A review by howlinglibraries
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

5.0

#1 The Raven Boys ★★★★★
#2 The Dream Thieves ★★★★★
#3 Blue Lily, Lily Blue ★★★★★
#4 The Raven King ★★★★★
#4.5 Opal ★★★★★

“She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own.”

All Blue's life, she's been surrounded by psychics: her mother, her aunt, her mother's live-in best friends. Blue can't predict anything, though - she's just an energy amplifier for everyone (and everything) around here. Her future has been set in stone for years. She will fall in love, and she will kiss her first love, and he will die.

It's hard enough, when Blue sees her first vision: the boy she will kiss and kill, a boy named Gansey. The weirdness is only beginning, though, because Blue's paths will soon cross with Gansey's in his search for a dead king and magic, and she will be wrapped up into a whirlwind adventure even her psychic family couldn't have prepared her for.

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ALL OF THE STARS FOREVER AND EVER AMEN

Seriously you guys, how did I not pick this book up sooner?! I am literally lamenting the fact that I have waited this long to begin this series - though, I'm also a little pleased, because I don't have to wait on book releases heh heh.

I'm just going to jump right into a breakdown of what I thought of this beautiful book. (By the way, I'm starting a new review format with this one - let me know what you lovelies think!)

BLUE ➳➳
I honestly just love Blue to pieces. I feel so sorry for her about the fact that she's the only one in her family who isn't a psychic, but I love her little "amplifier" ordeal and her sass and witticisms are fantastic. If I met someone like Blue IRL, we'd totally be besties.

THE BOYS ➳➳
The boys are all so precious and perfect in their own ways. I love Gansey's self-awareness and awkwardness, as well as his ridiculous obsession that he manages to draw everyone else into. I love Noah's adorable smudgy self. I love Ronan's fierce protectiveness and his bitter attitude that is so obviously hiding this teddy bear interior. I love Adam's shyness and feelings of inadequacy. They're all just precious little cuties and I want to protect all of them. ❤

THE PSYCHICS ➳➳
How fun are the psychics?! Blue's mom is fun on her own, but I LIVED for Persephone's quiet oddity and Calla's snappy attitude and antics. It's so fun to watch their little predictions unfold, too. And then there's Neeve, who I have very mixed feelings on...

PLOT ➳➳
A bunch of teenagers on some quest to find a dead king in some magical woods, surrounded by the energy leftover from a bunch of dead people? Plus there are psychics and scrying and such? Count me in. I really thought the plot for this was fantastic (though admittedly a little bit confusing at the start for me, because I overthink things and spent the first few chapters wondering why it's so important to Gansey).

WRITING ➳➳
This was my first ever Maggie Stiefvater book, and I didn't know what to expect of her writing. A lot of my bookish friends had actually warned me that her prose was very lyrical and flowery, and to try to power through it, I guess? I could see where her writing could be unlikable by some standards, but I really enjoyed it! I found it to be just the right level of descriptive and vague, and I can't wait to read more of her work.

FINAL VERDICT ➳➳
5 stars, all day! I absolutely loved this book and have already purchased the second book in the series. I'm only sad that I have such a big pile of ARCs that The Dream Thieves will have to wait a couple of weeks, but I might end up caving and diving into it sooner, because I am just so in love with these characters already and I can't wait to find out where their adventure takes them next!

June 2017 group read with Forgotten YA Gems