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
Actual rating: 4,5. Back when I was still in my 'I don't want to read books about vampires or werewolves' phase, the Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvater came out. I vowed to myself that I would never pick up these books, though later on after I went through the phase, I added the first book to my TBR list. Then, I heard about her other book series, called The Raven Cycle, with The Raven Boys as first book. I was intrigued and added it to my TBR. Then, as I was at a friend's house, we started talking about books, and she told me how she loved TRC. She lend me her copies of the series, and I promised her I would read them asap.
The Raven Boys tells the story of Blue Sargent, who lives in a house full of psychics, but isn't one herself. She has also been told her entire life that she will kill the person she loves the moment she kisses him. Enter the Raven Boys, which is the collective nickname of boys that go to Aglionby, the local all-boys' school for rich people. We meet four students from that school, who are on a special mission. Soon, the lives of Blue and the Raven Boys come together, and they find out that magic is, in fact, real.
I was very intrigued by this book because of the line 'when you kiss your true love he will die', which is the exact opposite of the whole true love's first kiss part in fairy tales. At the beginning of this book, Blue is told she will meet her true love this year.
We meet a lot of characters in this book. The main character is of course Blue Sargent. I liked her, and the house she lives in. She lives with Maura, her mother, Orla, Calla, Persephone and Neeve in a big house. Everyone in the house is a psychic of some sort, apart from Blue, though she has a special power - she makes everything 'louder' for the psychics, which is why they love having her around during readings. Then there are the Raven boys, Gansey, Ronan, Adam and Noah, who I didn't really like much at the beginning. I liked Adam a bit, because he wasn't one of the rich kids, but other than that I didn't really like Gansey and Ronan. And I hardly knew anything about Noah so I didn't really feel anything for him. That is until they met Blue. I honestly liked the boys much more after they'd met Blue and they started on their adventure together.
Gansey and his gang are looking for Glendower (or Glyndŵr in Welsh), and Gansey believes that he might be in Henrietta. I wasn't really sure what to think about this whole search, and I honestly wasn't that interested in it at the beginning of the story. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Gansey because at the beginning of the book we find out he's going to die within twelve months. and though Glendower ended up being important to the plot of the book, I don't know I just didn't really care that much about it. Even if it's a Welsh king and I honestly really love Wales.
I also didn't care about Whelk at all, and I was annoyed by any chapters from his point of view. I didn't know what he added to the story - until later on of course - but even after that I didn't know why he had to have his own POV. I liked reading from Blue's POV, and from Gansey and Adam (I believe those were the only ones?), but Whelk was just annoying imo. When I found out Noah was actually dead and a ghost, and that it was Whelk's old friend Czerny, THAT is when I started to really like this book. I had liked it before this part already, but when the group found out about Noah I didn't want to put down the book anymore. I honestly think that - even though Noah had actually admitted he'd been dead for seven years in the first chapter or so - this reveal was so good, and I hadn't seen it coming.
The writing was really good, and I have nothing else to say about it. I hadn't read a Maggie Stiefvater book before, but I had heard so many good things about them before, so I am happy to say that I am now hooked on Maggie Stiefvater. I will definitely pick up the rest of this series (obviously, since I have the other two books that are out as well and will obviously read the fourth one as well), and maybe I'll even buy my own copies, because these covers are A-MA-ZING!
In the end, The Raven Boys, was a very thrilling story about magic and an ancient Welsh king (YAY WELSH). I can't really compare it to any other books, but I guess if you love paranormal stories you should try this one out!
