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The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)

Maggie Stiefvater

Start date: November 1, 2015

Finish date: December 1, 2015

Discussion: THE RAVEN BOYS

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THE RAVEN BOYS

THE RAVEN BOYS (SPOILERS)
By April (Aprili… · 5 posts · 65 views

last updated Nov 29, 2015 08:38PM

THE RAVEN BOYS (NO SPOILERS)
By April (Aprili… · 1 post · 30 views

last updated Oct 31, 2015 03:05PM

What Members Thought

Nov 02, 2014 Abigail rated it it was amazing

5 stars.

This is my second time reading this book and I just can't describe how much I love these characters. I wish I could put into words how much my heart fills with joy reading these characters. If you're looking at the plot and thinking "I don't know if I would like this", the plot doesn't do justice to the characters.

The characters are the heart, soul, and every vital organ of this story. The plot is like the pinkie toe on your left foot, yeah you need it but your heart is way more im

...more

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Aug 10, 2015 The Audiobookworm rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, favorites

Series Review

Individual ratings:
The Raven Boys: 4 ★
The Dream Thieves: 4 ★
Blue Lily, Lily Blue: 4.5 ★

Recommended for lovers of: Southern Gothic, Paranormal, Mysticism, Psychics, Welsh Mythology

Suggested age group: 14+

{I’m doing a compiled review for this series because I completed it before becoming a full-time reviewer.}

I initially gave each of these installments four stars when I read them last August (2015). Looking back, I can remember why I gave The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves those Series Review

Individual ratings:
The Raven Boys: 4 ★
The Dream Thieves: 4 ★
Blue Lily, Lily Blue: 4.5 ★

Recommended for lovers of: Southern Gothic, Paranormal, Mysticism, Psychics, Welsh Mythology

Suggested age group: 14+

{I’m doing a compiled review for this series because I completed it before becoming a full-time reviewer.}

I initially gave each of these installments four stars when I read them last August (2015). Looking back, I can remember why I gave The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves those ratings, but I can't recall anything significant enough to detract a whole star from Blue Lily, Lily Blue. The first installment starts off a little slowly, but only to build the incredible setting. This is difficult to appreciate as a first-time listener (or reader) because the setting and context for this story are so unlike what is traditionally seen in the YA genre. The Dream Thieves changes perspective just a bit and focuses more on Ronan, which I'm sure delights his multitude of fans, but Ronan was never my favorite. Overall, the second installment interested me slightly less than the first, but was still extremely enjoyable. The third (but not final!) installment was much more action-oriented and where the story really seemed to pick up momentum. I've decided to bump it to 4.5 stars because this really is one of my favorite series. Over time, the appeal of this series has greatly increased in my mind. This series is like molasses. It's thick and slow and smooth and rich and completely worth the wait. It's the good kind of slow. The kind that builds up over time and has more of an impact on you after already consumed. It's the kind of slow that seeps into your soul and sticks to your ribs. The kind you can't shake. The vivid imagery of the setting Stiefvater created has withstood the test of time and remains almost just as vivid in my mind today as it was in August. Her writing is so uniquely impassioned that I just can't help but *Blanche Deveraux swoon*. I'm looking forward to the fourth installment almost as much as I'm looking forward to The Winds of Winter, which is to say one hell of a lot.

Narration review: The other point that really stands out to me is the narration. Kudos to M. Stiefvater (or whoever is responsible) for choosing Will Patton to narrate The Raven Cycle. Whenever I think about this series, I still hear his voice in my head. The writing and the narration are so perfectly paired that it was hard to separate them for review. I don't think either one would be quite as powerful without the other. Based on voice narration alone, this is quite possibly my favorite narrated series. Patton's voice is so soothing, with a sleepy Southern drawl that fits the setting perfectly, without being overly twangy or playing up to stereotypes. Either this guy is really a Southerner or he is just a fantastic actor. He somehow manages to capture the essence of each of the characters individually, while maintaining the same overall reverent, but eerie tone that the story evokes. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't include the musical additions to the audiobook. If I remember correctly, the author herself composed, arranged, and performed all of the original music for this series, which did so much to set the "feel" of the story and imprint it in my soul. I cannot begin to tell you how much the voice narration and the original music enhanced my audiobook experience with this series. I can count on one hand the number of series that are so improved upon by voice narration that they are actually better than their physical forms. This is in the top three. ♣︎

Overall series rating: 4.25 ★ ...more

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Nov 21, 2014 Sheyla Franco rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Mue buen libro y una excelente historia. No había leído algo parecido a esto y la verdad es que aunque al inicio fue un libro bastante confuso, me termino gustado mucho.
Los personajes son el fuerte de esta autora. En el otro libro que he leído de ella, los personajes fueron los que mas me llamaron la atención. Estos chicos y Blue no son la excepción. Maggie tiene una pluma exquisita cuando escribe personajes, te hace sentir por ellos y te hace quererlos a todos. Creo que Noah es la cosa mas her ...more

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Jun 05, 2017 Brenda Suarez rated it really liked it

Shelves: lecturas-del-2017

Comencé esta lectura sin ninguna idea sobre lo que iba la historia y he de admitir que mediante avanzaba las páginas más me encantaba. Hace mucho tiempo que no me enganchaba tanto con una trama y fue muy agradable volver a tener la necesidad insaciable de querer devorar un libro.

La historia tiene mucho potencial y creo que la autora logro crear unos muy buenos cimientos y que espero verlos más desarrollados en los siguientes libros.

Por otra parte, me encantó la personalidad de cada personaje y ...more

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Feb 06, 2015 Zaria rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites

4.5 stars
This was surprisingly a great read,I really did not not expect this and for some reason Ronan was my favorite character.

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2015 -A rated it it was amazing

OMFG THIS BOOK!!!! I LOVED IT!!! IT HAS SO MUCH MYSTERY AND THAT ENDING!!!!! THE PLOT IS SO COOL, I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!! AND GANSEY. GANSEY!!! HE AND BLUE ARE OTP. SO ARE ADAM AND RONAN. I CANT WAIT TO READ THE SECOND BOOKNAND THE THIRD AND THE FOURTH MAYBE (cause I heard the athor said something bad happens) THIS WAS THE BEST FIRST READING OF YEAR ...more

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Jul 19, 2015 Brenda Lane rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-in-2015, waste-of-time

DNF at 80% I won't even try to finish the next 100 pages cause I just don't care about the characters or their quest and I really tried to finish it and to like it but the characters are so bland and I was just bored out of my mind. ...more

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Jan 18, 2016 Jessica rated it really liked it

Well this was a really weird ride. I really enjoyed it though and the characters stole my heart. This was a great first book can't wait to finish the other books. #readraven ...more

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