The Raven Boys - Book Review
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
I've had this book loaded on my Kindle for a long time now, but I was always hesitant to start it because I hoped it was good but was not willing to be let down if I ended up not liking it. But recently, I was in the mood for some YA fantasy, and decided to finally read The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.
I hadn't read any reviews of it in a while, and I was completely unaware of what it was about, but when I read the first sentence, I was hooked. Admittedly, it took me a while to get through the first chunk of the book, as the first 20% of it leaves you puzzled as to who everyone is, why they are important, and what is going on.
Blue is the female protagonist, and the book opens with her accompanying Neeve, her half-aunt, on a mission to talk with those who will die within the year. Blue usually has no ability to see or hear them herself, but the women she lives with, including her mother, are all psychics who need Blue to amplify their own abilities. In another part of town, a group of friends who all attend a prestigious school are on the hunt for something and end up crossing paths with Blue.
The premise intrigued me, and I'd never read any stories with this kind of plot. As I mentioned, the beginning took me a while to get through. I tend to dislike books that only reveal a minimal amount of information in order to keep up the suspense, because I feel lost and unimpressed when I don't know what is going on. I will say that after finishing the book, I'd enjoy rereading it (something I rarely do) to see what I pick up now that I know more of the details.
There was so much emotion and character development in this story, and I really enjoyed how it put me on the edge of my seat. I not only wanted to find out what would happen, but my heart also ached for each character, as I saw their internal struggles and how they related to one another. There were so many great lines in this book, and I'm a sucker for beautiful prose.
This is definitely one of my favorite books now, and although I'd read and loved Shiver, also by Stiefvater, I never considered her one of my favorite authors. After reading The Raven Boys, I am in awe of her writing skills and now desperately wish to meet her and shake her hand. As soon as I can get my hands on the rest of the series, I know I will devour it.