Download The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys

Author: Visit Amazon's Maggie Stiefvater Page | Language: English | ISBN: 0545424933 | Format: PDF

The Raven Boys Description

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Blue was born into a psychic family with the misfortune of having no psychic ability of her own. However, her presence helps others "see" more clearly, which has led to every psychic she's ever met predicting that if Blue were to kiss her true love, he would die. Not interested in boys yet and especially repulsed by the snooty lot at Aglionby Academy, she decides to simply never kiss anyone. When she has her first clairvoyant experience, it's not as thrilling as she had hoped. She sees that Gansey, a boy from Aglionby, will die within the next year. She can't get him out of her mind, a task made impossible when she meets him and his three friends. The Raven Boys, as Aglionby students are called, rope her into helping them with their mission: to locate a ley line. The line of energy could possibly connect them to the past and to the legendary "sleeping" Welsh king, Glendower, who will grant the one who awakens him a reward. Their quest puts each of them in harm's way, made more imminent when Blue finally starts to feel as if her kiss of death is going to be a real problem. First in a planned quartet, The Raven Boys is an incredibly rich and unique tale, a supernatural thriller of a different flavor. The cinematic feel paces the novel well, and the many pieces of the story unfold with grace. The complicated relationships between the Raven boys and Blue are not of the standard main character/love interest variety and makes the curious plot all the more enthralling. Fans have been salivating for Stiefvater's next release and The Raven Boys delivers.-Emily Chornomaz, Camden County Library System, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
--This text refers to the

Hardcover
edition.

Review

é “Stiefvater's novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”
–Horn Book Review, Starred Review

é “Masterful...like nothing else out there now.”
–Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

é “A study of courage and loyalty tested…utterly compelling.”
–Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

é “A book with cross-appeal to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and action-adventure, this seems to have a shot at being a YA blockbuster.”
–Booklist, Starred Review

é “Up–On the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, fall brings the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses, and with them, death . . . The author takes great liberties with the Celtic myth, but the result is marvelous.”
–School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Stiefvater not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with “The Scorpio Races” but crushes it with pounding hooves…. If “The Scorpio Races” sounds like nothing you've ever read, that's because it is.”
–The New York Times Book Review

“Tactile world-building, an island full of compelling characters, and the budding romance between Sean and Puck all make for an unforgettable book that's quite unlike anything else out there.”
–NPR Books

“With this beautifully executed drama, Stiefvater has established herself as one of the finest YA novelists writing today.”
–Entertainment Weekly

“Tense, atmospheric, and utterly original.”
–People Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
Table of Contents
Reviews

Series: The Raven Boys (Book 1)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (July 30, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545424933
ISBN-13: 978-0545424936
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

On a cold night every spring, sixteen-year-old Blue and her psychic mother wait in a churchyard for the dead to arrive. Her mother is usually the one who sees the spirits of people who will die within the next twelve months, but this year, Blue herself is startled by the sad, desperate sight of a boy named Gansey falling to his knees before her.

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve, Blue. Either you're his true love...or you killed him."

With those chilling words, Blue is caught up in a mystery she never expected involving the privileged Raven Boys from Aglionby Academy. She must guard her heart closely, however, because Blue's always been told that she's destined to kill her true love with a kiss.

If Edgar Allan Poe had taught the boys of Dead Poets Society, The Raven Boys is the type of tale he might've told, one that emerges through curl of smoke and excites with a flash of fire. This story, which seems to be loosely based on a real Welsh folk tale, is haunted by ghosts, invigorated by a fantastical search for a legendary sleeping Welsh king, and tinged with the frightening dark beauty of centuries-old magic.

While the story starts out from Blue's point of view, the book is actually told in third-party omniscient style, a welcome change from the author's usual first person perspective, and a necessary one given the many characters we get to know, particularly the raven boys. Gansey, who is obsessed with the supernatural; Adam, who yearns for a life outside what he knows; Ronan, whose anger hides untold regret; and Noah, a troubled soul who knows a great deal more than he lets on. I loved the complicated relationship between these boys, from their good-natured jeers to their anxious concern for one another.

3.5 stars

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve," Neeve said. "Either you're his true love . . . or you killed him."

Easily one of the most hyped books of the year, Maggie Stiefvater's first installment in her Raven Cycle series was high on my to-read list. I wasn't left disappointed but as far as first installments go it could have been better.

Blue Sargent is a non-seer but has the gift of being able to amplify other seers powers. On the Eve of St. Mark's Day Blue's mother, a clairvoyant, sits watch over the churchyard all night to watch the ghosts of those that will be passing over in the next year. Blue accompanies her mother even though she's not able to see any of the ghosts. Except she does this year. A boy wearing the uniform from Aglionby Academy named Gansey; a Raven Boy. And the only reason a non-seer would see a spirit is he's either Blue's true love or she's the one that kills him.

Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah (otherwise known as The Raven Boys) have their own mystery to add into the mix. Gansey has become obsessed over the years with finding the local ley line and believes that once found he will be able to locate an ancient and mythical sleeping king and that he will grant him a wish.

Despite the initial hint at romance, it never actually made an appearance. It was a nice change from the typical though. I was loving the whole Practical Magic feel and loved Blue and her eclectic household. The group of boys aptly named the Raven Boys were quite charming and reminded me a lot of the group of friends in The Secret History (at least before the whole sleeping king granting wishes came in to play). The multiple storylines were intriguing, nicely written and converged well with one another.

The Raven Boys Preview

Link

Please Wait...