, are what the story revolves around, along with Blue, the girl that somehow triggers everything around them.
I honestly think what landed this book in my top books of 2012 list are the characters, their friendship with each other, and how the four boys, even with their differences and their distinct personalities, mesh so well together and would do anything for each other. Then enters the psychic’s daughter, Blue. She’s destined to either fall in love or kill one of these four boys, and we find which one at the beginning of the novel. Also, prophecies from all psychics have warned her about kissing the love of her life because with that one kiss, death will do them part. Blue quickly becomes a part of their group and I really liked how there are no lies, deceits, and backstabbing happening between them.
Blue ends up getting close to someone but who is NOT the Raven Boy we were promised in the synopsis and that our hearts, well at least mine, has been dying to get them together. But I must warn you, if you are expecting romance to be the leading theme, or even the secondary theme, then you are mistaken. The first theme is most definitely the boys’ obsession with finding out the ley line (click on the link to find out more about Ley Lines) and finding the buried one. The second is the friendship between them and how normal life still gets in the way of their quest to unraveling the supernatural that this world does indeed have. Maggie’s writing was so enchanting in The Raven Boys; I was holding my breath in so many scenes. I also somehow became as obsessed as the boys were in trying to find the ley lines. Also, Gansey, one of the boys, has totally stolen my heart. He was like the father of all the boys. He busted their butts when they weren’t studying, saved them when they got into fights, and vouched for them when they were going to get kicked out of school or were abused at home.
If you are not a fan of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, then I still urge you to read The Raven Boys. This book is not in the least bit similar to the Shiver series. I honestly wouldn’t have guessed for the life of me that the same author wrote both books. I am so glad Maggie has decided to explore her own fascination in ley lines and create such a powerful and memorable novel that had me yearning to get my hands on the second book when the first hasn’t even come out yet!
25 out of 31 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 22, 2012
I truly enjoyed reading this book. Let me just say that there is more to this book than what is explained in the synopsis. I am eagerly awaiting what will follow in their quest. I love the depth of the characters and the "magic" that comes alive.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Joie-de-Lire
Posted November 29, 2012
Let me just start off by making this clear: the synopsis of this book does not do the actual story justice. Not by a long shot.
Yes, Blue is apparently destined to kill her true love with her kiss, and yes, she meets four Raven Boys.
More than that, though, this book is about an eccentric family of secretive psychics and a non-psychic daughter, a journey to find a magical ley line, the legend of the Welsh king, Glendower, and the fierce friendship between four boys that is complex and heart-breakingly beautiful.
The best part of this book, for me, is definitely the friendship between the four Raven Boys.
You've got Gansey who is born with unimaginable privilege and harbors an obsession for finding the legendary Glendower. I loved the dichotomy of Gansey's character! On the surface he is the cookie-cutter rich boy, but beneath that there is this inexplicably complex nature, from his deep insatiable yearning for Glendower to his love and protectiveness of his friends. I wish I knew the right words to describe Gansey, but all I can tell you is that he is a truly unforgettable character.
"In the end, he was nobody to Adam, he was nobody to Ronan. Adam spit his words back at him and Ronan squandered however many second chances he gave him. Gansey was just a guy with a lot of stuff and a hole inside him that chewed away more of his heart every year.
They were always walking away from him. But he never seemed able to walk away from them."
Then you've got Adam, sweet and endearing Adam. He's a tortured hero who has been able to retain this rare kindness and gentleness about him despite the hell he grew up in. Adam comes from nothing and, like Gansey, yearns for something more, but he won't accept anything unless he's earned it himself.
"It means I never get to be my own person. If I let you cover for me, then I'm yours. I'm his now, and then I'll be yours."
Ronan is the bad-boy of the bunch; angry, intimidating, and downright dangerous. However, there is a concealed softer side of him, a side that may not be described as "kind," but definitely shows that he cares more about people than he seems to. His past is shrouded in mystery and I really cannot wait for the sequel to find out more about him!
"Gansey had once told Adam that he was afraid most people didn't know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves."
Last, but certainly not least, is Noah, the most mysterious of the four--but just as endearing. Noah harbors a dark secret which plays an integral part in this novel, both in the the mystery of the book and in the relationships between the Raven Boys.
