Sofiya Pasternack
Dec 1, 20172 min
Updated: Aug 16, 2018
Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Steifvater
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Raven Cycle #1
Blurb
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them–until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.
His name is Gansey, 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 is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher 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 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.
What I Liked
Maggie’s writing is next-level stuff, and in some places I had to stop reading and say out loud to myself, “Wow.” Her development of the characters and the school are great. The mythology and legends Gansey is obsessed with are fleshed-out and captivating, although sometimes his discoveries seem very easy. I don’t know if this is intentional, though.
What I Would Have Liked to See
A better antagonist. He seemed very meh, almost like him being there wasn’t even that important. I wasn’t thrilled about the ending, but it’s part of a series so of course there are going to be questions remaining.
My Favorite!
Blue’s nutty family. They were such a hoot to get to know!
TL;DR
Captivating fantasy with deep characters and a world that feels very real. As I understand it, the books keep getting better as you go, so I can’t wait to get the next one and keep going!