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phobosrain's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sheri_w's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was better than that. The world is fully imagined. The characters are not cardboard cut outs. It was a really solid opening to what is definitely going to be a great series.
thanks Quen for the rec đź’™
thanks Quen for the rec đź’™
connorbookinit's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this a lot overall, but I had a couple of problems with it. Mainly, that love triangle *barf* . It made no sense for it to be there. Also the writing kind of bothered me at first, but then I got used to it or it became less obnoxiously flowery. The ending was a tad confusing, but that might have been done of purpose. I thought the characterization was fantastically done. You really get to learn a lot about each character without it being info dumpy. I loved the psychic elements. All the ladies in Blue's family are my favorites. And once the plot got going after the first 150 pages or so, it was really compelling. Definitely going to be continuing this series at some point. When? No idea.
painbow's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
merholley's review against another edition
4.0
You guys, I gotta tell you. I need to send some kind of apology letter and fruit basket to Maggie Stiefvater for my review on Shiver and how boring I continue to find it. My roommate loves books where nothing happens, and I think Shiver would be perfect for her. But, this Ravens series!! This is for me! This has all kinds of crazy-fun stuff going on! You got psychics and tarot and lay lines, and it's not all messed up by whimsy. It stays very rational and blue collar.
I think I might love The Scorpio Races more, but when you love something this much, why treat it as a competition? It's like choosing between your two boyfriends. No need to compete, you guys. I remember rating this book way back in ye olde days before I wrote this review, and I can only imagine I rated it at 4 stars because I decided I loved The Scorpio Races more. That is the only reasonable explanation. And, past-me was such a reasonable girl that we must assume that was the case. But, present-me is more open minded and willing to have two boyfriends, as long as they are books and make no demands on my time. So, in my heart, this is five-stars, too. It's like I'm Ben Higgins.
Okay, what do you want to know? You probably want to know about how I'm learning tarot, like the ladies in this book, and I'm becoming a pretty fantastic tarot reader if I do say so. The cards love me, and I love the cards. I have a very beautiful deck, and I've been following Biddy Tarot for all of my tarot questions, and it's so fun!
If you want to know less about me and more about the book, it is a treasure-quest, but with star-crossed lovers and magic. And assassins. Who doesn't love assassins?! Such a good type of monster.
The main character's name is Blue, which is awesome and not lame, so don't question it. Her mother says that in the tarot deck, the page of cups represents her. Which, that seems so sweet and mysterious to me. Like she is the messenger of new creation and love. So cool!
Also, one interesting thing about this book is that she is one girl in a group of guys, so you would think it wouldn't pass the Bechdel test, but it does because she lives in a house full of women who love each other and act very reasonable.
So, highly recommended!
I think I might love The Scorpio Races more, but when you love something this much, why treat it as a competition? It's like choosing between your two boyfriends. No need to compete, you guys. I remember rating this book way back in ye olde days before I wrote this review, and I can only imagine I rated it at 4 stars because I decided I loved The Scorpio Races more. That is the only reasonable explanation. And, past-me was such a reasonable girl that we must assume that was the case. But, present-me is more open minded and willing to have two boyfriends, as long as they are books and make no demands on my time. So, in my heart, this is five-stars, too. It's like I'm Ben Higgins.
Okay, what do you want to know? You probably want to know about how I'm learning tarot, like the ladies in this book, and I'm becoming a pretty fantastic tarot reader if I do say so. The cards love me, and I love the cards. I have a very beautiful deck, and I've been following Biddy Tarot for all of my tarot questions, and it's so fun!
If you want to know less about me and more about the book, it is a treasure-quest, but with star-crossed lovers and magic. And assassins. Who doesn't love assassins?! Such a good type of monster.
The main character's name is Blue, which is awesome and not lame, so don't question it. Her mother says that in the tarot deck, the page of cups represents her. Which, that seems so sweet and mysterious to me. Like she is the messenger of new creation and love. So cool!
Also, one interesting thing about this book is that she is one girl in a group of guys, so you would think it wouldn't pass the Bechdel test, but it does because she lives in a house full of women who love each other and act very reasonable.
So, highly recommended!
princesskiraaaa's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t even know what to feel. The middle had me so gripped - I was on the edge of my seat constantly. Everything from about 75% onward was not at all where I hoped things would go.
I really truly felt for Adam for so long but he constantly had this chip on his shoulder that was so frustrating to read about in the end. Gansey was blind to his privilege, yes, but if Adam knew enough about him to tell Blue he doesn’t mean to be condescending, then why doesn’t he believe it. Gansey isn’t blameless but neither is Adam.
I really truly felt for Adam for so long but he constantly had this chip on his shoulder that was so frustrating to read about in the end. Gansey was blind to his privilege, yes, but if Adam knew enough about him to tell Blue he doesn’t mean to be condescending, then why doesn’t he believe it. Gansey isn’t blameless but neither is Adam.
aralldredge's review against another edition
4.0
I'd give it a solid 3.5/5 stars. I just wasn't impressed all that much with it. It's a very slow start and the end was alright but I'm not speeding off to the next one.
solson5212's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really intriguing. It was a good read.
ashction's review against another edition
5.0
You cannot fault me over the fact that I cried a bit while reading those last ten chapters. God, my heart is a fragile mess because of these damn Raven Boys! I don't know how Blue does it.
