The Raven Boys Author: Maggie Stiefvater | Language: English | ISBN:
B0096T5P7O | Format: PDF
The Raven Boys Description
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.
His name is Gansey, 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 is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher 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 doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
- File Size: 929 KB
- Print Length: 468 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0545465931
- Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (September 18, 2012)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B0096T5P7O
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,972 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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.
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