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Raven

by Allison van Diepen (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 2,421 ratings · 249 reviews

Zin dances with fire in every step, speaks in a honey-sweet voice, and sees with eyes that can peer into your soul. Nicole's friendship with him is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life. It's no wonder she is madly in love with him. But she can't understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his so...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published February 10th 2009 by Simon Pulse

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Books for 2009

73rd out of 554 books — 2,373 voters

2010 Best Books for Young Adults (Nominations)

97th out of 608 books — 2,007 voters

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Nov 08, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Rebecca Wells for TeensReadToo.com

Nicole has a life blighted by her brother, a meth addict who routinely calls home for money her parents can't refuse him. She just wants to get out. Her only respite comes in the form of Evermore, a bar in Manhattan where she can indulge her two loves: breaking, and Zin, a charismatic bartender.

Nicole just wants to be with Zin, but little does she know there is a dark secret he hides. When she uncovers it, will Nicole's love for Zin survive? And when...more

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Feb 22, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Raven is extremely easy to read, utterly captivating and very hard to put down. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I enjoyed what van Diepen had up her sleeve!

I really loved the balance between fantasy, love, and this sort of hip urban feel. The relationship between Zin and Nic was intense, I appreciated the fact that they weren’t afraid to share their deepest, darkest secrets with each other, and I loved how their relationship grew. And not in a superficial lust way.

Some of the character...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Ana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This book really surprised me. Allison van Diepen's writing reminded me a little of Lisa McMann's in Wake/Fade -- conveying alot with few words. Most scenes are relatively brief and the action moves quickly. I was engaged in the plot, wanting to know all about this breed of immortals. There was unexpected twist at the end that I appreciated because it differed from the typical outcomes of mortal/immortal pairings.

Nicole and Zin are very much in love with each other from the beginning of the stor...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished this boook and was pleasantly surprised. The one problem I had with the book was the breakdancing lingo. I had no idea what any of it meant. I think if there had been a glossary in the back it would have made the book better for me. I loved the style of writing and the paranormal aspect of it. I didn't think the ending was predictable and was happy with how it concluded.

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Mar 12, 2013 Joseline Sánchez rated it 3 of 5 stars

Raven es un libro bueno, aunque a mí personalmente se me hizo un poco pesado de leer. Sobre todo el comienzo, no le encontraba mucho sentido a la historia, casi no había acción y no entendía el porqué del comportamiento de Zin.
La trama es sencilla trata sobre una chica, Nicole, que esta enamorada de su mejor amigo, Zin, y que trabaja en un bar, pertenece a un grupo de Breakdance y esta apunto de graduarse.
Al comienzo pensé que era la típica trama chicle sobre la chica enamorada de su mejor ami...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Charlotte marked it as to-read

Doesn't seem promising.

"Zin dances with fire in every step, speaks in a honey-sweet voice, and sees with eyes that can peer into your soul. Nicole's friendship with him is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life. It's no wonder she is madly in love with him. But she can't understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his soul reaching out for hers. Zin is like no man Nicole has ever met, and he carries with him a very old...more

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Jul 30, 2012 CC rated it 3 of 5 stars

Van Diepen's Raven is an enjoyable YA pararom with likable leads.

Although the novel never quite reaches its full potential -- in part due to an abundance of hiphop lingo related to mains Nic and Zin's breakdancing, and in part to the well-trodden para path -- Van Diepen does much to attract young readers with accessible prose and characterizations. Of particular note is the inclusive ethnicity of her main and secondary characters, which is mostly missing in today's pararoms.

Nic and Zin's budding...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Liyana rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review was so hard to write, partly because I'm so conflicted about it. There are things make me go "oooh!" like the fact that Nicole is a break dancer. And then there are so many others that make me go "bleh", like the minor characters. They seemed like basic sketches; I didn't know a lot about them and thus I didn't care if anything really happened to them. The main point however was Nicole and Zin's love for each other, and that was well done.

