The Raven Boys Review and Giveaway

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★★
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Age: YA
Genre: Ghosts, Supernatural, Magic, Mystery
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy it: Amazon

“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.”
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.

Maggie Stiefvater had me captivated with Shiver (and the whole Mercy Falls series). I freaking absolutely LOVE her confident writing and ability to create visually stimulating phrases. After Grace and Sam's story I just knew she was going to be an author that I followed religiously. I went out and purchased Lament and Ballad immediately after finishing the Mercy Falls books and have been all but stalking this wonderful writer since. I also happen to own a copy of The Scorpio Races and definitely am planning to get in gear and devour that one very soon! Hopefully by Thanksgiving!

Ok, so onto her newest endeavor, a well researched and beautifully written account of the supernatural variety. The Raven Boys follows an unlikely gang of misfits as they search for something that many don't know exists. Led by Gansey, these Raven Boys spend every waking second hunting down clues and information on the Ley Line, when they're not attending their posh and private feeder high school into Ivy League. The diverse make up of their group will appeal to many readers. Gansey is one of those people that everyone is friends with. He's kind of obnoxious, full of himself, and can convince pretty much anyone of anything. His vocabulary and the way he holds himself exudes confidence and he doesn't have any clue what a dollar is worth. He holds the power to the friendship of this close knit group and without him I felt like they wouldn't be as strong as they are. The other boys: Noah, Adam, and Ronan, add dimension to this story.

Blue Sargent meets these Raven Boys after a not so pleasant conversation and as chance would have it befriends them as their paths cross again. Shas grown up the daughter of a psychic, so who better to befriend a bunch of boys looking for magic. She's always been a powerful tool to her family, but left in the dark for a lot of things when it comes to her life, until she starts demanding answers. Especially when it comes to her father, or should I say Butternut. I loved Blue, from her quirkiness to her awesome clothing choices. Her relationship with her mother, Maura, is one that I love to find in YA books. She might just have the answers that the Raven Boys have been looking for.

It took me a very long time to finish The Raven Boys, not for lack of interest but for the sheer density of the book. There is a lot of information to absorb and I was afraid to do so quickly, I was savoring this one. It is a book 1 in a series and the wait for the following books will be brutal, thank goodness for the awesome people at Scholastic! hint hint.

Maggie gives it all to us. A beautiful world, amazing characters, and a story line that is unforgettable! This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Giveaway

The wonderful people at Scholastic provided me with an ARC of The Raven Boys to review and now that I've read it I'd like to pass it along!

This is a US only giveaway and it is for an Advanced Copy, the book is now available to buy and there may be changes between the final and this edition.

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