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friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a very good book. Especially considering that i was written 10 years ago. It was exactly my level of creepy. Not scary. I cannot tolerate scary. The characters are great, it is so very engaging, good dialogues, supernatural, witchy, dark academia, perfect for a busy fall read for people who do not want to be scared but do not want to feel left out either. Would recommand. I do not think that the ending is very strong. (But I guess it’s okay considering that it is a first in a series.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Self harm, Vomit, Car accident, and Alcohol
whatischellereading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.0
Blue lives with her family of psychics yet doesn't possess the gift herself. She has always been told if she kisses her true love, he will die and this is the year she will fall in love.
Now, I have mention the fact that the synopsis of the book doesn't actually happen in this book but the book is more a foundation for the series to begin exploring the synopsis... with me so far? Great!
Despite the above being a sheer frustration I can't help but reflect on how much I enjoyed this book... I love the characters and I love the concept. Blue is definitely my favourite character as she is so blunt and unapologetic but Gansey is a close second because toward the end we begin to see a new side to him... so, book budget blown this month as I've had to order the remaining three in the series.
Overall, I liked it and now I'm poor until payday.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse
keen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Raven Boys is an enjoyable book. It's not usually the kind I'd read, as I tend to avoid Young Adult novels since the days of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and Legend by Marie Lu. This was not helped by the summary, with its focus on "true love's deathly kiss" and an apparently big romance aspect. It all looked so cliché. It took a friend suggesting me The Raven Boys, a praise from acquaintances, some spoilers, and, finally, the first friend wanting to read the book with me. That was when I gave in. Another friend buying me the book sure did help too.
And I was pleasantly surprised. It starts off seeming like a romantic-focused story, but while romance is a factor, it's written well and has big plot relevance other than love-triangle nonsense meant to keep people guessing who will be The One. Based on comments on other fans, they also acknowledge that the summary is misleading and doesn't give a good idea of the actual contents of the book.
As I continued reading, I had to reconcile with the fact that the book was slower than I'm used to. Most stories I read are fast-paced. Horror books are the ones I accept for being medium or slow-paced so atmosphere can be build up. I'd say this book was medium-paced, with the slow beginning used to build up characters in preparation for the later acts and future books. Aside from that, I have to take some blame in how slowly I read. The struggles of the character Adam were so relatable to me that I had moments where I wanted to drop the book. Luckily, I kept going.
By the end, I was deep into the story. Despite reading another book with this one, I had to keep myself from buying the rest of the series the moment I finished. I'm excited to see where this story goes.
And I was pleasantly surprised. It starts off seeming like a romantic-focused story, but while romance is a factor, it's written well and has big plot relevance other than love-triangle nonsense meant to keep people guessing who will be The One. Based on comments on other fans, they also acknowledge that the summary is misleading and doesn't give a good idea of the actual contents of the book.
As I continued reading, I had to reconcile with the fact that the book was slower than I'm used to. Most stories I read are fast-paced. Horror books are the ones I accept for being medium or slow-paced so atmosphere can be build up. I'd say this book was medium-paced, with the slow beginning used to build up characters in preparation for the later acts and future books. Aside from that, I have to take some blame in how slowly I read. The struggles of the character Adam were so relatable to me that I had moments where I wanted to drop the book. Luckily, I kept going.
By the end, I was deep into the story. Despite reading another book with this one, I had to keep myself from buying the rest of the series the moment I finished. I'm excited to see where this story goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, and Bullying