The tone, the style of writing: it's not some...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Milena rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 22, 2011 Soycazadoradesombrasylibros rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: finish

Esta novela, la tenía desde que salió a la venta, pero entre unas cosas y otras no me había puesto a leerla, hasta hace una semana atrás.
Por la sinopsis no sabía que podría hallar, ni si me iba a gustar, pero las expectativas que tenía con Raven, eran altas y temía que me pudiese equivocar, pero no ha sido del todo asi.
La historia a simple vista,tiene una trama sencilla ,Nicole es la mejor amiga de Zin, un chico del que todas las chicas suspiran, ella baila con sus amigos y trabaja como camarera...more Esta novela, la tenía desde que salió a la venta, pero entre unas cosas y otras no me había puesto a leerla, hasta hace una semana atrás.
Por la sinopsis no sabía que podría hallar, ni si me iba a gustar, pero las expectativas que tenía con Raven, eran altas y temía que me pudiese equivocar, pero no ha sido del todo asi.
La historia a simple vista,tiene una trama sencilla ,Nicole es la mejor amiga de Zin, un chico del que todas las chicas suspiran, ella baila con sus amigos y trabaja como camarera en una discoteca “Evermore”aparte de quedar unos meses para que se gradue.
En el sitio en el que Nicole o Nic trabaja, esta regentado por Carlo un personaje del que no sabrás nunca si va o viene, o que esperar de él, me puso tan nerviosa desde el primer momento en que apareció en escena que en cuanto salía, sus frases, diálogos o las descripciones de Allison se me hacían eternas.
Hablando de descripciónes sobre los personajes, en un primer momento pensé que me volvería loca, pues la autora, una y otra vez, nos detalla lo maravilloso que es Zin, como es Nic...y a veces pensé en abandonar la lectura, me gusta conocer todos los personajes pero no tan bien y a cada rato, eso se me hace tedioso.
Pero, por solo esto no podía dejar el libro a medias, así que regrese a la lectura, y me alegro de haber continuado, puesto que comenzaba lo bueno.
Zin, su jefe y parte de los que trabajan en este disco tan popular pertenecen a un mismo grupo llamado los “Zheng Shui” y tienen muchos años, más de lo que os podáis imaginar y cada uno de ellos, en su vida humana tenía una virtud.
No os destripare mucho lo que sucede, porque quiero que os adentréis en este mundo algo extraño en un principio pero que poco a poco Allison le dara forma.
Me centro en Nic, porque es una chica, que está enamorada de Zin y el parece sabelor, pero desde tiempo atrás, por lo que su historia de amor se va fraguando poco a poco, porque tienen que sortear unos pocos impedimentos para estar juntos, pero nada de lo que se os puede pasar por la cabeza en estos momentos, es algo más complejo.
Nicole o “Raven” como la llama Carlo la cabeza central de este variopinto grupo, tiene sus propios problemas en casa, su hermano Josh es drogadicto y vive en un albergue, sus trabajos le duran poco y los padres están sufriendo mucho, por lo que la fuerza interior que tiene es bastante grande y para lo que está viviendo a veces es un poco inmadura pero lo contrarresta con otras virtudes, que me han sabido a poco.
Cuando vamos por la página 80 del libro, los tornos cambian y aparecen los peligros, las decisiones importantes y que los personajes que estaban en la sombra salgan a la luz, para darle más fuerza si cabe a la trama.
El final, me lo esperaba en parte pero por otro lado no sabría cómo explicar la sensación que me produjo el libro, cuando lei FIN.
No me dejo fría, tampoco con ganas de que haya una segunda parte, puesto que estropearía la historia.
Lo recomiendo si queréis cambiar de criaturas, pero la historia como os he comentado hasta muy avanzada la misma, no engancha.
Una curiosidad, la portada es Raven con el cuervo que se tatúa, solo os diré eso(less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Josi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Okay, so I have an advance reviewer copy...which is an uncorrected proof...but I think all they will be doing is changing fonts and fixing typos...not rewriting the entire story like I hope they would. This is possibly the worst piece of literature I have ever read. And I'm counting my little sister's "Tiara Club" series, even that is better. The plot is mediocre, the tone changes throughout the book, the characters have no depth whatsoever, and those that seem to have depth only appear so becau...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Ursula Pflug rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-ve-reviewed

This review appeared in The New York Review of Science Fiction in April, 2011. The original much longer essay appears on my Goodreads blog under the title Notes on the 2010 Sunburst Award. It includes discussions of several other 2009 speculative titles published by Canadians.