"Noah was a good bellwether for people. He was so shy and awkward and invisible that he could be easily ignored or made fun of."
These four boys are as different as could be, but they fit together like jigsaw pieces falling into place, balancing each other and keeping each other in check. Their relationship is complicated, but so compelling to read about, and before I could help it, I'd fallen in love with each of them.
I've read Stiefvater's Shiver trilogy and part of her Scorpio Race, and in The Raven Boys, her writing is still effortlessly gorgeous! Her descriptions are so vivid it's really like I'm in Henrietta, Virginia with its hot days, cold nights, and mountain air.
The only frustrating part of this book, for me, was the romance. Or lack thereof. As a romanceaholic, I crave that bit of romance in books and as I was reading this, I was constantly anticipating the emegence of the romantic element....but it never came! Not really. There was a slight blossoming of feelings, but for a story that emphasized how Blue was going to kill her true love, there really wasn't a whole lot of love present.
AND THAT'S OKAY.
Let me repeat: It's okay that there wasn't much romance. I still loved this book regardless. The story, the mystery, and especially the characters drew me in and kept me a willful prisoner for 408 pages.
Rating: 4.5 stars*
All in all: I. Need. The. Sequel.
I need it now! This book captivated me while I read and even when I finished, I could not get the story or the characters out of my head. So the question now is, how many "reallys" do I have to put before "recommend" to get you to read this?
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own
5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.mgolden
Posted September 25, 2012
I am a big fan of Maggie Stiefvater’s stories. When I heard THE RAVEN BOYS was going to be book 1 in a series of four, I was a bit hesitant to read it. I was afraid that the end of each story would have cliffhangers with lots of unanswered questions. I was, as Stiefvater might say, revoltingly pleased this was not the case with THE RAVEN BOYS. There will obviously be the continuous theme of the search or hunt but the story in the first book has a nice and tidy conclusion. I am unfamiliar with the myth or legend (unless it is made up. In that case I feel silly for writing this sentence) of this story so I am excited to see where this series will end up. I recommend this story to anyone interested in an adventure set with magic, intriguing characters and fresh, unique plot. –Also anyone who is already a fan of the authors work will love this!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 16, 2013
I Also Recommend:
Great book!, still prefer Fallen Angel (author is genie ems...i think) Just my opinion.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Raven Boys is another great series from author Maggie Stiefvater. I think I loved The Raven Boys series more than The Wolfs of Mercy Falls. I mean, there's four…count them four beautiful, sexy guys in this series. Yep! And I lost my heart to all of them. I mean, WOW. A smorgasbord of delicious prep school guys. What’s not to love with these guys?! I also loved Blue: the smart, strong, and self-assured girl who is one of the main characters. How lucky can a girl be to hang with four super sexy, gorgeous guys? (I also love the name Blue ;). Stiefvater won me over with The Raven Boys on the first page with mystery, dark supernatural world, magic, and fantastic characters. I want more…No I need more of this awesome series NOW!
Blue can see the dead before they die. She lives with her psychic mother, Maura, and her two psychic cousins. So Blue is kind of the weird one in her family. Blue has been told all her life she can't kiss boys, because kissing a guy could be deadly for him. Blue has sworn off boys and romance, she lives by two rules. One: stay away from boys, because they’re trouble. And two: Stay away from Aglionby Academy’s raven boys, because they’re bastards. Well, these rules were great considering the kissing curse until the night of St.Mark's Eve, when Blue cross paths with Gansey. A raven boy.
These raven boys are swoony. Gensey is the cocky, confident leader of this group. There's Ronan, the bad boy with an attitude, and Adam, a scholarship kid who comes from a poor family and who has an abusive father. Then theirs Noah, the mysterious quit one. Yep, love all these hot, gorgeous guy. But I’m not sure how Blue’s romance interest is going to go. Just have to wait and see in the next book to see if I’m right.
The Raven Boys series is another awesome addition to Maggie Stiefvater’s collection of paranormals with swoon-worthy romance, and this time around, so many beautiful guys to swoon over. I also love the four different POVs. I definitely recommend The Raven Boys as a must read!
