The Raven Boys

“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.

 

My Thoughts:

This book took me a whole week to read. And that’s not because it was bad- it was just so thoughtful. Everything in Maggie’s world- everything– from the morning sounds of the main character’s house to the way a boy holds a book he loves- is described meticulously and in detail. I believe this book wasn’t written, it was crafted. Just the pure thought that went into this book alone was enough to boost the star rating, but ya’ll probably can already tell I loved it, because I’ve already used three italics.

I was hooked by the first chapter. Really. Sometimes I’m hesitant to start a book because delving into a world that’s so separate from mine while I’m still thinking of the last book I read is a little exhausting for me. I don’t just read, really, I put myself there. I imagine the characters, imagine I live in that world. It’s all very juvenile. But by the time I was done with the first chapter, I though “okay. I’m going to love this book.” And I did. Now all I can think is “what took me so long to pick this up?”

What indeed.

But the characters- is it weird to say I loved them? No, no, not in the fangirl love where you just *squee* looooooove Edward Cullen (don’t worry, I’m not making fun of you if you did, I was there once, too) but in the genuine affectionate love that you feel for a friend that you know? Like, actually know. In real life. That is how I felt for every single one of the main cast. From the charmingly whimsical but secretly obsessive Gansey to explosive and impulsive Ronan, I loved everyone in this book. It also had a weird setup, with four male characters and one girl, and the fact that there’s not really a romance in it even though there’s the underlying hint of one, The Raven Boys is definitely different from most books, but I think that works to its advantage.

And the world! Magical and mysterious, I just couldn’t get enough of it! Can’t. Because I’ll be reading the next in series soon! I may review it, but I doubt there’s much of a point to that- if you’re like me, once you read the first you WILL be reading the second.

Five Stars!