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A review by gardenofroses
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this book just as much as I thought I would. I struggled at first with staying focused on it BECAUSE I was so excited. Sooo... I decided to annotate this book to help gather my thoughts and it was the best decision I've ever made. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is everything! She's so charming and funny. It's so easy to create her writing into life. I especially loved her descriptions of the Raven Boys and Blue. She was able to represent platonic relationships that still transcended beyond normal friendships. There was a sense of intimacy between the boys themselves as well as with Blue that made you feel like there was something bigger going on that we as readers were lucky to witness. All this made me feel weirdly attached to them, all I wanted was for their friendships to stay strong and for no one to come in between them.
This is why towards the end I felt terrible anxiety because I knew Adam had just made a super important decision that took a huge part of who he is away which will then lead to a change in the dynamic of the Raven Boys and Blue. This is definitely the catalyst for the change between Adam's friendship with Gansey and Blue.It will push Gansey closer to the boy that Blue is supposed to fall in love with and Adam farther from the boy Blue initially loved.
As for Ronan that last line is definitely going to be prominent in the whole second novel...like boy you got Chainsaw from your dream?! I also loved reading the small moments where we'd see Ronan show just how much he actually cares about his friend and other things, like his protectiveness and loyalty towards Gansey/Adam as well as Chainsaw. I also want to know more about what happened to his father because you can tell it's eating at him and he needs to tell someone before he fully self-destructs. I hope we get to know more about his character in the next novel.
Gansey...I want to protect him with all my heart he is the sweetest little bean. I feel oddly attached to him and I think it may be because he reminds me slightly of myself, like his need to research and to learn as well as feeling like he needs to do something with his life to make his second chance worth it. And I just absolutely love his loyalty to his friends even when they don't appreciate him or his efforts.That's around the only time I cried throughout the whole book when he realized that his friends had become his home and he needed them, but he felt like they didn't need him because they never accepted his help or they would just walk away from him leaving him behind. It is definitely going to hurt if he's the one Blue is supposed to kill.
Noah, well I definitely didn't see his plot twist coming but we definitely need to learn more about him in the next novel as well. I also love his and Blue's friendship dynamic it was too cute. Besties <3
Now...Adam...*sigh* he is definitely a complex character. He is definitely very prideful and has values that are definitely non-negotiable which is why it hurt so much when he gave those up at the end of the book in return for something else. It's scary to think about just how much he really lost and just how different he's going to be. There was no going back from that decision and he definitely lost something big within himself for that. A huge sacrifice.
As for Blue, I don't really feel for her much as a character. Her friendships with the other boys are great but as a character, there wasn't much to unpack. At least not in this first novel. Most of her character centered around the prophecy, how her family was connected to the boys, and the boys themselves. Not too much complexity of thought for her character in comparison to the boys. I hope that changes as the series progresses.
These are my overall thoughts (: 4.5/5 Stars
This is why towards the end I felt terrible anxiety because I knew Adam had just made a super important decision that took a huge part of who he is away which will then lead to a change in the dynamic of the Raven Boys and Blue. This is definitely the catalyst for the change between Adam's friendship with Gansey and Blue.
As for Ronan that last line is definitely going to be prominent in the whole second novel...
Gansey...I want to protect him with all my heart he is the sweetest little bean. I feel oddly attached to him and I think it may be because he reminds me slightly of myself, like his need to research and to learn as well as feeling like he needs to do something with his life to make his second chance worth it. And I just absolutely love his loyalty to his friends even when they don't appreciate him or his efforts.
Noah, well I definitely didn't see his plot twist coming but we definitely need to learn more about him in the next novel as well. I also love his and Blue's friendship dynamic it was too cute. Besties <3
Now...Adam...*sigh* he is definitely a complex character. He is definitely very prideful and has values that are definitely non-negotiable which is why it hurt so much when he gave those up at the end of the book in return for something else. It's scary to think about just how much he really lost and just how different he's going to be. There was no going back from that decision and he definitely lost something big within himself for that. A huge sacrifice.
As for Blue, I don't really feel for her much as a character. Her friendships with the other boys are great but as a character, there wasn't much to unpack. At least not in this first novel. Most of her character centered around the prophecy, how her family was connected to the boys, and the boys themselves. Not too much complexity of thought for her character in comparison to the boys. I hope that changes as the series progresses.
These are my overall thoughts (: 4.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Gun violence