aiyaivy's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this!!
For starters, I did not enjoy the Shiver series (trilogy? I don't know). I stopped by book 2. Maggie Stiefvater's writing just didn't work for me. However, thankfully, this book had a very interesting concept and the haunting feeling also allows me to be able to get into it very easily. There were times in the beginning where I was like, "Eh...." but the more I read, the better it got.
And it has been so long since I've read a book where I had to hold a book close to my face and read about all these creepy/supernatural things that are occurring.
The entire book was creepy in its own way. I felt creeped out by all the characters yet I was so comfortable around them. For example, Blue's relatives are all creepy with words like "death" dripping from their mouths and stuff like "You're looking for a god. Didn't you suspect that there was also a devil?"
The relatives are creepy but the Raven Boys are far from ordinary. They're these group of friends trying to find this ley line which is an energy line that is rumored to lead to this King called Glendower. Glendower is this sleeping king and if you wake him, he will grant whatever you ask for. The Raven Boys have a slightly supernatural feeling too. One character was already revealed to not be human but I strongly suspect another one isn't human as well (especially with the ending). However, the connection between all the characters was strong and despite all the creepiness behind it I still feel strongly about certain characters.
I would strongly recommend this. The first book to this series is a start to so many stories, intense character development, and a lot of room to discovering new details. And why is it that finding Glendower is so scary and dangerous? People seem to be acting off or getting possessed in some way. Weird things are happening. The trees are talking in Latin? And the story as to how Gansey got involved in this ley line business was creepy as well...because it was coincidentally tied to Noah and also to the idea that he should have died but didn't. Everything is very creepy, suspenseful, but yet somewhat comfortable. It's a weird combination and I really enjoyed it so far.
Fave parts:
- Pg 133: So many things survived here without really living.
-Pg 140: She couldn't tell if he was actually tremendously good-looking or merely tremendously wealthy. Perhaps they were the same thing.
-Pg 145: When Gansey was polite, it made him powerful. When Adam was polite, he was giving power away.
-Pg 152: "And I don't want to discount what you do. But I didn't really come here to have my future told to me. I'm quite okay with finding that out for myself."
-Pg 155: Indignant, Blue cried, "Whatever happened to 'children should never be given orders'?"
"That was before Gansey." Maura flipped around the Death card, giving Blue a long time to stare at the skull inside the helmet. "This is the same as me telling you not to walk in front of a bus."
Several comebacks riffled through Blue's head before she found one that she wanted. "Why? Neeve didn't see me on the corpse road. I'm not going to die in the next year."
"First of all, the corpse road is a promise, not a guarantee," Maura replied. "Second of all, there are other terrible fates besides death. Shall we talk about dismemberment? Paralysis? Endless psychological trauma? There is something really wrong with those boys. When your mother says don't walk in front of a bus, she has a good reason."
Pg 284: "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."
For starters, I did not enjoy the Shiver series (trilogy? I don't know). I stopped by book 2. Maggie Stiefvater's writing just didn't work for me. However, thankfully, this book had a very interesting concept and the haunting feeling also allows me to be able to get into it very easily. There were times in the beginning where I was like, "Eh...." but the more I read, the better it got.
And it has been so long since I've read a book where I had to hold a book close to my face and read about all these creepy/supernatural things that are occurring.
The entire book was creepy in its own way. I felt creeped out by all the characters yet I was so comfortable around them. For example, Blue's relatives are all creepy with words like "death" dripping from their mouths and stuff like "You're looking for a god. Didn't you suspect that there was also a devil?"
The relatives are creepy but the Raven Boys are far from ordinary. They're these group of friends trying to find this ley line which is an energy line that is rumored to lead to this King called Glendower. Glendower is this sleeping king and if you wake him, he will grant whatever you ask for. The Raven Boys have a slightly supernatural feeling too. One character was already revealed to not be human but I strongly suspect another one isn't human as well (especially with the ending). However, the connection between all the characters was strong and despite all the creepiness behind it I still feel strongly about certain characters.