Raven

Chairing the Sunburst jury for the 2010 awards coincided with leaving behind a lifelong cigarette habit. I contented myself with bits of teaching and editing and this and that. I had to prioritize it, everyone said, or...more This review appeared in The New York Review of Science Fiction in April, 2011. The original much longer essay appears on my Goodreads blog under the title Notes on the 2010 Sunburst Award. It includes discussions of several other 2009 speculative titles published by Canadians.

Raven

Chairing the Sunburst jury for the 2010 awards coincided with leaving behind a lifelong cigarette habit. I contented myself with bits of teaching and editing and this and that. I had to prioritize it, everyone said, or the whole project would nosedive. If I didn’t write while I quit, so be it. What’s the rest of your life worth? So, in a way, the timing of the jury was a blessing. Unable to write, I could read all I wanted. Unable to really write, I drafted voluminous notes for books on my personal shortlist, especially for the YA category. I like to get more than one use out of a piece of writing when I can, and hence include below some of these notes, on occasion slightly revised. I think I drove my fellow jurors crazy. These favourites of my own all ended up not as finalists but as Honourable Mentions except for Half World, which won the Sunburst for YA, and Dragon Seer, which didn’t appear on any of our final lists.

Raven by Allison van Diepen

Raven stands out for its sensuality; protagonist Nicole/Raven’s love of break dancing and the physicality of her doomed crush on Zin suffuse the book. The dance club Evermore and accompanying cultural milieu are interesting and unusual; the descriptions of lower Manhattan feel real enough to this reviewer who lived there for a while back in the day; van Diepen too taught and wrote in Brooklyn for a time. However, without knowledge of hip hop dance the terminology peppered throughout leaves us in the dark. Another flaw is the sketchy description of the history and provenance of the esoteric lineage of vampiric soul eaters or whatever the Jiang Shi even are; van Diepen’s version seems to stray from the traditional Chinese zombie folklore. What pulses here is the relationship between Zin and Nic/Raven. Their concern for one another is aptly drawn and refreshing; the last thing Zin wants is for Raven to give herself away, even when it’s what she thinks she wants, mainly to escape from the difficulties at home, which include an addict brother. Zin and Raven’s conversations move from dance talk to philosophical discussions and this combination seems as accurate a portrayal as any of the passions of the young. What is evidenced by their subtle and shifting friendship is that both Nic and Zin are connected to the eternal, in spite of their age differences. A book for Stephanie Meyer fans only better, some say.

(less)

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May 06, 2011 Allison, Kawalec. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I chose to read this book because i needed a science fiction book for one of my other classes.
This setting took place in new york!
The main characters name is raven , shes a senior in high school and has a night time job at a very popular night club! This book is about people who are immortale. its very simular to the whole twilight theme but instead of vampires feeding off of blood they feed off of other peoples souls. they only take the souls of people who arnt guna make it (dieing) In this boo...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I have to admit I picked this book up at the library because I liked the cover. I was a bit worried about dedicating time to reading it because it kind of sounded like another "Twilight" wanna' be. In many ways that it what it ended up being, although it was different in a lot of ways too. Still, I thought the story was just okay and I got through it, but didn't find it an especially enjoyable read.

Nic, or Raven, works at a bar with a lot of awesome people. For some reason she is drawn to Zin th...more I have to admit I picked this book up at the library because I liked the cover. I was a bit worried about dedicating time to reading it because it kind of sounded like another "Twilight" wanna' be. In many ways that it what it ended up being, although it was different in a lot of ways too. Still, I thought the story was just okay and I got through it, but didn't find it an especially enjoyable read.

