The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater -- Restarting August 20th 2025

[Sophie]

chapter 22
By now I like it. It really took me a long time but I feel like the plot is finally going somewhere. And it's nice seeing them work all together.

[Sophie]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ Finally I am on my laptop and can say spoilers. So, I did not love this book. I liked the plot, though it was a little confusing at times. The characters were ok at the beginning but by the end they kind of grew on me, even Ronan. The whole thing with Noah was a big plot twist, I definitely did not see that coming. Not anything special about the writing either. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
I might continue with the rest of the books in this series at some point. I am curious to see what is going to happen. (hide spoiler)]

[Siobhan]

i think ill join in this weekend

[Meaghan]

Starting now!

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting June 3rd 2017. Happy Reading ☺

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[Morgan]

Mind if I join?

[Natalia]

Chapter 1
(view spoiler)[ okay, so I don't know anything about Gansey yet, and I'm already sad about the thought of him dying... Also I'm curious about why Blue is a non-seer. (hide spoiler)]

[Natalia]

Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[ I'm slightly confused, Blue was supposed to be with (and somehow kill) Gansey, but now Adam is the one interested in her? And where did Gansey's obsession come from? And what their teacher has to do with all of this?! (hide spoiler)]

[Natalia]

Chapter 13
(view spoiler)[ I have a feeling that this guy was Barrington Whelk? But why did Maura get so angry?! What did the cards say?! (hide spoiler)]

[✦ Maica ✦]

Chapter 2
(view spoiler)[ Wow. I am really enjoying this. I picked it up a year ago but stopped reading it for some reason. Now I don't think anybody's going stop me from reading this book. (hide spoiler)]

[Natalia]

Me too! I knew I was going to love this book even before I got to know the actual plot!

[Natalia]

Chapter 28
(view spoiler)[ HOLY MOLY WHAT THE HELL
How is it possible that it's NOAH?! What happened there?! It's just the ley line messing with them just like in the forrest, right?!
It shook me so much that I can't even think of how much I liked the scene of Blue and Gansey talking... (hide spoiler)]

[✦ Maica ✦]

Chapter 8

(view spoiler)[WHY THE FUCK IS ADAM THE ONE INTERESTED IN BLUE? DOES THAT MEAN BLUE IS GOING TO KILL ADAM? SO MANY QUESTIONS (hide spoiler)]

[✦ Maica ✦]

Chapter 17

(view spoiler)[ That scene with Neeve was terrifying.
I got goosebumps while reading it. (hide spoiler)]

[Siobhan]

didnt get to start in may so glad theres another buddy read

[✦ Maica ✦]

siobhan wrote: "didnt get to start in may so glad theres another buddy read"

Happy reading! It's a great book, I'm loving it so far :)

[Natalia]

Chapter 42
(view spoiler)[ NO, Adam. Don't do it don't do it don't do it. Put that gun down, please.
And Neeve stop eating hummus and do something with Whelk.
Oh my God I'm so scared. I want this book to have at least not-so-unhappy ending but it's probably impossible... someone's going to die and please not let this be any of the boys. (hide spoiler)]

[Kerri]

Joining in! Sorry to be late to the buddy read but the copy at my library was missing so I ended up having to interlibrary loan it.

I just finished chapter 17, and I am really intrigued! I don't think that the blurbs I read online about the book really did justice to what the book is about.

(view spoiler)[ I'm really interested to see how the search for Glendower will pan out, and how that particular storyline will stretch out over 3 more books. I also just read the scene where the Raven boys went to Maura's for a reading and now I REALLY want to know what is going on with Ronan. I also kind of love Adam so far. (hide spoiler)]

[Kerri]

Natalia wrote: "Chapter 13
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Oh, I agree, that must have been Whelk! He's kind of turning out to be creepy. That scene left me with a bad feeling, (hide spoiler)]

[✦ Maica ✦]

Chapter 32

(view spoiler)[ I demand a petition to save our baby cinnamon roll Noah from any further pain. He's a sweetheart! I cannot get over the fact that he was killed (hide spoiler)]

[✦ Maica ✦]

Chapter 36

(view spoiler)[ I am also starting another petition for our other cinnamon roll, Adam to never get hurt again. But I am so proud of him for finally reporting his dad to the police! (hide spoiler)]

[✦ Maica ✦]

Natalia wrote: "Chapter 42
NO, Adam. Don't do it don't do it don't do it. Put that gun down, please.
And Neeve stop eating hummus and do something with Whelk.
Oh my God I'm so scared. I want this book to have a..."

I know! I really want to finish this book but everytime I turn a page I'm terrified that something horrible would happen to the boys!

