Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - The Raven Boys

“The Raven Boys” is the first book in the Raven Cycle series. Blue comes from a family with special abilities to see things that others cannot. On St. Mark’s Eve, a spirit, Gansey, approaches Blue and speaks directly to her. The only reason a non-seer would see a spirit is if the spirit is their true love, or if the non-seer killed this person. Blue learns that Gansey is a rich student, and he has a magnetic personality. She cannot seem to stay away, and she quickly finds herself invested in the lives of the Raven Boys.

This was a really fun introduction to a series, and I see why there is so much hype around it. There is mystery, intrigue, and a hint of romance.

Blue was a great character to read from. I loved watching her growth and seeing her learn more about herself and what she actually wants from life. She was always told that she will cause her true love to die, so she has stayed away from anyone she is attracted to. This has been fine for her, but lonely. Gansey is the spark she needed to remind herself that life is meant to be lived, and the most fulfilling lives are full of people you love.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding one character, and I loved reading how the other characters uncovered what was going on. I did not anticipate how the story was going to unfold until it was all revealed to me, and I absolutely enjoyed every single second!

This novel does read a little young in comparison to what I normally read, but I still enjoyed it. I do think I would have appreciated it more had I read it ten years ago.

I am definitely curious about this series, and I am likely to continue with it someday soon!

Content Warnings

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Raven Boys was one of my favourite books of 2020 (or was it 2019?) and I'm very happy to report that it's still a favourite, and it's still just as hard to describe, so I'd like to end the review here but that wouldn't be very helpful. So instead I'll tell you that this uses themes like found family, dark academia, death, prophecy, Welsh legends and stronger-than-death friendship in the modern setting of an American small town. It is very binary in that you have on the one hand Blue and her family / coven of psychics, all women, to whom she acts as a sound box by making energies louder, and on the one hand this tight-knit group of four lost boys at an elite school. Watching the two universes clash, appraise each other and treat each other with respect even when they don't share the same values is a joy. Seeing the four raven boys mess things up and have each other's back is heartwarming. Witnessing them make a space for Blue in their group is enchanting. It *is* a dark story when you look at the themes and at these characters who clearly need therapy, but there's a lot of light coming from their relationships and the support they find in and give to each other.

PS : while there is no on-page queer rep apart from a very discreet, very in-passing mention, there is a queer vibe going on that I can't quite put my finger on. Things may be more clear in the following volumes. The one thing that's sure is that everyone is very white.

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l_arand's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

okay SO i impulsively picked up this book after simply deciding “i don’t want to think about anything so i am going to throw myself into a book,” and i landed with the first book in this series. and holy shit, am i happy i did.

this books follows blue sargent, a teenager from a clairvoyant family. while she doesn’t have any “gifts,” herself, she acts as an amplifier for those in her family (ex. if a member of her family can pick up on energy, having blue around them can make the energy’s presence more known).
the story begins on st. mark’s eve, where the soon-to-be-dead appear. there, she sees a boy who speaks to her directly. he introduced himself as “gansey” and when blue asks for more elaboration, the only response she gets is “that’s all there is.”
this prompts her into discovering what is going on with gansey, and sends her on a hunt to try to delay his death (since those who appear in st. mark’s eve are to die within the next year). and on top of this, she’s been told since her birth that she will kill her true love if she chooses to kiss him by all of her family, who keep in mind, are all gifted with magic.
at a night shift at her service job, she sees the boy from st. mark’s eve, and this heightens her curiousity, and before she knows it she’s been indoctrinated into his group of friends who all attend algionby, an elite private college prep school for boys who have more money than they know what to do with.

so, there’s the synopsis. the characters in this book are lovely, and we do learn more about them throughout the book. however, stiefvater leaves out enough information on them (and the quest they’re on) to keep the reader wanting more, which is sensible because it’s the first book of a series (the raven cycle). i found this book to be so immersive, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t typically gravitate towards fantasy/magic. also, there are some beautiful quotes in this work that i still think about;
“he’d chosen his weapon well: only the truth, untempered by kindness.”
“it was the stop that happened when you made up your mind to confess, but your mouth betrayed you in the end.”
“a soul is vulnerable when it is outside the mind.”

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