I had a really good reading experience with this book. I tend to really enjoy books with strong imagery and this fed the monster that yearns for spooky small towns lol. I loved the cast fo characters too. I saw on review saying that they didn't like bLue because she felt too 'not like other girls', but I didn't experience that at all. I actually really enjoyed her and all her quirks I thought she was really fun to read about. And I feel like I don't have to mention it but I LOVED all of the raven boys. One thing was that I found the pacing a little funky. Like why did it take until page 160 for Blue and the boys to all hang out, I feel like that took way too long. But that's honestly a small critique and I still really enjoyed this book and am excited to continue on with the series!

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dilani's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

4.0

I had trouble comprehending this story at the beginning. BUT, the more I read, the more enthralled I felt. Everything from the magic, the paranormal and the friendship dynamics kept me reading. As someone who hasn’t been into YA for a long time, this may become a new favorite series of mine…🐦‍⬛

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justineaxelle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-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

4.5

The first half was a bit slow, but once it picked up in pace it was more interesting. I love the characters, it was easy to get attached to them all and I’m looking forward to reading what happens to them next !

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anaheeta's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Ok so this was a reread [march 2024]. I first read this book in July 2016.

This will always be my favorite. My favorite EVERY thing. Series, fantasy, characters, settings, writing style. Maggie Stiefvater you brilliant brilliant woman, you have written me (yes, me specifically!) the perfect characters to love.

This is the perfect mix of whimsical and twisted magic, ghosts and ley lines, murderous professors, emotional things happening (you will cry multiple times by the time you finish the series).

It reads like a magical realism set in West Virginia, but it’s much more than any one sentence can describe. The first book is an introduction into the characters and their beautiful found family. There’s incredible amounts of references and foreshadowing implemented throughout the books. The pacing is a bit slow, but this is the only time I didn’t mind that, it matches everything perfectly. There are so many beautiful descriptions, heartbreaking lines, funny comments, and heartbreaking character backstories that will make you fall in love with the series. The series has such a huge emotional and mental hold on me, that it can wreck me for days or weeks, so read if you are a fan of pain like I am.

(I shall soon create a great playlist for this book)

Content Warnings

thecandiegirl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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rookeatsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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thebibutterfly's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I loved everything about this book until the big cliff-hanger at the end. The tension was beautifully written, loved the prose, and the dimension of each character.

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greytome's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Has very diverse set of characters (age-/personality-/background-wise), all of them are so real you think of them as people and not as fictional characters. They all constantly evolve and though the plot is as much fantasy as it gets, they still also have a lot of conversations I'll never be able to get out of my head again.
Writing style couldn't be more poetic, funny and poignant.
Also, this genre, where the main characters are basically just a bunch of teenagers who are beyond their age on the inside and still teenagers and this untangible group of something bigger than just friends, somehow facing the world and scary magic stuff together is just too underrated.

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