The Raven Boys by Maggie StiefvaterPublisher: Scholastic
Series: The Raven Cycle, #1
Genere: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young-Adult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
"If Blue was to kiss her true love, he would die."
Born into a family of psychics without any ability of her own, Blue Sargent has been told for as long as she can remember that she will one day kill her true love with a kiss. By the age of sixteen, Blue has decided she will never allow herself to fall inlove. However, on this year's St. Mark's Eve tradition, Blue joins her psychic aunt in the abandoned churchyard and for the first time, she sees one of the spirits who will die within the next year — a boy named Gansey from Aglionby Academy.
There are only two reasons a non-seer like Blue would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve: either she's his true love or she killed him.
The Raven Boys is a story of ancient mystery, bizarre ley lines, and enthralling beauty of magic and occult. To say that I enjoyed this book is an understatement; I was enrapt in the mystical ride, leaving me exhilarated and magic-drunk. I AM INLOVE.
"Everytime his heart beat, red lines streaked in the corners of his vision, the trees darkening with his pulse. It made the leaves seem like they were all moving, though there was no wind."
I am inlove with Maggie Stiefvater's writing. She has managed to pen such beautifully illustrated, deeply rich and intense story that is just as eloquent and almost lyrical at times. The amount of detail she put into the characters, the town of Henrietta, the Welsh history and myths, pulled me into her beautifully crafted world that is both similar and so unlike our own.
"Gansey had that handsome glow. The glow that meant that not only had he never been poor, but his father hadn't, nor his father's father, nor his father's father's father. She couldn't tell if he was actually tremendously good-looking or merely tremendously wealthy. Perhaps they were the same thing."
"When Gansey was polite, it made him powerful. When Adam was polite, he was giving power away."
I am inlove with ALL the characters. I've never read about characters that are written with such flair and precision. I honestly think that the strongest point of this book is the voice which brings the characters to life. Even the females of 300 Fox Way (Blue's family) are brilliantly colorful in their own eccentric ways, adding a lot of whimsical fun to the story.
"This is what you get, Maura, for using your DNA to make a baby."
I am inlove with the humor in this book. It's dry, clever, and unexpected. It's not the cheap kind of humor that makes you laugh so hard and loses its effect afterwards. It's the kind humor that constantly entertains, no matter how many times you read it.
"Is Blue a nickname? Not that it's not a cool name. Just that it's.. unusual."
Blue replied, "Unfortunately, it's nothing normal. Not like Gansey."
"I've always like the name Jane."
"Ja—what? Oh! No, no. You can't just go around naming people other things because you don't like their real name."
"I like Blue just fine," Gansey said. "Some of my favorite shirts are blue. However, I also like Jane."
"I'm not answering to that."
"I didn't ask you to."
I am inlove with the romance, crazily so. Some may think it's almost non-existent especially in this first installment, but it's there; present yet never commonplace, subtle yet powerfully irresistable. The knowledge that Gansey will play a major role in Blue's future makes you anticipate every conversation and every moment they're together.
I'm also inlove with the much more diverse romance in this book: the love between Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Blue, their familial bond with the females of 300 Fox Way, and their dedication to their quest. It's their love that leads them down the path of magic in this book.
Overall, this book is a very addictive, very well-written YA fantasy novel. The Raven Cycle is my second favorite series of all time (out of 50-100 series I've read). I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
View all my reviews