Nic, or Raven, works at a bar with a lot of awesome people. For some reason she is drawn to Zin the bartender. Zin and Nic are also on a brake-dance team together. Zin, of course, is incredibly handsome and is an awesome dancer, and seems drawn to Nic in return. When Zin protects Nic from being mugged one night, Nic sees a light move into Zin from the attacker. Now Nic thinks that Zin may not quite be human. She needs to figure out what he is and why he continually rebuffs her, even though he clearly loves her.

This wasn't all that great of a book. If the plotline sounds familiar, well it is. It is your basic awesome guy and girl fall in love, but can't be together because awesome guy is not human. But, awesome guy just sees something special in girl that makes him want to break all the rules and try to have a relationship with her. Except in this case the girl loves to break dance.

The plot wasn't all that engaging. It kind of focused around Nic's brother's drug addiction and then around Nic trying to decide if she wanted to become "other" like Zin. There wasn't really much outside force driving this plot somewhere interesting. The way everything ends up was fairly predictable too. The characters themselves are pretty 2D; I didn't really love any of them. The society of Jiang Shi lacked depth and seemed kind of pieced together; it didn't really fit into the world well and was secluded to this small group.

There were a couple other things that bothered me too. The first was that Nic is in high school and works nights at a bar. It was strange; I really didn't know any high-schoolers that served drinks at a bar...I guess I thought you had to be older to do that. Most of the story takes place in this dance club/bar though. It was just odd. The other is the writing style. Van Diepen mostly writes in very short sentences without much description. It makes the writing style a bit sparse and simplistic; I guess it results in a very easy reading level, but it took something out of the story.

The last thing that bothered me (but others may like) is that a lot of time was spent discussing break-dancing moves. I personally don't know (or care) much about break-dancing/hip-hop. It is just outside of the realm of things I am interested in. So, I honestly found these long scenes of practice and dance battle to be boring. Someone who is really into that might dig that about this book, but not me.

As I write the review, I realize that their really was't much I liked about the story. I got through it, it was a quick read. The story wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great. I honestly don't think I can recommend this as a great read. I suppose if you are looking for filler reading with the whole "we can't be together because you are immortal" premise, you might like this. But, honestly there are so many better young adult books out there. You can check out Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1), Generation Dead, or Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception. All of these are better books and touch on immortal love.(less)

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Dec 29, 2010 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, magical, romance, urban

The best part of the book is that it is stand-alone. I felt complete when I read it and for that I'm grateful because I hate waiting for sequels and that there are so many of them.

This great fantasy / magical realism story of Nicole's love for a boy, Zin, who she finds out is immortal. He was rescued from the brink of death and to continue to be immortal, takes souls from those who are near death in order to continue to live forever. It's a different kind of zombie/immortal lore, using from Asi...more

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Apr 03, 2010 Reading Teen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zin dances with fire in every step, speaks with a honey-sweet voice, and sees with eyes that can peer into your soul. It's no wonder that Nicole is madly in love with him. Their friendship is the only thing that saves her from the boredom of school and the turmoil of her family life. But, she cannot understand why he keeps her at a distance, even though she can feel his soul reaching out for hers. Zin carries a very old secret. When Nicole uncovers the truth, her love may be the only thing that...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 03, 2010 Kristen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wish I could give the darn thing 2 and 1/2 stars.

Plot - Nic is a HS girl and part of a break dancing troupe. She works at a bar on weekends where her sort-of boyfriend works. He's a little older but a great dancer and a little mysterious. He doesn't mind that all the other members of his dance group are in HS and he's not. Nic has a "ghost" (which I thought had potential until we are told that it's not really a ghost just that's how she thinks of her drug addict brother who moved out but still...more Wish I could give the darn thing 2 and 1/2 stars.

Plot - Nic is a HS girl and part of a break dancing troupe. She works at a bar on weekends where her sort-of boyfriend works. He's a little older but a great dancer and a little mysterious. He doesn't mind that all the other members of his dance group are in HS and he's not. Nic has a "ghost" (which I thought had potential until we are told that it's not really a ghost just that's how she thinks of her drug addict brother who moved out but still sucks mom and dad dry). Turns out Zin is one of a group of immortals, lead by Carlo. And the immortals are Jiang Shi. Carlo had a vision that Nic will lead the Jiang Shi to a new existence and wants her to become one of them. And there are hunters after the Jiang Shi.

