Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys

17675462“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

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.

 

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Top Ten Tuesday! Romances for People that Don’t Read Romance

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Aaaand I’m back with Top Ten Tuesday! This week’s prompt is a freebee, but I’ve decided to go with The Broke and The Bookish’s prompt for it. It’s a good one! Especially since I’ve heard that Romance is one of the least favorite genres among bloggers. And I’d have to say, I agree, for the most part. But something about romance in ANOTHER genre, like a cherry on top, always appeals to me- especially when it’s well done. Here are my Top Three picks! (Yes, I’m cheating, but to be fair I’m only putting books I absolutely loved in this post. Quality over quantity, people.)

 

For those who love sci-fi:

1) Cress by Marissa Meyer

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Cress is on the top of the list for a reason: it is amazing in so many ways, with so many great moments; I loved this book. But one of my favorite things was the romance between Cress and Captain Thorne, which was less like a romance and more like a fangirl’s obsession and a player’s flirting at the beginning, that really bloomed into something significant. I have so many excerpts in mind that I could insert for this post, but I wouldn’t want to spoil anything! How can I say this book NEEDS to be read in the way that I feel it? But that’s impossible. Just know that it’s amazing. Scarlet, the second in this series also had a good romance side-plot, but Cress takes the cake.

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