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AuntHeidi
Posted November 10, 2012
I read a lot of "teen" books even though I am in my 30's. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning. The storyline was intriguing and there were a lot of surprises I didn't see coming. The foreshadowing was intense and I was left waiting anxiously to see how events would unfold. That being said, the ending was anticlimactic. I was disappointed. I would still recommend it because it was very interesting. I will read the second book in the hopes that something comes from the foreshadowing from the first book.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BelovedAJP
Posted October 26, 2012
I really, really, really enjoyed this book! I'm so glad I stumbled upon it! It was such a great story, full of colorful characters and true friends, albeit tragic and damaged.
If you enjoy a good mystery with a bit of magic, strangeness, ghost hunting, and psychics thrown in, then this is the story for you! But be warned the story is far from finished and I for one can't wait for the next installment!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 25, 2012
In general I liked the book, but as I noticed that as I was reading I wouldn't really want to read about the teacher who killed his friend (forgot the guys name). To be honest I'm not a big fan of books that are told in three or four people. I find it irritating and I find myself skimming through that chapter to get to the next one.
Also it seemed towards the end of the book it was like she ran out of pages and hurried to sum it all up in two chapters. I found the last sentence of the book leaving me hanging and a little annoyed.
Don't get me wrong the book was good, just this book I found a little slow for me but seeing as I read book one I will be reading the ones to come of the series just to see what happens to the four boys and Blue.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 22, 2012
This book is fantastic. I was unable to put it down, so I finished very quickly. Which of course leaves me begging for more! Sequel please!! But two things you should know about this book is that you don't have to be really into sci-fi to like it and it is much deeper than just the description! There is so much more to it than what you would stereotypically judge it to be like. And it's an all new type of magic that hasn't been tampered with yet. No twilight or Harry Potter knock off here if that's what you were worrying about! (I love both by the way!) But honestly this book is an exciting page turner that will keep you interested the whole way through and dying for the next one.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I did not enjoy this book like I expected to. I've read several other Maggie Stiefvater books, the most recent being, The Scorpio Races which is one of my favorites! This book was dark, heavy and less appealing to me but then again, I don't enjoy reading about mediums and witchcraft.
The body of the story seemed very wordy (for lack of a better term) and I often felt like I was reading an Alice Hoffman novel. The alternating POV's were confusing at times because I wasn't sure who was speaking, causing me to have go back and reread sections which is both time consuming and annoying.
The characters themselves weren't bad and I enjoyed their personalities, witty banter and sense of humors but that was about it. The plot didn't hold my interest and I don't really see the need to spread it out over several books.
Having said all of that, not every book will please every person and I'm OK with that. I've no doubt that The Raven Boys will have many fans but I'm just not one of them. (insert frowny face)
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 17, 2013
It was a really good book and of course I would recommend it it pleased me and I hope it does to you. I am only 13 so this is a good teen book. Adults may find it werid and a little boring. I would recommend the scopio races.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 15, 2013
It may be a good book but too many plot spoilers here have ruined it. Why do you rude ppl think you have to reveal every detail of the story? Just because you have read it does not give you the right to ruin it for those of us that have not read it. You should be banned from posting and all your spoilers deleted.
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 15, 2013
Dont use all Caps. Its anoying
1 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 31, 2013
This book ended horribly I have so many unanswered questions about what happened to certain people in the book. It started off ownderful but in the end it ended terrible they need to make a seond but for thus story!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 27, 2013
It was a good book. Not what I was expecting, but good nonetheless. I prefer the Wolves of Mercy Falls, but in my opinion, I read based on romance. That's why I didn't like this one as much; it lacked romance. There was some, but not enough for me to give it 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, the plot is very addictive, just not what I necessarily wanted from Maggie Stiefvater.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.After reading The Scorpio Races, I thought I knew what to expect from Stiefvater. Boy, was I wrong. That's not to say, Maggie's writing isn't as organic and eloquent as ever (it is) but the story is just WOAH! I was a little caught off guard by just how much The Raven Boys would stick with me, even long after I finished it. Maggie has a way with words and subtlety which is lacking immensely in the YA world. There are no cliches here. Her prose is nothing short of beautiful, her characters eclectic and her story enigmatic. The paranormal elements are grandiose but never overdone. She takes on strong character development, an intriguing plot and flowing prose, each one working well on its own but still balanced out by all the others. It's easy to lose yourself in it. This isn't a climactic, gunslinging thrill ride, by any means. Instead, the pace simmers to a slow boil, not so slow to be boring, but slow enough to let you digest everything that's going on. And when you take a deeper look you find that, much like The Scorpio Races, it's more a story about people. It's about the lure of magic and wealth and the temptation that it breeds. And the romance in it is sweet and builds at a slow, natural pace. As it should, it takes a back seat to everything else. There's no rush, no insta-love to be found. My favourite thing about the book by far though was the people. They are human instead of superhuman. With them, what you see is not what you get. You have to take your time and dig a little deeper. Get to know them. They are complex and you have to peel back the layers to get to the core. Maggie writes relatable characters who you genuinely feel for. If I have one criticism of the story, it's that it raises more questions than it does answers. So much is going on that we only have a short time to explore each avenue before we're taken down a new one. It's a lot to digest, but it's worth it. The Raven Boys is one of those books that, when you're done, the more you think on it the more it grows on you. It's contemplative, mysterious and complex and all around wonderful.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.kaydi35
Posted January 3, 2013
My husband received this book on Goodreads First Reads.