It had a few things going for it - it was a really quick read. As in, took me about 3 hours to read. The star-crossedness isn't the primary focus of the relationship between Nicole (aka Raven) and Zin. It's a unique take on the immortality "thing" that is goin' on in all these YA novels. And the end was fairly satisfying. There are a few loose ends, but if there's never a sequel (or if there is and I don't feel like bothering), it won't be nagging me the way I feel nagged when ever I catch a re-run of the tv show Las Vegas (remember that one?) because it ended on such a cliff hanger. Maybe a bad example, but it certainly demonstrated my point.

The bad things - well, a few of them were really pretty bad. The writing didn't have much emotion to it at all. The narration was very cold and choppy. I felt like I was reading one of those Dick and Jane books that they used to print to teach kids how to read ("I got out of bed. I ate breakfast. I got dressed for school.") And the relationship between Nic and Zin had so much potential but they really didn't spend enough page time together to feel like there was anything between them. Except we were told about 5 times that Nic loved him the moment she saw him and he was dancing at the time. That's not exactly depth to their relationship. Then there was the break dancing lingo. It was worse in the beginning then later and I found myself skipping paragraphs because I don't know the moves and their names and it felt like a waste of pen space.

As for the mythology - it was almost as if the writer heard of these types of people but did no research. Heck, she could have made up the mythology for all I care, but it was so superficial the way it was dealt with. I would have loved to have felt like there was more conflict - so that the end felt more satisfying. Even the stuff with Nic's brother was almost too easy and there was no real emotion in the story. The who Jiang Shi story just sort of fizzled out. The whole book and the immortality story line felt rushed. The book was less then 300 pages, big type and big line spacing. A little more to the story, both the love story between Nic and Zin as well as the mythology and the resolution to it, could have easily turned this into a 4 star book. (less)

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Oct 11, 2009 Laura (The Little Pink Book Boutique) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish

I will begin by saying that I didn't actually finish the book, it just wasn't holding my attention at all.

I had a hard time connecting with Nic. I made it 150 pages, which is halfway through the book, and was still trying to get a feel for her character. I don't know if it's the writing style that turned me off, but I just had a tough time getting to really know Nic. I get her family life is awful and her parents are jaded by her druggie brother, and she says it bothers her, but you don't see it...more I will begin by saying that I didn't actually finish the book, it just wasn't holding my attention at all.

I had a hard time connecting with Nic. I made it 150 pages, which is halfway through the book, and was still trying to get a feel for her character. I don't know if it's the writing style that turned me off, but I just had a tough time getting to really know Nic. I get her family life is awful and her parents are jaded by her druggie brother, and she says it bothers her, but you don't see it truly pulling her apart. When she kisses Zin and "Sees" the hole in her soul, to me that's what I needed to know about a hundred pages ago.

Zin's character isn't mysterious or intriguing to me either. Of course he's keeping a big secret, but I wasn't obsessed with finding out the truth about him. He gave up his secret about the Jiang Shi wayyy too easily. In my opinion, if you're an immortal then you wouldn't go telling people about it. Could he have kept it from her forever? Probably not since she saw him take the guy's soul, and then saw Viola do the same to a woman in the bathroom at Evermore, the bar where they work, but you'd think he'd try to protect himself and the others a bit more.

I don't like how Carlo and the other Jiang Shi trust her so much. She's a teenager, a high school girl and they're just going to..."Whoops by the way we're immortal!" yeahhhh I don't think so.

It was also very difficult to get past all of the break dancing lingo. It overdid it big time. I pretty much skimmed over a lot of it because it was just not interesting at all and just a waste of book space.

I hate giving bad reviews, I really do, but this book just didn't do it for me. I need to connect with characters in order to really love a book. Even if the plot is horrible or the writing is bad, if I can fall in love with the characters it makes all the difference.

