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zids's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book had a slow start but was REVVING by the end. Thrilling at multiple moments.
I liked Adam the most out of the boys, I guess I like it when dudes suffer?
I was kinda bummed that there was No Reality for Blue and Adam because she knows she will at some point fall for Gansey. I thought Blue and Adam were cute.
Speaking of Gansey, he got on my nerves a little. I completely understood why Adam was like that around him (and his offers to support him). At least that was altruistic, I GUESS. Him renaming Blue was full on straight up A-N-N-O-YING. There's a moment in this where she teasingly calls him by his first name and he's like "dont 🥺" so you agree? you would feel upset if someone ignored your name?
Ronan got easier to like the less present he became in the book. Noah got easier to like the more present he became in the book.
There's no reality where I don't like Blue. Blue is sweet, I like her a lot.
The plot was bonkers. Boooonkers. It got to a point where I realised the things they set up at the very beginning wouldn't come to a head in this book, and I was like "? well what IS gonna happen?" Wasn't disappointed. I liked it a lot.
I liked Adam the most out of the boys, I guess I like it when dudes suffer?
I was kinda bummed that there was No Reality for Blue and Adam because she knows she will at some point fall for Gansey. I thought Blue and Adam were cute.
Speaking of Gansey, he got on my nerves a little. I completely understood why Adam was like that around him (and his offers to support him). At least that was altruistic, I GUESS. Him renaming Blue was full on straight up A-N-N-O-YING. There's a moment in this where she teasingly calls him by his first name and he's like "dont 🥺" so you agree? you would feel upset if someone ignored your name?
Ronan got easier to like the less present he became in the book. Noah got easier to like the more present he became in the book.
There's no reality where I don't like Blue. Blue is sweet, I like her a lot.
The plot was bonkers. Boooonkers. It got to a point where I realised the things they set up at the very beginning wouldn't come to a head in this book, and I was like "? well what IS gonna happen?" Wasn't disappointed. I liked it a lot.
aarnireads's review against another edition
5.0
I'm on the last pages so I'll be writing my review already. I ran into The Raven Cycle on tumblr, loved by many and generally I don't let other people's opinions about books and such affect me- but something piqued my interest. And I'm glad. Blue isn't your everyday kind of heroine and we need more wonderful, eccentric messy-haired girls like her in fiction- especially in YA-fiction! This book is like a daydream. The boys themselves are all delightfully different, described in terms I wouldn't have thought- they're razor-sharp and driven, barely there and always here. I love them. I love this book.
paige87's review against another edition
5.0
It was a bit creepy and a lot intriguing. The plot twisted in directions I didn't see coming. I am entirely fascinated, and I cannot wait to see where the story goes.
streetartist's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
cadeunderbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.0
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.
maris7's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
Ok, o começo foi confuso e o final foi muito rápido, mas eu AMEI os personagens, faria qualquer coisa por eles, e fiquei completamente envolvida nessa história (depois que eu entendi quem era quem). Já tô com saudade
Ok, o começo foi confuso e o final foi muito rápido, mas eu AMEI os personagens, faria qualquer coisa por eles, e fiquei completamente envolvida nessa história (depois que eu entendi quem era quem). Já tô com saudade
sadhbh_anseo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Great read rly engaging and thrilling. Great characters, consuming plot
geenahnola's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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