Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

Title: The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Edition: Hardcover
Published: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 409
Source: Bought from Fully Booked
Category: Urban fantasy, Paranormal
Trailer: Here.

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.

The Raven Boys is astonishing.

When this was released last year, I thought I would just go ahead and wait up for the paper back to be released even though it will take up an entire year. But it didn't work at all because I wanted to have and read it so bad.

Gansey, Ronan and Adam are the Raven Boys. They have different stories and different personalities but are very good friends. They go to an exclusive and only-for-rich-people academy which is Aglionby. Gansey is so obsessed in finding Glendowel and the Ley Line and his friends are helping him. While on search of the ley line, Gansey heard his own voice on his recorder as if talking to someone so they agree to see a psychic which all then leads them to Blue, the one who talked to Gansey in the recording.

I just simply cannot put to words how I loved The Raven Boys. It is my first Stiefvater novel and it completely blew my mind away. I've seen mixed reviews about it and I even got scared by the emphasis of how slow its pace is that loving it after is unexpected. I was honestly unsure of pursuing the novel and again, I was proven completely wrong.

The premise of it is new to me. I loved how the historical influence of it is strong enough to pull me in. The way it was written isn't slow at all. Stiefvater wrote it in a way that a reader would be able to absorb each and every important revelation or moment in the novel. Her intentions can be felt by how vivid her descriptions are. Following the search of Glendowel is so much full of mysteries and secrets that unveiling them give me shivers all the time. It is the first novel I've read that made me nervous flipping each page the whole time. It just gets better and better as one go deeper.

The characters are even more brilliant. Gansey's influence to his friends is conventionally innocent. His intentions are noble yet its always misunderstood as bribing. I loved how he handles rude remarks and how he values friendship. He's an achiever and makes sure that he gets what his heart really wants. Ronan on the other hand, though blunt and arrogant at times, shows in his own little ways how he treasures his friends by sticking with them and defending them. His striking aloofness could make one uncomfortable yet will keep you interested. His history may be too painful and mysterious, I can see that deep inside him, he is hurting and just couldn't express it well. Adam is the opposite of Ronan. He's calmer, gentler and rational. Though his pride can be sometimes irrelevant and pointless, it makes him the character that balances the trio. Being the poorest of the three, it makes him pursue his dreams and even work harder. And lastly, Blue, the female protagonist in the novel, seemed to be like an accessory to the story which made me love it even more. She provided just the necessary help she's supposed to give and she's not irritating at all.

Another point that made me totally dive into The Raver Boys is the romance. It isn't overly done nor the opposite. The story basically focused on the mystery of Glendowel and left the romance department slightly untouched leaving me asking for more. Stiefvater might probably prepared more of it in book two.

The Raven Boys is the novel everyone should read right now. It is enthralling, hair-raising and phenomenal paranormal plotted story perfectly crafted to entice every hearts brave enough to be swept away with it! A must read!

VERDICT:

"She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness."