Posted by Lauren in Book Reviews, Featured, Mystery | 10 Comments
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Release date: September 18, 2012
Pages: 408
Summary: Blue, who lives in a house full of psychics (one of whom is her mother), has been told over and over that she must never kiss the man she loves, for upon doing so she will kill him. On a night where the spirits of the dead (past, present, or future) cross through a local church, Blue—who is normally blind to the paranormal—sees the spirit of a boy. This boy, she comes to learn, is Gansey, and their lives will soon intertwine. Gansey seeks knowledge that Blue has, and Blue…well, Blue could certainly use a friend.
My thoughts: I read The Raven Boys while on vacation, though it is decidedly not a vacation read. Vacation reads, for me, shouldn’t require much thought or commitment—and The Raven Boys is the exact opposite. Maggie Stiefvater’s prose is as rich and luscious as ever: it’s the type of writing that you can’t skim both because, well, it would be a waste, but also because you must pay attention in order to fully “get” this book. It’s layered and textured, and things line up in odd little ways that make you giddy inside when you figure them out. Ye who like to skim: stop that (at least for The Raven Boys)!
Maggie Stiefvater has finally won my heart with The Raven Boys (The Scorpio Races was slow for me, although I did, of course, enjoy the writing) because of its characters. They come alive while you read, to the point where when you reopen the book, you expect them (and subsequently the text) to have changed positions. The Raven Boys is full of eccentric people, from Blue (who expresses her eccentricities through fashion and hairstyle) to the psychics she lives with (this one’s obvious), to the “raven boys” she befriends (don’t even get me started on them!). Stiefvater’s collection of weirdos could not be more perfect—they show us that each of us is uniquely strange, no matter what our clothes or school or profession are. I fell in love with every single character in The Raven Boys. Period.
If you enjoy books about strangeness, myth, and/or treasure hunts, give The Raven Boys a try. It will delight you—guaranteed. It’s a very different kind of book in the best ways possible.
5/5 stars
For those who like: humor, mystery
Find the author at MaggieStiefvater.com.
Comment question: as a teen, would you be (or would you have been) able to resist kissing the one you love?
I’m really looking forward to this :). Thank you.
No way!! I think if you really love someone – as a teen or any other age – all those feelings and dreams draw you to them to the point where you have to kiss them, love them, hold them. I know in this case that kiss could kill them, but what’s the girl supposed to do? Never fall in love? Never have a relationship with someone she loves? That’s terrible. I hope Maggie does something to help her! She seems like an awesome character and so do the guys:)
Great review:)
Fantastic review!! This sounds like an amazing book.
OMG!! How hard would that be to not kiss the one you love. I suppose if I thought it would kill them than there would be no choice except to not do it. It wouldn’t be worth the kiss to lose them forever.
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I’ve been looking forward to this release all year! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this one, Lauren. I think Maggie is an incredible writer and all of her stories reflect that.
As for your question, I think that you can but you would have to have very strong will power. ;)
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i love maggies books!! i cant wait to read this–i hope it’s like shiver!
and there is NO way i’d be able to resist kissing a guy i liked! haha. poor blue.
The characters truly were incredible in this book! I adore all of them :)
Nice review!
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Yay! I’m thrilled that you finally found a Stiefvater novel you love, Lauren! I’ve been hearing so many good things about this one, so I can’t WAIT to get my hands on it tomorrow! It seems to be, once again, that the characters are really what make this novel stand out. I read the first two chapters of this already and if that is any indication of the direction this novel will be going in then I’m sure I’ll love it! :D
Gosh, I think this might be your toughest comment question yet! I think when you’re a teenager you have SO many raging hormones that it’s practically impossible not to kiss the person you love, but maybe if you were like Blue and KNEW that something terrible would happen, you’d be able to prevent yourself. SO many characters in YA constantly sacrifice themselves for the person they love simply because their emotions are so strong, so I’m sure it’s possible to NOT kiss the person you love, it would just be REALLY hard. I think I’d probably be able to resist though since a kiss wouldn’t be worth losing them…that’s for sure!
Fantastic review, Lauren! I hope I can get my hands on this one soon! :)
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This sounds exactly like the kind of book I was hoping it would be and that makes me so excited! I have yet to actually read any of Maggie Stiefvater’s books, but I was planning to make this one my first. Especially if you say it is your favourite. And also that you loved every character which is a major selling point for me!
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I can’t wait to read THE RAVEN BOYS. It looks incredible.
As for the kiss. Maybe, probably not.
I actually don’t know how I would answer this question. It would depend on what the situation is but truthfully, I probably wouldn’t be able to resist if someone I loved was going to kiss me! Great review, I love reading them and I’m glad you liked this one because I live Maggie Stiefvaters books!
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