THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATERPublisher: Scholastic
Format: Paperback
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Pages: 421
Date Finished: 27.09.15
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Blue has spent the majority of her sixteen years being told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue meets Gansey’s spirit on the corpse road she knows there is only one reason why – either he is her true love or she has killed him.
Determined to find out the truth, Blue becomes involved with the Raven Boys, four boys from the local private school (lead by Gansey) who are on a quest to discover Glendower – a lost ancient Welsh King who is buried somewhere along the Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be granted a supernatural favour.
Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey her true love? She can’t imagine a time she would feel like that, and she is adamant not to be the reason for his death. Where will fate lead them?
“My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.”
I want to take you back five years or so to this period of my life known as the ‘Twilight phase’. Granted, I was never obsessed with Meyer’s novels, but the first time I read them I actually liked them. From Twilight, I read The House of Night, Fallen, Evermore and a bunch of other paranormal novels. I like to think of that period of my reading life ‘the dark ages’, mostly because I know that if I reread those books I would almost definitely loathe them.
It took one book to scare me from paranormal YA novels: Teardrop by Lauren Kate. Reading that book was like swimming through mud.
Flash forward a few years to when I heard about The Raven Boys. I told myself that I wouldn’t read it, because the tagline wouldn’t look place in one of those dreaded paranormal books I began to loathe (if our heroine Blue kisses her true love, he dies). The glowing reviews couldn’t persuade me. In the end, it took a lot of praise from the wonderful Erin to persuade me to give it a try.
It took one book to scare me from paranormal YA novels: Teardrop by Lauren Kate. Reading that book was like swimming through mud.
Flash forward a few years to when I heard about The Raven Boys. I told myself that I wouldn’t read it, because the tagline wouldn’t look place in one of those dreaded paranormal books I began to loathe (if our heroine Blue kisses her true love, he dies). The glowing reviews couldn’t persuade me. In the end, it took a lot of praise from the wonderful Erin to persuade me to give it a try.
To put it simply, this book is worth its weight in gold.
“She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own.”
The Raven Boys is everything I want in a paranormal novel. It follows Blue Sargent--a sixteen year old girl from a family of psychics who has the ability to amplify other people’s powers—and four boys from Aglionby School, otherwise known as raven boys. We’re introduced to a girl whose told that her kiss could be fatal, and a boy whose trying to discover as much as he can about things called ley lines, and a mysterious Welsh man called Glendower. Along with a slightly disturbing Latin teacher who goes by the name of Barrington Whelk (believe me, I know), everything comes together in an intricately woven plot.
For me, the characters were the shining star of this book. Each one of them felt real, complete with their own problems, faults and desires. I loved them all, especially the wonder that is Ronan Lynch. There’s something about him that just makes me want to give him a big hug and tell him everything is okay (even if he’d probably punch me for that). I think he’s one of the most developed characters in the book—Gansey and Adam probably come second. I really loved the dynamic between the four raven boys, although personally I feel like Noah needed a little more development (though I can kind of understand why he wasn’t given much).
For me, the characters were the shining star of this book. Each one of them felt real, complete with their own problems, faults and desires. I loved them all, especially the wonder that is Ronan Lynch. There’s something about him that just makes me want to give him a big hug and tell him everything is okay (even if he’d probably punch me for that). I think he’s one of the most developed characters in the book—Gansey and Adam probably come second. I really loved the dynamic between the four raven boys, although personally I feel like Noah needed a little more development (though I can kind of understand why he wasn’t given much).
Even though Ronan was probably my favourite, I think I'm a little in love with Gansey. He has his flaws, but he's so refreshingly well developed. The relationship between Gansey and Adam was probably the most interesting. I really like how Stiefvater dealt with the differences between an extortionately wealthy boy and his friend who has to manage multiple jobs just to stay in school.
“Gansey had once told Adam that he was afraid most people didn't know how to handle Ronan. What he meant by this was that he was worried that one day someone would fall on Ronan and cut themselves.”
And then there’s Blue. I really like her, I do, but personally I feel like her character doesn’t dazzle like the others do. Do you ever feel that the main character can sometimes feel a little bland compared to the others? I’m not saying that she’s two dimensional (because that would be an outright lie), rather that I just wanted a little more from her.
Whilst it could be argued that there is a love triangle going on, in this first book at least I don’t feel like there is. In the first chapter Blue is told that Gansey could be her true love, but although they have great chemistry there isn’t actually any romantic feelings between them yet. There’s no love at first sight, or lengthy paragraphs about the beauty of each others’ eyes. I’m pretty sure that Blue won’t end up with Adam, but I like the fact that she isn’t really torn between him and Gansey. Yet. This book is not a romance novel first and foremost, and I think that just adds to its strength.