In this case, I couldn't connect with anything. While it held my interest for 150 pages it just fell flat for me. It was a good concept but poor execution.(less)

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Sep 14, 2009 Amy added it

Shelves: 2009, fiction_ya

Nicole Burke is just your average high school student - until she starts working at Evermore, the hot new New York City night spot. Her coworkers at the club introduce her to a supernatural reality that Nic had no idea existed. To complicate matters, not only does the love of her life work at Evermore, he is also a part of this supernatural reality. And all is not well in this reality - existential crises abound, and there is dissention among those who call themselves supernatural. Nic, having t...more

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Aug 01, 2009 Reading Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, relationships, romance, ya, urban-fantasy, teens

Even though this book is a completely engrossing and resplendent read it didn't get more stars because I have no idea what an airtrack, suicide, 6-steps or any of the rest of these terms mean in relationship to breakdancing. Since these and other breakdancing terms are liberally sprinkled throughout the book without any explanation of what they mean or how the moves look I had a hard time staying in the story at times. While this technique sped up the action of the breakdancing scenes, it made i...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Deanna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Overall, I did not like the story. It was interesting enough to keep me reading but I kept "running" into issues that I just could not reconcile.

Full Review:
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/06/ra...

The language of the story did not flow, it was choppy. The breakdance lingo and culture is not my setting. If it was skater lingo, well, then I am there. Breakdance lingo was lost on me. However, I can like a story with breakdance as its background setting but the story needs to be good and the languag...more

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Jun 07, 2009 GateGypsy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who found Twilight intellectually insulting

If anyone else found Twilight horribly, intellectually insulting, you will like this book.

I originally presumed that this book was going to be about some sort of Native American supernatural being. This I guessed from the beautiful cover imagery, title, and the very beginning of the book, where the main character is talking about how she knew she was in love with Zin the first time she saw him dance.
This book was not, however, what I expected it to be at all. Just goes to show me that I shouldn'...more If anyone else found Twilight horribly, intellectually insulting, you will like this book.

I originally presumed that this book was going to be about some sort of Native American supernatural being. This I guessed from the beautiful cover imagery, title, and the very beginning of the book, where the main character is talking about how she knew she was in love with Zin the first time she saw him dance.
This book was not, however, what I expected it to be at all. Just goes to show me that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, even though we all do.
This book was a surprise, but in all the best ways!

Nic, also referred to as "Raven," is a teenage girl, attending highschool and working as an underage waitress (with her parents permission) at a club in New York where one of her BFFs (who also happens to be her major crush, though she wouldn't dare tell him so) works as the barkeep. She and Zin are members of a breakdance group called the TopRocks, who frequently battle with other break groups at the club. They take their dancing very seriously, and practice multiple times a week. The plot focuses a lot on the blossoming relationship between Nic and Zin, and that is one of the points of the plot that impresses me the most... but more on that later.

Although I admit to being totally left in the dust when it comes to understanding all the terminology of the breakdance scene, I felt that the dance descriptions really made their being a group credible. I'm certain that there are people who will read this who know what those dance-steps look like based on the names, and they're glad that van Diepen went to the trouble of researching.

The subtitle of the book was "Death is inevitable, passion is eternal." (This is how I surmised that the love interest would be supernatural in some way.) I was so incredibly relieved and happy that the supernatural being was not another unbearably beautiful, oh-so-evil-but-oh-so-irresistible, oversexed, nigh-indestructible vampire. So happy! In fact, this supernatural creature was all full of flaws and believability! I especially felt that the ending was very well planned out and exceptionally appropriate.

I loved Nic and Zin's relationship. They way they interacted with eachother, the way that Nic was self-possessed, the way Zin really was her best friend, even when they weren't trying to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I liked how their relationship recognized sensuality and physical attraction, but didn't load the pages with sexy tripe. I love that Nic had a brain of her own, and interests and thoughts for her own future, and that she thought things through instead of blindly following the hot-guy's lead.

I borrowed this book, but I liked it so much, and want to recommend it and share it so much, that I decided to buy a copy! (less)

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Apr 22, 2009 Hayden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, drugs, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, urban, twilight

3.5 stars, but readers' advisory gold. When I checked this book out, the reciept was still there from the patron who'd checked it out before me. She'd circled the title and written "Totally bomb shizzle book."

