A Review for The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: September 19th, 2012
Finished Date: January 11th, 2014

Publishers: Scholastic
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 416

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Blue has spent the majority of her sixteen years being told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue meets Gansey’s spirit on the corpse road she knows there is only one reason why – either he is her true love or she has killed him.

Determined to find out the truth, Blue becomes involved with the Raven Boys, four boys from the local private school (lead by Gansey) who are on a quest to discover Glendower – a lost ancient Welsh King who is buried somewhere along the Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be granted a supernatural favour.

Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey her true love? She can’t imagine a time she would feel like that, and she is adamant not to be the reason for his death. Where will fate lead them?

The Review: 4.5 Flowers! 

The Raven Boys was one of those reads that really sucks you in and life becomes all about the story.
As the synopsis tells us…Blue is from a family of psychics but is not herself and has lived with this all her life, because of this she has been warned that if she kisses her true love…he will die. When watching the ‘corpse road’ - in which the people who will die over the course of the year are revealed – she actually sees a spirit for the first time ever, she interacts with it and finds out only one thing…his name is Gansey… and there is only one reason she is seeing him – he’s either her true love or she has killed him…or both! – and in her quest to stop this young person from dying, ends up meeting & getting involved with boys who attend the local prestigious school Aglionby Academy aka the Raven Boys. She discovers that the boys are on a quest to find the ley lines & its hidden secrets lead by none other than Gansey…. Because of who Blue is and what her family knows, she feels that she needs to be a part of this, she needs to help them but none of the will be prepared for what they discover.
So, this book was so good, I liked everything about it and for all it may seem like the focus would be on the love aspect of the story, it wasn’t… the emphasis was more on the magical with an adventurous feel and lots of mystery. I thought the book was filled with a lot of great characters, not just the main bunch and I was intrigued by them all. Blue of course was a cool character, I liked her attitude to life and where other books would have a character like her embarrassed or ashamed of her home life.. Blue embraced it, she embraced her individuality and I thought that was a great asset for her character. The Raven Boys are each a character of their own, each bringing something different to the story  - Adam, not what he appears at first and when you do get his story… you want to know more – Noah, quiet & mysterious, strange but again.. you want to know more and when we got it….it was gooooood! – Ronan, bad boy, rule breaker, tattooed, failing school but we glimpse a softer side & a dangerous side… who is he really? Yep, again… need to know more – and finally Gansey, the tie that holds them all together, an old soul, obsessed with this quest, disgusted by his privileged life and wanting to be seen as more than money.. and yes you’ve guessed it, you want to know more. They’re all mysterious in a way and Blue is a brilliant addition to the group, filling a space none of them knew was there.
The storyline for me was full of intrigue, first we have Blue’s family and all of the questions surrounding them, her warning about her true love… that definitely got the curiosity going but then the boys come along and bring along their own intrigue involving ley lines, lost kings, magical power, magical places.. the research they have done into their quest is astounding, it’s everything to them and then when they meet Blue and things start happening, well that adds to the intrigue & mystery. Combining their knowledge they make progress and at times yes, it was confusing but not in a way that you couldn’t still follow the story. I loved all of the history that led to the quest too and how involved everyone got in it. Obviously there are a few twists and turns to keep everyone on their toes but it was sooo good and I never would have guessed some of the reveals, this is just the beginning and after reading it… you’ve guessed it… I need more!