I would strongly recommend this. The first book to this series is a start to so many stories, intense character development, and a lot of room to discovering new details. And why is it that finding Glendower is so scary and dangerous? People seem to be acting off or getting possessed in some way. Weird things are happening. The trees are talking in Latin? And the story as to how Gansey got involved in this ley line business was creepy as well...because it was coincidentally tied to Noah and also to the idea that he should have died but didn't. Everything is very creepy, suspenseful, but yet somewhat comfortable. It's a weird combination and I really enjoyed it so far.
Fave parts:
- Pg 133: So many things survived here without really living.
-Pg 140: She couldn't tell if he was actually tremendously good-looking or merely tremendously wealthy. Perhaps they were the same thing.
-Pg 145: When Gansey was polite, it made him powerful. When Adam was polite, he was giving power away.
-Pg 152: "And I don't want to discount what you do. But I didn't really come here to have my future told to me. I'm quite okay with finding that out for myself."
-Pg 155: Indignant, Blue cried, "Whatever happened to 'children should never be given orders'?"
"That was before Gansey." Maura flipped around the Death card, giving Blue a long time to stare at the skull inside the helmet. "This is the same as me telling you not to walk in front of a bus."
Several comebacks riffled through Blue's head before she found one that she wanted. "Why? Neeve didn't see me on the corpse road. I'm not going to die in the next year."
"First of all, the corpse road is a promise, not a guarantee," Maura replied. "Second of all, there are other terrible fates besides death. Shall we talk about dismemberment? Paralysis? Endless psychological trauma? There is something really wrong with those boys. When your mother says don't walk in front of a bus, she has a good reason."
Pg 284: "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."
novelsbycaitlin's review against another edition
4.0
When I bought The Raven Boys I honestly hadn't a clue what the hell this book was about. Four "rich" "preppy" boys and one psychic's daughter who will end up killing her true love with a kiss. That's about it. That and that there's a huge raven on the cover and some weird symbol. Actually, I thought it sounded sort of stupid (but Maggie Stiefvater!) The reviews coming in were pretty good--even the more average ones still praised the book, and since reading outside of school literature has been tedious for me, I didn't want to pick a book that was more struggle then leisure.
Thank, God I picked The Raven Boys.
I loved this book. Yes, loved. Not, liked. Not enjoyed. Not "it was gud." Loved. The blurb on the back is vague and, in my opinion, deceiving. You're expecting some sort of blooming romance, involving magic and discovery, etc, etc. Instead we get magic, discovery, and a great test of bond between a group of boys, squeezing your heart, making you want to jump in Stiefvater's fictional world and save these guys from their own demise.
Yea, I became attached to these characters.
And that's the thing, this book is about its characters. Everyone, even the more malicious onces, were fun to read. Stiefvater's third person narrative is brilliant and wonder and adds so much spunk. I couldn't get enough of Blue and her family, Gansey and his frightening obsessive self, Adam and his ambitions, Ronan and his snark and Noah and his... Noahness. Seriously, these people, who I was expecting to be a bit stiff and "WE'RE A PACK OF HOT GUYS" ended up feeling completely real. Everyone one of them I adore (more so Gansey because all he wants his for his friends to be happy and OKAY) and you can feel how they all depend and need one another. You can see how deep their friendships run, where the fragments are, where it needs fixing--it's impressive.
But here's the thing, if you find yourself not as attached to these characters, then this book may feel a bit slow for you. The highlight of this book are the people. Sure the plot moves along, but at a slower pace then expected. It's not until half way things really are put into motion. The first half of the book is mainly character focuses--who this is. What they want. Who they're butting heads with. Even I started to grow impatient at times. Gansey wanted to find his king so bad, it started to rub off on me.
The final "issue" with this book has to do with the ley lines. I still am not quite sure what the hell is going on there. The term is thrown around so much, so often without much explanation that it starts to just mold in with the text. Eventually, I formed my own definition (ley line has tones of energy. you can use it. i don't know how, but you can use it because that is what everyone keeps saying). Even now I'm still a bit muddled.
Besides that, this book is wonderful. Stiefvater's prose is just as amazing and fluid as before. There are still unanswered questions but only one that is a cliff hanger. The others are touched but never dragged out. You know eventually it will be back, but not sure when or how. But it's exciting to think of what the future holds.
