The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Publication Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
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Synopsis: “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.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: "Rags to riches isn't a story anyone wants to hear until after it's done.” 

The Raven Boys is a beautiful mystery read, with fantastic characters and magnificent scenery. I found this book to be a little slow at the start but once the action starts it is hard to put down.

Blue is not a psychic, but she lives with many. When Blue sees a spirit on St.Mark's eve, she realizes that a boy named Gansey will die this year, by her hand. Gansey is a rich, private school boy that hangs out with that call themselves the Raven Boys. When Gansey and the Raven Boys come to visit Blue's mother for a psychic reading, Blue ends up being twisted in their adventures, trying to save Gansey's life.

I personally loved Blue as a character. She's exceptionally ordinary. She's not beautiful or extremely smart, yet she just has that type of personality that you can't help but love. She's sweet and innocent. It's like you want to be her best friend. Throughout the story, we get to watch her grow and step out of her comfort zone which is with her family and open up to the Raven Boys and become a fantastic overall character.

The way this story is written, it took a lot of getting used to in the beginning. I wasn't particularly fond of it, but once I got to reading the book it became easier to understand and I enjoyed it so much more. This book has a lot of action and adventure so once you get past the boring part in the beginning you definitely will not be bored.

I was absolutely amazing at the world-building of this story. Not only do the character visit so many different beautiful places (on their many adventure) but all those places are described so uniquely that you just fall involve with the world that Maggie created and want to live there. I honestly can't tell you how beautiful it is, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Overall, this book was absolutely magical and has you wanting more when you get past the beginning. I would definitely recommend this book to all action and adventure lovers. Trust me when I say that this series is worth it. Amazing character and beautiful landscape. I can't wait to continue reading this series.

Happy Reading,
- Aneta