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The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)

Maggie Stiefvater

Start date: June 1, 2016

Finish date: June 30, 2016

Discussion: Book/Genre of the Month

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What Members Thought

Sep 22, 2013 Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio

Quick review:

Cover: Very Nice
Rating: PG-13
Thumbs Up: 4.5
Overall: Beautifully written
Characters: Well Written
Plot: Five are drawn to a secret each for different reasons
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Gansey

SUMMARY (55 words or less)
Whenever I read this author I know that the story will be told with rich interesting words visually blossoming in my head by each turn of the page. She is probably THE best in YA at this. I will admit, because of the ending of the ...more

39 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2017 Ashleigh rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic, paranormal, yaf, adventure, friendship, reviewed

I really had no idea what this was about apart from a girl meeting a group of boys from a private school. And WOW it was just so much more & then some.
Not knowing much really helped this story pack a magical-punch.
I can't wait to read more of this series. It is shaping up to be a great adventure. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 23, 2013 J rated it really liked it

Shelves: finished-in-2014

This book. This. Book. I was all prepared to dislike it (because, I'll be honest: I pretty much start every book at this point prepared to dislike it), as I didn't like Shiver by the same author all that much, and I genuinely DID dislike it until the middle of the book. Then it grabbed me. No, it SNATCHED me, like I was a salmon and the book was a wildman crouching over a salmon stream, hunting to survive.

I will definitely be reading the next book in this series. Steifvater nailed it with this o ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2013 Micah rated it liked it

Shelves: eh, it-ll-take-a-while-to-grow-on-me, not-bad-but-decent, surprising-faves, best-ya-gay-male-characters, november-2013-reads

Also Posted at Chaos Reads....Detailed Review below:
http://chaosreads.com/topic/7016-the-...

Have you ever read a Book that you sort of hated but kind of liked at the same time? I am not sure if that makes sense but that is the best way I can adequately describe reading The Raven Boys. The book wasn't bad but....I just....was bored at the same time I was interested.

1. Characters

Blue is more or less the lead character along side Gansey for this book. The book alternates and you get POV from mo ...more

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Feb 21, 2013 B.B. Shepherd rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: yabc-tbr-challenge-2013, yabc-50-states-challenge, reviewed, paranormal

The Raven Boys is definitely one of my favorite books of the past few years. I like books that are both well-written and don't explain too much at the beginning, just dropping information here and there to let you piece things together, and such a book is The Raven Boys.

In fact, the beginning is very vague: Blue Sargent and someone we understand to be her aunt are sitting in a graveyard in the middle of the night, waiting. Waiting for what, exactly, isn't clear, but we're told that every St. Mar
The Raven Boys is definitely one of my favorite books of the past few years. I like books that are both well-written and don't explain too much at the beginning, just dropping information here and there to let you piece things together, and such a book is The Raven Boys.

In fact, the beginning is very vague: Blue Sargent and someone we understand to be her aunt are sitting in a graveyard in the middle of the night, waiting. Waiting for what, exactly, isn't clear, but we're told that every St. Mark's Eve, Blue and her clairvoyant mother wait in the graveyard for the spirits of the soon-to-be-dead to walk by and whisper their names. Blue can't see or hear them but functions as an amplifier. In fact she often acts as amplifier for her mother, aunt, and the other women living in her home. It's this paranormal vagueness, the relationship of the female characters living at 300 Fox Way, and the way the paranormal is no big deal, just a part of everyday life - exciting at times and a headache at others, but rarely causing anxiety or stress - that reminded me of one of my all time favorite books, A Wrinkle In Time. It also reminded me of the movie Practical Magic (which I also love) in the way the characters interact.

Apart from being extremely well-written - Maggie turns some wonderful phrases - it is otherwise unlike anything else I've ever read. And that's always a good thing too.

Blue is initially extremely annoyed by then befriended by four boys, ‘Raven Boys’ from the local prep school, and is roped into their adventures trying to find the final resting place of an ancient Welsh king. The reasons for this search are also very vague, but it seems like a worthy quest, at least from the boys’ point of view, and they are all invested in it. Magic is involved, of course, and the boys soon discover that Blue, with her amplifying power, is very handy to have along. Romance is obviously in the future with a foreboding black cloud already hanging over it in the form of Blue's curse - that she will be the cause of her true love's death. There's a triangular shaped thing already in place too, but that’s to be expected, I suppose, and didn’t detract one bit from the pleasure I got from the story.

I absolutely loved this book. The characterizations were clear and not too clichéd, I loved the boys (especially Noah) and loved the quirky women of Blue’s household too. There were a few parts that were too vague, not well described enough, which made it hard to imagine, but the characters, plot, and strength of writing more than made up for it. I will definitely be reading this book again and am in for the whole series. ...more

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Apr 15, 2016 Carla Simoes rated it it was ok

Shelves: not-own, audiobook, 2017

I had this book in my wishlist for quite some time now and i admit that this one catch my eye mostly because of the cover, but i never buy it because there are so many books i want to buy that this one end up getting delayed.

Last month i start listening audio books during work hours and travel time and i stumble upon this one on audible so i think well let's see if this series is so good as it looks.

In truth i don't think this should be listen on audio, for me the narrator is not a good one, th ...more

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Oct 30, 2014 Lavi rated it liked it · review of another edition

reason for not giving full five. it's first book and left me hanging in the end. in a great way. I mean what was that?!? I need to get the second one started asap Noah! all the feels with that one. ...more

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