The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) Review

“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.

Review

WHY DID I DNF THIS?! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?! HOW COULD I HAVE CLOSED THE DOOR ON SUCH A FANTASTIC OTHERWORLDLY PARANORMAL ADVENTURE? 

No, but honestly, how and why? This book has death sneaking through every corner, the forewarning, the discovery, the lack of the known, the haunting prose, and the plot twists, I was spellbound by this book! 

Maggie Stiefvater is an expert at twisting your mind, unable to tell the difference between the theories, the guesses, the facts, and the reality. There is just so much in here. Blue Sargent gets pulled into the world of four raven boys that she never thought she'd have anything to do with or even like. 

Gansey, Ronan, Noah, Adam, four boys that should have been alone and friendless for different reasons, together on Gansey's mindblowing treasure hunt. Let me tell you, all these little rascals are my children, I have adopted them, I love them all, back off.

From murders to paranormal activity to coincidences that aren't and plot twists that have you jumping up and down screaming about how you should have known, this book was a mystical treasure from start to end. There is a level of hypnotizing yet oddly satisfying ambiance and the need to be physically there and join them on their adventure (it does not help that I'm a maladaptive daydreamer and I'd imagine it anyway).

 

Blue is a strange girl and yet sensible and relatable, being the daughter of a psychic and yet having nothing to do with the kind of magic her mother and her family delve in, she's an outsider everywhere (except when she's with the four raven boys). 

Gansey is an insomniac, ambitious, sometimes ignorant guy, obsessed with finding Glendower, a Welsh king rumored to be asleep in Henrietta. 

Ronan was cruel sarcastic, rude, grumpy, hard to impress, a little hot-headed and yet with a caring and soft side that made him just a bit alluring, 

Adam is a kind, silent observer, burdened with situations and choices he shouldn't be forced to deal with, he wanted to be more, he wanted to be worth it, its an urge I'm familiar with. 

Noah was the shy awkward boy, a little cinnamon roll that deserves to be protected and hugged because HE DESERVED BETTER DAMNIT!

P.S. I'm officially opening a club to protect all of these little rascals.

My ship has not sailed yet. but the foundations are there and I'm willing to wait for it, be patient my little heart. I don't think I've ever related with so many characters so fast?? (Six of Crows being the first, this is the second). Like Ronan, I'm rude and cruel to people I don't like (I don't like 90% of people, don't take it too personally) not to mention I'm a grump, especially in the mornings. Like Gansey, I'm insomniac and I have kind of sense to find something or be part of something bigger than myself, not to mention I'm VERY ambitious (hahaha Slytherin qualities shining through).

Like Adam, I have a need to be dependent on myself, the most important thing for me is my freedom and I want to just, be something more, you know? I'm fine with who I am but at the same time, it's simply not enough. Oh, not to mention I'm very paranoid and I'm constantly thinking of how to diffuse highly tense situations and I tend to find a way out of problems using my words. (I totally don't get panicky when people start yelling or get angry, who's ever heard of that?) Like Noah, I can be shy or awkward around people sometimes and I like to just be with those I like and care about, everyone else is kind of, meh.

In conclusion: I love this series, I regret putting it down, I need the next book and Maggie Stiefvater is an artist.

➡4.3 stars

Quotes

Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love

She wasn’t interested in telling other people’s futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own.

Aglionby Academy was the number one reason Blue had developed her two rules: One, stay away from boys, because they were trouble. And two, stay away from Aglionby boys, because they were bastards.

Blue could’ve happily had any number of friends. And she had tried. But the problem with being weird was that everyone else was normal.

You’re looking for a god. Didn’t you suspect that there was also a devil

Watch for the devil. When there’s a god, there’s always a legion of devils.