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Narrated by Will Patton
Maggie StiefvaterUnabridged — 11 hours, 8 minutes
Narrated by Will Patton
Maggie StiefvaterUnabridged — 11 hours, 8 minutes
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…Stiefvater not only weaves a suspenseful tale…but she also does so stylishly, with sly social commentary…This first in a planned four-novel series draws readers into a world where time enfolds hauntingly, and magic informs reality…
—Mary Quattlebaum
…a well-paced neo-Gothic thriller about a teenage fivesome's search for the supernatural…and themselves…Stiefvater, who has an assured and entertaining way with language, doesn't talk down to her readers, and she ably blends the mystical and the earthly, the primitive and the contemporary in a way that brings to mind the work of John Bellairs, J. K. Rowling, Lois Duncan and Stephenie Meyer.
—Anna Holmes
By grounding this new series in what might be called everyday weirdness—a rich teenager’s obsession with legend and glory, a shabby household of female psychics with a pay-per-minute hotline—Stiefvater (The Scorpio Races) avoids the burden of building a seamless alternate world, instead saturating our reality with magic. Haunting, distinctly individual characters are at the forefront: Blue, an outsider in her own home because she isn’t clairvoyant; Gansey and his posse of misfits, who lack any sense of home and seek meaning elsewhere; and Barrington Whelk, a Latin teacher with a secret. Gansey and his fellow “raven boys” attend exclusive Aglionby Academy—itself out of place in working-class Henrietta, Va.—and Blue’s goal is to avoid them at any cost. She can’t, of course, but Stiefvater doesn’t rush this inevitability. Hopes, fears, quirks, and forebodings gather gradually, coalescing as living portraits. It’s a tour de force of characterization, and while there is no lack of event or mystery, it is the way Stiefvater’s people live in the reader’s imagination that makes this such a memorable read. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept.)
Praise for The Scorpio Races:* "Masterful. Like nothing else out there now." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "An utterly compelling read." - Publishers Weekly, starred review* "Filling it with loving descriptions of wet, wind-tossed Thisby as well as exciting equine action, Stiefvater has created a thrilling backdrop for the love story that blooms...A book appealing to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and actionadventure alike, this seems to have a shot at being a YA blockbuster." - School Library Journal, starred reviewPraise for the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver trilogy:* "A lyrical tale of alienated werewolves and first love....Stiefvater skillfully increases the tension throughout; her take on werewolves is interesting and original while her characters are refreshingly willing to use their brains to deal with the challenges they face." - Publishers Weekly, starred review"Readers will be able to enjoy Stiefvater's fast-paced storytelling and dedication to the old-fashioned art of creating a believable and enduring romance. Shiver is beautifully written, even poetic at times, and a perfect indulgence for readers of all ages." - Bookpage.com"This riveting narrative, impossible to put down, is not only an excellent addition to the current fangs and fur craze, but is also a beautifully written romance that, along with Shiver, will have teens clamoring for the third and final entry." - VOYA
Fred Sanders matter-of-factly begins the narration of this medical thriller about a case of fatal familial insomnia (FFI), a rare illness that prevents Patient Zero from sleeping, and a codex he looted from a Mayan lost city. Dr. Gabe Stanton discovers that FFI is airborne and searches for a cure while museum curator Chel Manu uses the codex as the key to mysteries of the Mayan civilization and its collapse. Narrators Fred Sanders and Noel Rodriguez are authentic, clear, and engaging; as the major characters, they’re both likable and identifiable. And they effectively use pacing and accents to depict the supporting characters. In particular, Sanders’s portrayal of Gabe resonates with the doctor’s desperation in the face of so many patient deaths. This production entertains with its puzzles and its performances. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
An ancient Welsh king may be buried in the Virginia countryside; three privileged boys hope to disinter him. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Blue Sargent, daughter of a small-town psychic, has lived her whole life under a prophecy: If she kisses her true love, he will die. Not that she plans on kissing anyone. Blue isn't psychic, but she enhances the extrasensory power of anyone she's near; while helping her aunt visualize the souls of people soon to die, she sees a vision of a dying Raven boy named Gansey. The Raven Boys--students at Aglionby, a nearby prep school, so-called because of the ravens on their school crest--soon encounter Blue in person. From then on, the point of view shifts among Blue; Gansey, a trust-fund kid obsessed with finding King Glendower buried on a ley-line in Virginia; and Adam, a scholarship student obsessed with his own self-sufficiency. Add Ronan, whose violent insouciance comes from seeing his father die, and Noah, whose first words in the book are, "I've been dead for seven years," and you've got a story very few writers could dream up and only Stiefvater could make so palpably real. Simultaneously complex and simple, compulsively readable, marvelously wrought. The only flaw is that this is Book 1; it may be months yet before Book 2 comes out. The magic is entirely pragmatic; the impossible, extraordinarily true. (Fantasy. 13 & up)
| BN ID: | 2940170885305 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Scholastic, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 09/18/2012 |
| Series: | Raven Cycle Series , #1 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 573,319 |
| Age Range: | 12 - 17 Years |
From The Raven Boys
Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she'd been told that she would kill her true love.
Her family traded in predictions. These predictions tended, however, to run toward the non-specific. Things like: Something terrible will happen to you today. It might involve the number six. Or: Money is coming. Open your hand for it. Or: You have a big decision and it will not make itself.
The people who came to the little, bright blue house at 300 Fox Way didn't mind the imprecise nature of their fortunes. It became a game, a challenge, to realize the exact moment that the predictions came true. When a van carrying six people wheeled into a client's car two weeks after their psychic reading, he could nod with a sense of accomplishment and release. When a neighbor offered to buy another client's old chainsaw if they were looking for a bit of extra cash, she could recall the promise of money coming and sell it with the sense that the transaction had been foretold. Or when a third client heard his wife say this is a decision that has to be made, he could remember the same words being said by Maura Sargent over a spread of tarot cards and then leap decisively to action.
But the imprecise nature of the fortunes kept them from feeling complete. They could be dismissed as coincidences, hunches. They were a chuckle in the Wal-mart parking lot when you ran into an old friend as promised. A shiver when the number seventeen appeared in an electric bill. A realization that even if you had discovered the future, it really didn't change how you lived the present. The predictions existed in one world, and reality in another. They were truth, but they weren't all of the truth.
