The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Recommended Ages: 15+
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 Gist
I thought The Raven Boys was a pleasant read with an intriguing dive into the myth surrounding Glendower. It features a charming and eclectic team of characters that make you wish you could be a part of their friend group. Mystery hangs thick throughout the book, which starts slow but picks up a lot in the second half.
What I Liked:
My favorite part about this book was learning about the mystery surrounding Glendower’s disappearance and all the secrets of the psychic’s in Blue’s life. That component of the story is definitely what kept me going through most of the book.
The characters were also superb. I desperately want to be part of the Raven Boys little group. They all sound like so much fun! And they each bring something different to the table when it comes to personalities. And I adored Blue’s spitfire attitude that doesn’t take nonsense from anyone. Ronan might be my favorite though, with his creepy fierceness.
Oh, and I must say, for someone who NEEDS a good romantic storyline in her books, the whole prophecy that the first boy she kisses will die thing hooked me from the beginning! Maybe because I knew it would create a lot of that great tension I eat up, like she really wants to kiss him but she can’t cause then he’ll die. I loved it!
What I Didn’t Like:
It seemed like it took a long time to get to the really interesting parts. For me, the best part of the book was the Glendower plot line, so I got bored listening to the many MANY character building scenes. I understand the author was probably trying to make us fall in love with the characters and really understand, which, to her credit, I do love and understand all the characters now. But it just felt like too much. The pace got bogged down a lot in the first half because the search for Glendower kept getting interrupted by character struggles that had nothing to do with the plot.