High school senior Nicole has problems. For one thing, her brother is strung out on meth. For another, she is in love with Zin, her coworker at a hip-hop club in Brooklyn. But of course, though Zin looks like a regular 20-year-old guy, he turns out to be a 200-year-old Jiang Shi, an immorta...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Jael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires

When I first saw this book, I was at first hesitant to buy it since Allison Van Diepen past books have all been more on the real life side of Young Adult. Which isn't my cup of tea usually; I prefer more of the fantasy/supernatural books. I read the excerpt and liked it.

I am so glad that I bought it.

As soon as I cracked open the book, the characters are highly relatable, so are the experiences of Nicole, the lead character.

Just like Van Diepen's past books, the slang that is used in the book fit...more

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May 31, 2010 Kate (VerbVixen) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This newly published young adult fantasy does not include vampires, werewolves, or witches. Isn’t that refreshing?

The Characters- Nic/Raven, Zin, Carlos. The relationship between Nic and Zin is what drives this novel. The well written passion between them is what kept me turning pages.

Plot- I’m not a breakdancer. I know nothing about breakdancing, so I was a little lost during all those breakdancing paragraphs. However, it was nice to find a young adult fantasy that uses influences outside the W...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Debbie (at) I Heart YA Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a beautiful love story. I have to say, this is definitely a very different Paranormal than I’ve ever read. Never read a story that involved break dancers. But Van Diepen has created wonderful characters. Raven is a strong, level headed girl. Her brother Josh is addict to meth, which gives her mom and dad a lot of heart ache, and this in return causes stress in her family. Zin, who is a part of the break dance group called the Toprocks (which Raven also dances...more

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May 23, 2009 Candace rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a very fast read, and had an interesting concept. One of the things that bothered me was the breakdancing terminology. I have no idea what an L-kick is! I understand that the only real way to understand these is to witness them, but during the danceoffs, I had no real idea of what was going on. The other thing is that when the characters talk about the process of becoming immortal, they talk about it being scientific, but it's described as chanting which sounds very un-scientific t...more

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Aug 12, 2010 Courtney rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic, stand-alone, young-adult, fiction, 2-stars

I was definitely not very impressed by this book. It was really boring, and by the time I figured out there was definitely nothing special about the book, I was too far into it to just stop reading it. I still wanted to know what was going to happen. So I just barely finished it.
The characters didn't develop at all, I couldn't relate to any of them. They weren't discribed enough. Discription was really low through the whole book. There were many parts I thought should have been elaborated to get...more

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Apr 13, 2010 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

While the aspect and plot of Raven was definitely enjoyable, I didn’t like it nearly as much as I thought I would.

Raven was definitely enthralling. Diepen knows exactly how to draw the reader in and leave them hanging and wanting more. I was constantly curious about the Jiang Shi and their past as well as the eerie characters that seemed to fit right into that world. The story weaves a dark mystery that will keep you on your toes, and despite my overall disinterest in the book, I was pleasantly...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Karin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads, youngadult

Nic is a senior in high school. She lives for hanging out with her friends, dancing with her breaking crew, and spending time with Zin.

Zin is the leader of their dance crew. His moves are amazing and just watching him gives her chills. Nic is deeply in love with Zin and nothing is going to change that.

Dancing allows Nic to escape from her problems. Her family is dysfunctional. Her brother left home and is addicted to Meth. Her parents continue to give him money because they don’t want him living...more

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About Allison van Diepen

Allison van Diepen is the author of six teen novels: Street Pharm, Snitch, Raven, The Oracle of Dating, The Oracle Rebounds, and The Vampire Stalker. Her novels have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and New York City Public Library Books for the Teen Age.

Her new book, TAKEDOWN, is coming out in 2013.

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Books by Allison van Diepen

The Oracle of Dating (The Oracle of Dating, #1)

The Oracle Rebounds (The Oracle of Dating, #2)

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“Ex-girlfriends are like car wrecks. You shouldn't want to know the details, but you do.” — 50 people liked it

“Nothing ever goes back to normal. All that happens is your concept of normal changes.” — 48 people liked it

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