The first electrifying book in Maggie Stiefvater's The
Raven Cycle series.
"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit
on St. Mark's Eve...
Either you're his true love... or you killed him."
Part of a clairvoyant family, Blue has spent sixteen years being
told that if she kisses her true love, he will die.
So when she meets Gansey's spirit on the corpse road, Blue knows
that either he is her true love - or she has killed him.
The boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His
name is Gansey, and he is a student at Aglionby, a wealthy local
private school. With three other mysterious and privileged boys,
he is on a quest to find the grave of Glendower - a Welsh king buried
somewhere on a Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be
granted a supernatural favour.
Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey
really her true love - the one she is destined to kill?
Blue never fully believed in the prophecy. But as she is caught
up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not
so sure anymore.
Absolutely addictive writing for teen girls... and grown-up girls...
Magic, mystery and adventure at every turn
From the bestselling author of Shiver, Linger
and Forever which all debuted at #1 on the UK book bestseller
charts
Film rights to The Raven Cycle have been acquired
PRAISE FOR MAGGIE STIEFVATER BOOKS
The Raven Boys:
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year 2012
"Stiefvater is a master storyteller." - USA Today
"A dizzying paranormal romance tinged with murder and Welsh mythology."
- The Los Angeles Times
"A tour de force... such a memorable read." - Publishers Weekly
"One unexpected and wonderful surprise after another... a marvel
of imagination." - Booklist
"The Raven Boys is an incredibly rich and unique tale, a supernatural
thriller of a different flavor... Fans have been salivating
for Stiefvater's next release and The Raven Boys delivers." -
School Library Journal
"Equal parts thriller and mystery, with a measured dash of romance
sprinkled on top... Maggie has woven such a unique, intriguing
narrative that I struggled for comparisons." - MTV.com
Blue Lily, Lily Blue:
"Blue Lily, Lily Blue is, simply, a triumph." - Booklist
"Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering
close." - Kirkus Reviews
"We have not yet finished loving these characters and exploring
their world." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Stiefvater's razor-sharp characterizations, drily witty dialogue,
and knack for unexpected metaphors and turns of phrase make
for sumptuous, thrilling reading... Readers will snap up the final
installment the second it's available." - Publishers Weekly
"The prose is crisp and dazzling and the dialogue positively crackles."
- School Library Journal
The Scorpio Races:
"Masterful. Like nothing else out there now." - Kirkus Reviews
"An utterly compelling read." - Publishers Weekly
"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
#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
"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
I have to agree with so many other reviewers: yes, the first third of the book is slow. I started The Raven Boys twice before I decided to continue in order to find out if/when it would get good. And now I wish I had given it a chance sooner.
If I'd known going into it what I know now, or if I'd left my expectations behind on page 1, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found the first part quite so slow. I expected something completely different--something closer to Maggie's Shiver (which I was a little disappointed by), or at least something with much more of a YA PNR feel. A book about a girl whose kiss will kill her true love? That sounds to me like there are going to be pretty regular will they/won't they kiss?! scenarios. But that is not what we get with The Raven Boys. As it turns out, those scenarios are few and far between (understatement). And that, in my opinion, is a very good thing.
What we get, once things start to unfold after the first 100 pages, is a captivating, character-driven story. The plot starts to thicken, the characters really come into their own, and this book becomes something that is fairly impossible to put down.
So let's talk about those Raven Boys:
Gansey. I didn't start out liking Gansey very much, I'll be honest. But as the story progressed, and we learned more about why he acts the way he does, and what drives him to go on this quest with the other boys, he grew on me a lot. Now that I know more about his character and how the story unfolds, I'll be excited to read the previously "slow" opening before Book 2 comes out. I think it will be better going into it with more knowledge.
Adam. I know Gansey is supposed to be the main guy in this book (or is he?), but for me, Adam stole the show. Everything he goes through is just... gut-wrenching. Initially I thought he was being a little weird about not accepting help from anyone, even his friends, but once you learn more about him, and why he feels so strongly the way he does, just... I have no words. I JUST LOVE HIM OKAY.
Noah. I don't really know what to say about Noah, except that even from the little we see of him throughout the book, I knew there was something about him that I was going to love. I was right, and then some.
Then there was Ronan. I so wish we could've seen into his head a little bit more because there is so much I want to know about him. He kind of intrigued me from the get-go, not because he was easy to like (he isn't), but because he had that prickliness that only comes from some serious back-story. There is not enough of this in Raven Boys, and I need more. The end of the book makes me think that we'll definitely get more in Book 2, so I'm looking forward to that for sure. Especially the resolution to that cliffhanger. It came out of NOWHERE!
Really, the Raven Boys made the book (it is named for them, after all). Their unlikely, unbreakable friendship was the crux of this story, and these 5 stars are all thanks to them. (Oh yeah and Maggie too.)
Just for the heck of it, I'm including sections I highlighted in my ebook: No spoilers, just pretty descriptions and phrases that struck me somehow.
He knocked fists with Adam. Coming from Gansey, the guesture was at once charming and self-conscious, a borrowed phrase of another language.
Ronan's expression was still incendiary. His code of honor left no room for infidelity, for casual relationships. It wasn't that he didn't condone them; he couldn't understand them.
At night, Henrietta felt like magic, and at night, magic felt like it might be a terrible thing.
Adam closed his eyes for a minute. Gansey could see his irises moving underneath the thing skin of his eyelids, a dreamer awake.
The filled the hallway to overflowing, somehow, the three of them, loud and male and so comfortable with one another that they allowed no one else to be comfortable with them.
When Gansey was polite it made him powerful. When Adam was polite, he was giving power away.
She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness.