Thank, God I picked The Raven Boys.
I loved this book. Yes, loved. Not, liked. Not enjoyed. Not "it was gud." Loved. The blurb on the back is vague and, in my opinion, deceiving. You're expecting some sort of blooming romance, involving magic and discovery, etc, etc. Instead we get magic, discovery, and a great test of bond between a group of boys, squeezing your heart, making you want to jump in Stiefvater's fictional world and save these guys from their own demise.
Yea, I became attached to these characters.
And that's the thing, this book is about its characters. Everyone, even the more malicious onces, were fun to read. Stiefvater's third person narrative is brilliant and wonder and adds so much spunk. I couldn't get enough of Blue and her family, Gansey and his frightening obsessive self, Adam and his ambitions, Ronan and his snark and Noah and his... Noahness. Seriously, these people, who I was expecting to be a bit stiff and "WE'RE A PACK OF HOT GUYS" ended up feeling completely real. Everyone one of them I adore (more so Gansey because all he wants his for his friends to be happy and OKAY) and you can feel how they all depend and need one another. You can see how deep their friendships run, where the fragments are, where it needs fixing--it's impressive.
But here's the thing, if you find yourself not as attached to these characters, then this book may feel a bit slow for you. The highlight of this book are the people. Sure the plot moves along, but at a slower pace then expected. It's not until half way things really are put into motion. The first half of the book is mainly character focuses--who this is. What they want. Who they're butting heads with. Even I started to grow impatient at times. Gansey wanted to find his king so bad, it started to rub off on me.
The final "issue" with this book has to do with the ley lines. I still am not quite sure what the hell is going on there. The term is thrown around so much, so often without much explanation that it starts to just mold in with the text. Eventually, I formed my own definition (ley line has tones of energy. you can use it. i don't know how, but you can use it because that is what everyone keeps saying). Even now I'm still a bit muddled.
Besides that, this book is wonderful. Stiefvater's prose is just as amazing and fluid as before. There are still unanswered questions but only one that is a cliff hanger. The others are touched but never dragged out. You know eventually it will be back, but not sure when or how. But it's exciting to think of what the future holds.
indiwyn's review against another edition
5.0
Gorgeous, lyrical prose with emotionally complicated characters, interesting relationships, and a highly original story. And a love "triangle" that doesn't play like one at all! I'm so excited to read the rest in this series.
evimulder's review against another edition
3.0
“My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.”
I probably should have read this as a teenager and maybe then I would have seen why so many people are in love with this book. But now, I found it a bit boring. The plot is just not super interesting and the Raven boys are not doing it for me. It was just a meh book. Not bad, just meh. It was a very easy read though, I listened to it as an audio book while working on some projects and that worked well. So maybe just because I can listen to the books while working on other things, I might pick up the other books in the series as well, who knows.
3 stars
I probably should have read this as a teenager and maybe then I would have seen why so many people are in love with this book. But now, I found it a bit boring. The plot is just not super interesting and the Raven boys are not doing it for me. It was just a meh book. Not bad, just meh. It was a very easy read though, I listened to it as an audio book while working on some projects and that worked well. So maybe just because I can listen to the books while working on other things, I might pick up the other books in the series as well, who knows.
3 stars
gi1pierrez's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
meggomyeggo28's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The plot took a while (half the book) to really establish itself and get going but I would die for any of these characters no questions asked
missawn's review against another edition
3.0
I am a bit torn when it comes to reviewing this book. The prose is eloquently beautiful but I did not find the plot to be all that engaging and as a result I found myself muscling through this book. I was not all that enamored with the quest for Glendower or any of the characters for that matter. I remained superficially interested in the plot for the majority of the book. It did pick-up towards the end however, but in a way that was not ultimately particularly satisfying. This book ends with somewhat of a cliff hanger (which I never like) and one that appears to be resolved almost immediately in the opening pages of [b:The Dream Thieves|17347389|The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1459349153s/17347389.jpg|21598446].
I will read the second book in this series in the hopes that my interest in the story continues to build slowly as it did in this book ...
I will read the second book in this series in the hopes that my interest in the story continues to build slowly as it did in this book ...