This is one of the best books I've read. All of the characters are well developed and have a great
dynamic with each other. It completely consumed me so that I could not put it down. I HAD to find
out what was next. "Just one more chapter" I kept telling myself until that "just one more chapter" had taken
me to the end of the book.
There are some twists and turns that kept me wondering until I found out the truth. Now hooked
and cannot wait until the next one comes out.
It's an outstanding, gripping, magical, colorful, exciting, and overall wonderful book!!
If you like stories of friendship although slightly damaged, ghost hunting, psychics, magic, mystery, and a
bit of strangeness, then you'll love this book."
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.While not my favorite Stiefvater book, <i>The Raven Boys</i>
once again cements Stiefvater as an author whose books I will always pick up.
Full of mystery and intrigue, <i>The Raven Boys</i>
may take a while to get into, but once you've settled into the plot, you're dragged into a paranormal mystery that knows just when to drop the next hint. The plot is luxuriously drawn out over the course of the book. Just enough questions are answered to be satisfied while just enough new ones are introduced to leave you wanting more.
The best part of the book isn't the plot, for all it's awesome; it's the characters. Each one stands out on their own, interesting and detailed in their own right. Ronan Lynch terrified the hell out of me; Adam intrigued me and I'm excited to see where his story goes; Gansey's internal plight had me curious; Blue's overall personality had me grinning from ear-to-ear. My favorite characters, Blue's mother and 'sisters,' had me laughing every time they appeared on page.
I think the only thing that put me off is the 'villain' of the story, who I won't name for the sake of spoilers even though you find out who he is 1/4 of the way into the story. While seeing through his point of view was interesting and set up for a little bit of foreshadowing, it didn't really add too much to the story that we didn't find out in other ways. I almost would have liked it more to take out his part and just add in a few little things here and there - enough foreshadowing with much more surprise.
While it takes a little while to settle into, it's ultimately a great mystery that handles its characters and story beautifully.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.dayzd89
Posted December 16, 2012
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is a riveting, dark read that is refreshing and compelling. The story had me hooked from the first page. The characters are unique and the type that you either love or hate. The story mainly revolves around Blue, Gansey, Adam, and Ronan. Blue is told by her mother, who is a psychic, that she will kill her true love. So when she meets the three boys from the prestigious private school, she is weary and very suspicious. The four of them, though, slowly form a friendship that leads them on a quest that is both magical and daunting. There is also Noah, the silent, watchful type that says very little but is nearly always present with the boys.
What is that journey they are on? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out. I won't give away spoilers, but I will say that the plot is pretty awesome and held me in suspense half the time. What I really like about this novel, though, is that it balances the magical with the real. There is definitely a fantasy element to this story, but there are many real life conflicts in the characters' lives.
Noah is adorable, and by the end of the novel I wanted to hug him and tell him that everything is going to be okay. That ending kills me, though. I need to read the sequel like now. That's how bad I want to find out what happens next.
There are some scenes in the book that are pretty scary and even had me fearful of what would happen next. Like with Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words that catapults me to the world in the novel. I get lost in the characters and the plot. She also has beautiful descriptions of the settings, and this is especially evident when she is describing the woods, for example.
The Raven Boys is highly recommendable and is definitely one of the best books that came out in 2012.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
“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 ...