It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
So I finally read The Raven Cycle series! I've been hearing good things about it for years, so it was about time for me to read The Raven Boys. This review won't contain any spoilers, so you don't have to worry if you haven't read it yet. But please do! I highly recommend it.
Now, I'm not saying that this is the best series I've ever read. There are quite a few flaws (that I'll address later in this review) but overall the books were really entertaining and definitely worth reading.
First of, these covers are so pretty! Even if I hadn’t heard anything about it, the covers would still have caught my attention and I would’ve probably read them eventually. My favourite cover is no doubt Blue Lily, Lily Blue.
I had no idea what The Raven Boys was about when I began to read it. It was not what I was expecting, but in a way, it kind of was. I actually recommend you to do the same thing I did. Go in without knowing anything. The characters were phenomenal. So intricate and unique; and although each had flaws (and you couldn’t help but be angry at them at times), each also had great qualities (and you just couldn’t help but love them). Some could argue that Blue Sargent is the main character, but they all have such a strong presence and they are all so important to the plot, so I have to say that Blue and the boys are all protagonists.
The setting was so beautiful and so well written. Fox Way, Monmouth Manufacturing, the Barns, Cabeswater… (I do wish Aglionby Academy was a bit more present, since they are raven boys because they attend that school, but...). I could picture those places perfectly, and I loved everything about them. Maggie Stiefvater did such an amazing job at bringing them to life.
Another thing that I really liked was the story itself. Not necessarily the plot, but more of what the book was about. It was so interesting the way how Maggie used mythology and psychics and the supernatural in a way I had never seen before. It felt magical and mysterious. This is the first book I’ve ever read by her, and I quite liked her writing. The way she used foreshadowing was really cool, and she does this repetition of lines that I absolutely love.
However, the story was really confusing at times. And by the end of the series, a lot of things felt unresolved. Many of my questions were left unanswered. Since she created such an intricate and complicated story, I wish she had been more careful and clear with it. I personally did not like how things ended in the last book. She kept building up this whole thing throughout the series, then let me down with a disappointing ending.
These things weren’t enough to make me dislike the series. The characters, setting, and the idea for the story redeemed the series for me. The first two books, The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves were the best ones. I really recommend for you to pick The Raven Cycle up! You won't want to put it down!
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