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elodiepoline404's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Best book of the year, so far !!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, and Violence
goodgraces's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Death
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy shit this book was an absolute delight from beginning to end. Coming into this book I honestly wasn't expecting much but oh my god I was absolutely blown away. Even though it's slow-paced, the writing is incredibly engaging and I loved all of the characters. Everything unfolded in a way that was extremely exciting and overall I just had a great time reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Suicide attempt
georgiakirkegard's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, and Child death
antonia_00's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. I am speechless, shocked and filled with joy at the same time. It was a fantastic book that was wonderfully written and has great characters. I have so many questions, especially with the open end. There are no words to describe this book. Just fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Child death
jenarae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
euphoriaonpluto's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ok, here we go. This review will be very messy, and I'll probably be the only one who understands it. Oh, well.
The series is shaping up to be really interesting. I assume I'll love it by the end. I like the premise and I like the things that have been set up so far. The Raven Boys on its own, however...
It honestly feels wrong to even be writing a review at this point. It feels like I' only a third of the way into the book. And in a way, I am. Well, a fourth of the way done, I suppose. It seems that the was this series is written is like one big book broken up into serials, rather than four separate novels. The Raven Boys was pretty much entirely exposition. The main goal was established. The main characters were introduced. Several major plot points were started. One of them was resolved. That's it.
About 2/3 of the book felt like what the first 100 pages usually feel like. A lot of introductions, some exploring, mild adventuring, hints at future conflicts. Then the last third happened. One of the conflicts that had been set up was resolved. But, with how much the book had already set up for the future, it felts very quick and unfinished. Reading the last 100 pages felt the same as when you're rewatching your favourite 10-season-long epic fantasy TV show and you just got to the part where they defeat the big bad of season 1. It's nice but it mostly leaves you feeling amused by the knowledge of how minor it feels compared to everything else that will happen in the later seasons. The big difference here is that I'm not rereading The Raven Cycle. It's my first time. And yet, I still got that feeling. It was all a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think all of this is necessarily a bad thing. I'm certainly a lot more used to a fantasy series structure where there is a main series plot going all throughout it but the individual novels, especially the first ones, still have their own main conflict and resolution, which could stand on their own. Not continuing The Raven Cycle right now would feel more like DNFing a book 100 pages in, rather than not reading a sequel.
As for the characters, at this point I'd say I know them about as well as they know each other, which means barely. There was no development on that front. I can tell there will be in the future, though. Or at least I'm hoping there will be. Because half of them I have almost no impression of and the other half I find annoying.
Adam gets on my nerves. I feel for him, his situation is terrible, but that's no excuse to treat his own supposed best friend so terribly. He's awful to Gansey. The entire book all Gansey wanted to do was help him in any way he could because he cares for him, and Adam did everything in his power to act like he's being condescending and selfish. Which he wasn't being. And at no point did he do anything that could come off that was without his intention. The whole book was basically:
Gansey: Please, I'm afraid that you're going to get seriously hurt. Please let me help. You can live with me. I'll do whatever you want just to get you out of this situation
Adam: Stop patronizing me, you don't own me, you don't even know how shitty you're being.
Hell, at least Ronan didn't throw his own problems and failures in Gansey's face, nor did he try to portray him as a bad person for trying to get him to graduate.
And why the hell did he say something as deeply hurtful as "Sometimes I don't know how you live with yourself" because Gansey said?????? that they shouldn't do the ritual?????? because they just found out it's deadly????? and one of them would die?????? How the fuck is that something to be mad about?
Now let me go over Blue quickly. What's her deal, exactly? She's supposed to be the main character and yet, there's barely anything of note about her. Her only personality trait seems to be being #notliketheothergirls (something I'm trying to ignore in this book since I know it was written in 2012 and that trope was unfortunately a staple at that point in time). She has pretty much no motivation behind her actions. Her only problems are that her mom prophesized that she'll kill her first love by kissing them and that apparently that true love is meant to be Gansey. Yeah, this is a bad situation to be in, but what is her reason for joining the ley line hunt? What is her reason for not telling them about the prophecy or about what her seeing Gansey meant? She never showed any internal conflict about the whole thing, other than "they won't believe me", which, given what they're doing, isn't a reasonable assumption at all. They're looking for a medieval king who's supposedly being kept alive by magic, for god's sake. There are several reasons she could not want to tell them, fear of being blamed or rejected or kicked out of the group, for example. But she never thinks about those things, so they must not be her motivation. She's basically flying by the seat of her pants the entire time.
Ok, I'll end my ridiculously long review by saying this: the series are shaping up to be great, but the The Raven Boys as a novel on its own without the future promise of continuation holding it up, is pretty mediocre.
The series is shaping up to be really interesting. I assume I'll love it by the end. I like the premise and I like the things that have been set up so far. The Raven Boys on its own, however...
