Wednesday, May 14, 2014

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


"“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.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before."


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When this book first came out, I gave it a try and found I couldn't get into it. So, I'm sure you're wondering why now I'm talking about it on my blog. Who knows when it comes to books and me liking them. It could be one of many things. I'm in the mood for something more sexy or with more mystery or based in high school or in college or who knows. What I do know is that I'm a big fan of Stiefvater and that wouldn't change if I couldn't get into one of her books.

Fast forward to present when I volunteered to play in an orchestra that was 1.5 hours away...which meant a lot of time in the car over two weeks (approximately 10 CDs worth of time). I have a co-worker at the library who drives 45 minutes to get to work and LOVES books on CD to listen to over the drive. With an excessive amount of driving time in my future, I decided to grab a few books on CD for listening. I picked up The Raven Boys hoping the reader of the boy would suck me into the world Stiefvater created. 

I'm so glad that I gave this book (actually CD another chance). When I first heard the narrator speak I thought, "oh no a guy doing voices for girls, blah!" I was very wrong on that aspect. Will Patton is the narrator and did an amazing job of creating unique voices for each character. Patton really evoked emotion and painted a very clear picture to the story. There were times while driving in the dead of night, through thunderstorms, that was I creeped out from the narrator and the storyline.

As for the story itself, from start to finish, it was an amazing read. Lots of mystery and paranormal added in with friendships and the beginnings of something. Each character added something to the unique mix of the group. Not one character was there that shouldn't have been. You can guess early on who the villain is but not so much for the other twists and turns that are presented. I think I actually said out loud in the card, "Oh no!" more times than I can count. The twists were that good and unexpected.

As for a love interest or love triangle, there really wasn't much developed. Blue was warned from an early age that she would kill her true love with a kiss and couldn't kiss him. What a thing to grow up hearing?! No kissing boys!! I think this was her mom's greatest weapon to keep her away from the male gender. But since her mother is psychic as same with the rest of her family, I tend to believe them. There was a possible love interest and a future love interest, as shown in visions, but it's slow developing. The mystery at hand was the meat and bones of the book. I'm hoping that we get more love story in the second and third book. I'm a romantic at heart!

Finally, the last chapter of the book...actually the last few paragraphs was filled with heartbreak, mystery, and excitement. I really loved how this book ended. Not on a cliffhanger but with enough mystery to want to read more!

I would fully suggest that if you have a long road trip ahead of you to check out The Raven Boys on CD. I was lucky enough to get my copy from the library.

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