Whilst it could be argued that there is a love triangle going on, in this first book at least I don’t feel like there is. In the first chapter Blue is told that Gansey could be her true love, but although they have great chemistry there isn’t actually any romantic feelings between them yet. There’s no love at first sight, or lengthy paragraphs about the beauty of each others’ eyes. I’m pretty sure that Blue won’t end up with Adam, but I like the fact that she isn’t really torn between him and Gansey. Yet. This book is not a romance novel first and foremost, and I think that just adds to its strength.
“They were always walking away from him. But he never seemed able to walk away from them.”
I really enjoyed the fantastical elements of The Raven Boys. It’s clear that Stiefvater has done her research, and honestly it’s a pleasure to read. Not all of my questions got answered in this book which is just fine, and I’m still a little unsure of the implications of that thing with Adam at the end. The things about they ley lines and Glendower are really interesting and I can’t wait to find out more in The Dream Thieves (which I’ve already ordered because I need to know what happens next).
If I’m being nitpickey I’d point out that Noah’s secret was a little too obvious for me. Honestly, I guessed it straight away and assumed that it was already made clear in the story, but I’d just missed the sentence where it’s explicitly stated. Sorry for being vague (I’m trying really hard to avoid spoilers here). I still think it’s a cool aspect of the story, though.
The Raven Boys is a novel with multiple subplots and multiple layers. I think that’s why it hasn’t fallen into the Twilight trap. Stiefvater could’ve easily made it a novel about a girl torn between two friends, knowing that she can’t kiss either of them because he’ll die. Instead she chooses to weave together multiple narratives and raise the stakes on multiple levels. I loved that.
If I’m being nitpickey I’d point out that Noah’s secret was a little too obvious for me. Honestly, I guessed it straight away and assumed that it was already made clear in the story, but I’d just missed the sentence where it’s explicitly stated. Sorry for being vague (I’m trying really hard to avoid spoilers here). I still think it’s a cool aspect of the story, though.
The Raven Boys is a novel with multiple subplots and multiple layers. I think that’s why it hasn’t fallen into the Twilight trap. Stiefvater could’ve easily made it a novel about a girl torn between two friends, knowing that she can’t kiss either of them because he’ll die. Instead she chooses to weave together multiple narratives and raise the stakes on multiple levels. I loved that.
“Fate," Blue replied, glowering at her mother, "is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast.”
Maybe the reason I tend to stay away from paranormal YA novels is because they’re often very annoying. You know what I mean—misunderstandings are the only thing pulling the plot forward, and the characters ignore the obvious just because it makes it easier for the author. The Raven Boys wasn’t like that. You don’t know how nice it was to read about people who have a healthy respect for the police, and about a heroine who doesn’t do the stupid thing. I’m pretty sure that Bella would’ve kissed Edward by page forty five, thus killing him. Maybe that’d be a good thing because really, how many stalker vampires do you want to watch you sleep? The correct answer is no because it’s fucking creepy.
I know everyone says this, but Stiefvater really does have a beautiful writing style. It’s so lovely to read, complete with witty dialogue and well-constructed scenes. I absolutely adored the scene when Blue first met the raven boys, and the bit where Ronan punches Adam’s father.
The Raven Boys isn’t a perfect book but I still loved it. I enjoyed it enough to warrant it five stars, though recently I’ve been trying to save my five star ratings for books that really, really deserve them. Unfortunately The Raven Boys just fell short of that top spot, though I don’t doubt that its sequels will get better and better. I feel like Stiefvater set everything up perfectly, and I can't wait to find out what happens next (in three to five business days. Thanks, Amazon).
I know everyone says this, but Stiefvater really does have a beautiful writing style. It’s so lovely to read, complete with witty dialogue and well-constructed scenes. I absolutely adored the scene when Blue first met the raven boys, and the bit where Ronan punches Adam’s father.
The Raven Boys isn’t a perfect book but I still loved it. I enjoyed it enough to warrant it five stars, though recently I’ve been trying to save my five star ratings for books that really, really deserve them. Unfortunately The Raven Boys just fell short of that top spot, though I don’t doubt that its sequels will get better and better. I feel like Stiefvater set everything up perfectly, and I can't wait to find out what happens next (in three to five business days. Thanks, Amazon).
"I found it."
"People find pennies," Gansey replied. "Or car keys. Or four leaf clovers."
"And ravens," Ronan said. "You're just jealous 'cause" - at this point, he had to stop to regroup his beer-sluggish thoughts - "you didn't find one, too."
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