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Monday, August 20, 2012

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: September 18, 2012
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 406 pages

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher!

"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 theShiver 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."

Review:

Characters: Blue was born into a family of psychics, unfortunately she hasn't been given a psychic gift, except perhaps for her strange ability to provide other psychics with clarity. She may be needed by her mother and her other family members often, but she can't help but constantly feeling like a tool, rather than a person, which seems to trigger Blue's drive to make her own choices when meets a group of Raven Boys. Blue has always had a rule about Raven Boys, to stay away from them at all costs, however, when she is thrust into a mystery involving a whole group of them she begins to change her opinions. Throughout the book Blue has to debate on letting fate run it's course or whether she could change it.

Romance:  Blue has been told by every true psychic she's met, that if she kisses her true love, he will die. It's because of that detail that I thought this book will be full to the brim with romance, mixed with an adventure to find a sleeping Welsh king. However, I was wrong. It isn't that there's no romance at all, there were bits and pieces of it throughout the entire novel and full scenes of foreshadowing of future installments, but in all honesty, it made the book more interesting somehow. It keeps you guessing as to when the two main love interests will show their true feelings.

Predictability: I was shocked by this book more times than I could count. It wasn't even that I had predicted something that didn't happen the way I thought, but more that I didn't have many, if any, hints to indicate a twist until I was already thoroughly twisted. When the reader is given clues, however, the events and twists that they may assume are coming probably won't be revealed until the next installment. I couldn't believe how much fun it was to read this book and just enjoy the ride. 

Ending: I was almost disappointed in this ending, almost. The ending is an epilogue detailing what had happened in the past month or so, but because of this I felt like I was reading a series conclusion, rather than just the end of the first installment. However, the last sentence blew my mind. I had to read it four or five times for it to really sink in, because I couldn't even comprehend it. Let's just say that without that last sentence the epilogue would have seemed like a full conclusion, but with that ending sentence, everything changed.

Overall, there is no way that this book could get less than 5 out of 5 stars. This has been at the top of my most wanted list for the year and it far exceeded my expectations. Thanks again to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance.

P.S. Congratulations to Emily P. for winning my Tiger's Destiny Review. I'm currently planning my next giveaway, so if you haven't already, follow me via Email in the sidebar and on Twitter (@FlyeZachary) for more details as they are announced. Also, I'd like to apologize for the late review, this was supposed to be up last Saturday, but my birthday was yesterday and I was super busy all weekend. Also, there was supposed to be a new No Post on Sunday, which is temporarily moved to Wednesday, just for this week though. 

Up Next: ??? by ??? (It's a surprise)

10 comments:

  1. I have been wanting to read this book thanks for the review it helped me in deciding to proceed with read it.

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  2. I have this one. I have heard mixed reviews.

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  3. My friend read this earlier this year. She loved it, and that made me want to read it too. I've read a couple of Maggie Stiefvater's other books, but even though I didn't love them I did enjoy her style of writing. I've only heard good things about this book so I'm looking forward to reading it.

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  4. I am ify about this one. I have heard good and bad. I'm not sure if I want to read it.

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  5. I absolutely love Maggie Stievater. One of my favorite authors! I agree that the last sentence of this book threw me as well!

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  6. Maggie Stievater never disappoints, does she? I can't wait to get started on this one—I know I have a copy somewhere in the midst of my ridiculous to-read pile! Fabulous review, as always, Zach! :)

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  7. I just learned that there will be another book in this series. I'm tempted to read it, but I think I might wait until that one comes out. I'm so sick of waiting for series books! LOL!

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  8. I loved this book. When I first read the synopsis I was skeptical, I too thought it would be full on romantic but I was pleasantly surprised :) I like that we only get to see bits and pieces of Blue and Gansey, it's kind of refreshing! I can't wait for book The Dream Thieves

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  9. i Loved this book i didn't think i would like it but i fell in love with the raven boys just like Blue is There's just a magical appeal to them

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  10. I have been DYING to read this book! It's nice to see that you liked it! Hopefully Maggie Stiefvater won't disappoint!

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