It honestly feels wrong to even be writing a review at this point. It feels like I' only a third of the way into the book. And in a way, I am. Well, a fourth of the way done, I suppose. It seems that the was this series is written is like one big book broken up into serials, rather than four separate novels. The Raven Boys was pretty much entirely exposition. The main goal was established. The main characters were introduced. Several major plot points were started. One of them was resolved. That's it.
About 2/3 of the book felt like what the first 100 pages usually feel like. A lot of introductions, some exploring, mild adventuring, hints at future conflicts. Then the last third happened. One of the conflicts that had been set up was resolved. But, with how much the book had already set up for the future, it felts very quick and unfinished. Reading the last 100 pages felt the same as when you're rewatching your favourite 10-season-long epic fantasy TV show and you just got to the part where they defeat the big bad of season 1. It's nice but it mostly leaves you feeling amused by the knowledge of how minor it feels compared to everything else that will happen in the later seasons. The big difference here is that I'm not rereading The Raven Cycle. It's my first time. And yet, I still got that feeling. It was all a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think all of this is necessarily a bad thing. I'm certainly a lot more used to a fantasy series structure where there is a main series plot going all throughout it but the individual novels, especially the first ones, still have their own main conflict and resolution, which could stand on their own. Not continuing The Raven Cycle right now would feel more like DNFing a book 100 pages in, rather than not reading a sequel.
As for the characters, at this point I'd say I know them about as well as they know each other, which means barely. There was no development on that front. I can tell there will be in the future, though. Or at least I'm hoping there will be. Because half of them I have almost no impression of and the other half I find annoying.
Gansey: Please, I'm afraid that you're going to get seriously hurt. Please let me help. You can live with me. I'll do whatever you want just to get you out of this situation
Adam: Stop patronizing me, you don't own me, you don't even know how shitty you're being.
Hell, at least Ronan didn't throw his own problems and failures in Gansey's face, nor did he try to portray him as a bad person for trying to get him to graduate.
And why the hell did he say something as deeply hurtful as "Sometimes I don't know how you live with yourself" because Gansey said?????? that they shouldn't do the ritual?????? because they just found out it's deadly????? and one of them would die?????? How the fuck is that something to be mad about?
Now let me go over Blue quickly. What's her deal, exactly? She's supposed to be the main character and yet, there's barely anything of note about her. Her only personality trait seems to be being #notliketheothergirls (something I'm trying to ignore in this book since I know it was written in 2012 and that trope was unfortunately a staple at that point in time). She has pretty much no motivation behind her actions. Her only problems are that her mom prophesized that she'll kill her first love by kissing them and that apparently that true love is meant to be Gansey. Yeah, this is a bad situation to be in, but what is her reason for joining the ley line hunt? What is her reason for not telling them about the prophecy or about what her seeing Gansey meant? She never showed any internal conflict about the whole thing, other than "they won't believe me", which, given what they're doing, isn't a reasonable assumption at all. They're looking for a medieval king who's supposedly being kept alive by magic, for god's sake. There are several reasons she could not want to tell them, fear of being blamed or rejected or kicked out of the group, for example. But she never thinks about those things, so they must not be her motivation. She's basically flying by the seat of her pants the entire time.
Ok, I'll end my ridiculously long review by saying this: the series are shaping up to be great, but the The Raven Boys as a novel on its own without the future promise of continuation holding it up, is pretty mediocre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Gore
lalouveverte's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Disappointing and lacking. I only started to be interested in the book by the 54% mark and then the anticlimactic ending happened. Did a real 360 with this one.
- Blue has zero female friends or any friends at all for that matter. She doesn't have to be queer but the prophecy (which doesn't f happen in this book) is so heteronormative I don't understand how Blue could give up on love but not surround herself with friendship, family, and the other types of love that exist out there.
- Multiple POVs spoiled some twists and it meant we spent less time with Blue, the main character.
- boys will be boys and it's annoying.
+ Mysterious magic and eerie atmosphere
+ Noah
- Blue has zero female friends or any friends at all for that matter. She doesn't have to be queer but the prophecy (which doesn't f happen in this book) is so heteronormative I don't understand how Blue could give up on love but not surround herself with friendship, family, and the other types of love that exist out there.
- Multiple POVs spoiled some twists and it meant we spent less time with Blue, the main character.
- boys will be boys and it's annoying.
+ Mysterious magic and eerie atmosphere
+ Noah
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Child abuse
_dasbrot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
one of my favourite books!!! such a comfort read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Gun violence
thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
Upon reread I find myself even more in love with this book than I was initially. Objectively, I can see the flaws in it (particularly, as many others have noted, the plot leaves something to be desired); however, this book (and the series as a whole) hits on so many of my specific loves (sentient forests, found family, matriarchal family structures, lyrical writing, creepy little towns etc...) that those flaws don't really bother me. I love this world and these characters so much, and I'm so excited to continue my reread of the series and finally get to the spin off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent