The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Review

Book Nerd Review
ARC Copy Provided by Scholastic.

“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 theShiver 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.

Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys is a magnificent tale about a clairvoyant family. The daughter, Blue Sargent, is not able to channel her power and see the things her mother and aunt sees. However, she is able to intensify their powers just by being around them. But ever since Blue was a kid, she was told a tragic future awaits her as the first boy she will fall in love with and kisses will die.

This is truly different from Maggie’s other fantastic books with its highly suspenseful supernatural theme and plot. One thing remains the same is how she continues to create some of the most intriguing characters ever live within the pages of a book. She does not stop short with the number of characters. Readers are treated with a great cast and each has their own weight into this remarkable story. Blue is absolutely amazing and full of life. There are times it felt like she was real and someone that I know and care about. More often with a large cast of characters, getting to know all of them can be a difficult task. Maggie’s writing style and the use of a third-person perspective manages to provide in-depth detail in each character.

Keeping interest in this book is easy. From the very beginning, readers are informed that Blue’s first love will die. But it’s the question of how he dies. Is his death caused by something or does she kill him? This element of the story will hook readers. Although it isn’t the main point, Maggie maintains a story plot that reveals twists and surprises along the way.

The Raven Boys and its supernatural theme is quite terrifying and spooky. It is unique, smart, strange, and thoroughly entertaining. Everything seems to fall into place to make this story a worthwhile read. It is the perfect start to an expected extraordinary series.

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