I started this book a couple of years ago, but at the time I wasn't really feeling it and the library due date was coming up fast and furious, so around chapter 24 (by my best estimate) I turned it back in and promptly wrote it off as a Maggie Stiefvater book I just wasn't meant to read. I'd inhaled the Shiver trilogy and thought it was great, and The Scorpio Races was and is one of the greatest standalone YA novels I've read (though sometimes, I still desperately wish it was not a standalone, because it was THAT GOOD.) But The Raven Boys seemed to drag, and I could not move past it back then.
In retrospect, I wish I hadn't been so abiding with the due date and just kept pushing through, because I was only two chapters away from the good stuff! So much of this book is exposition, but it has to be in order to create this universe and set the creepy tone with a pulsing undercurrent of destined tragedy. (I realize this may not make the book more appealing, but if you've read the summary, then you have to understand that as of this moment, I see a very thin path of how this series can end. Also, I wasn't wrong about the tragedy.) Reading this book is like what Blue says about flying: you have to let go and give yourself up to it.
And this time, I did. Oh, god, I did.
I have to give Stiefvater props where they're due, and in this case... props for that INSANELY GORGEOUS writing, as well as her skill for properly using tone. The Raven Boys gave me serious chills at some point, and everything that happened just gradually descended into a creepier and darker shade of horrific, upsetting, and - my favorite word for this book - tragic. The use of colors in this book is also exquisite, and I honestly read everything extra carefully when anything was blue or green simply because of the third book's title.
Another fabulous thing about this book was the characters. And by characters, I mean all of them. Blue, Gansey (who, quite frankly, reminds me a bit of Jay Gatsby? Except not, because he was born rich. But there's a quality about him, mixed in with a bit of Holden Caulfield), Adam (who I'm petrified for because he's clearly on a dark path; I'm all for negative character development, but WHY ADAM!?), Noah (spoiler alert: I cried and screamed and refused to believe it), and even sharp, careful-or-you'll-cut-yourself-on-his-jagged-edges, Ronan. Of course, I have to include the lovely Maura and Orla and Persephone and Cala, and Neeve too, but those five main characters are crafted perfectly and honestly. It's the fact that they're so wholly original, composed exactly right, that I love them so much. There's depth to them, a conflict raging in each one's mind. If I wasn't afraid for the story being ruined, I would desperately petition for a movie just so I could get some actors to embrace these parts and have real-life characters giving me all the feels.
I'm anxious to start the second book now, because I realize that the last line of The Raven Boys was NOT some off-kilter remark and was, instead, literal. It also promises that I'll get to spend some time in Ronan's head, and who can complain about that?
Anyway, the hype that surrounds this book is accurate and deserved. If you like psychics, treasure hunts, magic, and troubled characters, look no further. This book is beautifully crafted and will give you all you want and so, so much more.
I started this book a couple of years ago, but at the time I wasn't really feeling it and the library due date was coming up fast and furious, so around chapter 24 (by my best estimate) I turned it back in and promptly wrote it off as a Maggie Stiefvater book I just wasn't meant to read. I'd inhaled the Shiver trilogy and thought it was great, and The Scorpio Races was and is one of the greatest standalone YA novels I've read (though sometimes, I still desperately wish it was not a standalone, because it was THAT GOOD.) But The Raven Boys seemed to drag, and I could not move past it back then.
In retrospect, I wish I hadn't been so abiding with the due date and just kept pushing through, because I was only two chapters away from the good stuff! So much of this book is exposition, but it has to be in order to create this universe and set the creepy tone with a pulsing undercurrent of destined tragedy. (I realize this may not make the book more appealing, but if you've read the summary, then you have to understand that as of this moment, I see a very thin path of how this series can end. Also, I wasn't wrong about the tragedy.) Reading this book is like what Blue says about flying: you have to let go and give yourself up to it.
And this time, I did. Oh, god, I did.
I have to give Stiefvater props where they're due, and in this case... props for that INSANELY GORGEOUS writing, as well as her skill for properly using tone. The Raven Boys gave me serious chills at some point, and everything that happened just gradually descended into a creepier and darker shade of horrific, upsetting, and - my favorite word for this book - tragic. The use of colors in this book is also exquisite, and I honestly read everything extra carefully when anything was blue or green simply because of the third book's title.
Another fabulous thing about this book was the characters. And by characters, I mean all of them. Blue, Gansey (who, quite frankly, reminds me a bit of Jay Gatsby? Except not, because he was born rich. But there's a quality about him, mixed in with a bit of Holden Caulfield), Adam (who I'm petrified for because he's clearly on a dark path; I'm all for negative character development, but WHY ADAM!?), Noah (spoiler alert: I cried and screamed and refused to believe it), and even sharp, careful-or-you'll-cut-yourself-on-his-jagged-edges, Ronan. Of course, I have to include the lovely Maura and Orla and Persephone and Cala, and Neeve too, but those five main characters are crafted perfectly and honestly. It's the fact that they're so wholly original, composed exactly right, that I love them so much. There's depth to them, a conflict raging in each one's mind. If I wasn't afraid for the story being ruined, I would desperately petition for a movie just so I could get some actors to embrace these parts and have real-life characters giving me all the feels.
I'm anxious to start the second book now, because I realize that the last line of The Raven Boys was NOT some off-kilter remark and was, instead, literal. It also promises that I'll get to spend some time in Ronan's head, and who can complain about that?
Anyway, the hype that surrounds this book is accurate and deserved. If you like psychics, treasure hunts, magic, and troubled characters, look no further. This book is beautifully crafted and will give you all you want and so, so much more.
kittybetty's review against another edition
3.0
A few lagging spots, a couple of muddles, plenty of loose ends to carry into the next book, and all-in-all, a good start to a series.