[Morgan]

Ch. 9 (view spoiler)[ I'm really enjoying this so far. I'm really enjoying the cast of characters especially the differing personalities of the Raven Boys. I loved that scene in Nino's where Blue and Gansey had that fight. I can't wait for Blue to find out that the guy she fought with was Gansey. (hide spoiler)]

[Morgan]

Ch. 14 (view spoiler)[ I feel so bad for Adam I hope that his home life somehow gets better. (hide spoiler)]

[Morgan]

Ch. 25 (view spoiler)[ I wonder what Adam saw in the tree and if what Blue saw is actually going to happen? I'm kind of rooting for the Adam/Blue relationship right now so I hope not lol. (hide spoiler)]

[Kerri]

Morgan wrote: "Ch. 25 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Yeah, I also was really rooting for the Blue/Adam relationship. Something about them just seems to fit, and Blue keeps mentioning a pull and connection she feels with him. Also I feel like Adam really needs and deserves something extra good to happen to him! I am also curious (and worried!) about what he saw in the tree. (hide spoiler)]

[Kerri]

Chapter 32

(view spoiler)[ So I was really thrown for a loop with the whole Noah 'thing.' He makes me sad :(. I hope that they figure out a way for him to be able to manifest more like he was before the bones were moved or for him to be able to rest peacefully.

Also Adam: I was expecting a scene like the one where his dad finally did some more serious damage to him and it pushed him to leave home, but still hard to read. Good on Ronan for coming back and defending him. But I think Adam is being too hard on Gansey for all this. I understand his desire for independence and to make 'something' of himself on his own, but we all need help or someone to lean on from time to time. This doesn't make us weak. It makes us stronger through love and friendship. And we can always return the favor. (hide spoiler)]

[Kerri]

Okay, just finished the books and have so many thoughts swirling about.

[Morgan]

Ch. 30 (view spoiler)[ Noah is a ghost and apparently the same Czerny that Whelk kept mentioning! I bet Noah's death has something to do with why Gansey didn't die when he was stung by all of those wasps as a kid. Gosh, I need time to process all of this. (hide spoiler)]

[Morgan]

Finished and I have so many questions. (view spoiler)[What exactly did Adam give up? What happened to Neeve? What did Ronan mean he pulled chainsaw out of his dreams? (hide spoiler)] I'm definitely ready to jump into the next book and get some of them answered.

[Kerri]

Right? It seems like even though a few things resolved, the book mostly left us with more questions. There was so much happening in the last few chapters!

(view spoiler)[ It seems to me that Adam isn't fully controlling himself any more. He sacrificed his free will I believe, though I'm not 100% sure to whom and who would be controlling him then. The magic of the ley line? Spirits of Cabeswater? Very confusing and actually kind of scary to think about considering we have no idea what the motivations or goals of whatever is controlling him are.

I have a feeling that whatever happened to Neeve is going to play a role in one of the next books. She ended up being a little bit crazy, hmm?

Last thought for now: I am so glad that they were able to bury Noah's bones at the church/ley line and bring him back. He seemed to want it so much and it seems right. I kind of love how he interacts with Blue: petting her spiky hair :) (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting August 2nd AND 17th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

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[S.E.]

Starting this after work and Zumba today! Super excited!

[Sarah]

Hi!! I will be starting this tonight more than likely! I've listened to this book before, but I really need a refresher before continuing with the series.

[S.E.]

Sarah wrote: "Hi!! I will be starting this tonight more than likely! I've listened to this book before, but I really need a refresher before continuing with the series."

Never read it, but it's been on my shelf for forever. Also, I'll add you so it's easier to find each other.

[Sarah]

Sorry I got a lot busier than I expected with my internship so I didn't get to start it last night, I'm hoping to start it tonight.

[S.E.]

Just hit end of chapter 6 and I'm not sure if I like it or not. The characters seem interesting, but the writing is very disjointed. Also, some of her descriptions seem a little over the top, like she's trying too hard to make things mysterious.

[Amanda Setasha]

Trust me, it gets a lot better throughout the series. The second book honestly is a huge writing upgrade.

[S.E.]

Finished! The book definitely got better as it went along, but I'll wait until Sarah gives us the all clear before discussing any specifics.

[Sarah]

Sorry I'm running slowly on this. I'm not usually a slow reader, but we've had a lot of family visiting this weekend from out of town. Tonight I should get a lot further. I've only read into the first chapter.

[Sarah]

You don't have to wait for me to discuss details. Just be sure to use the spoiler tag since a lot of people use this thread, each time there is a buddy read of it.

[S.E.]

Ok! (view spoiler)[I really like the twist when everything came together with Whelk. Once you found out about Noah's death, the book moved so much faster. (hide spoiler)]

The writing itself still kind of bugged me. It read like something one of my thirteen-year-old students might write. I know that's harsh and that this is a YA novel, but I've read plenty of YA novels that are still written well. The over-embellished adjectives and jumping scenes practically gave me whiplash a couple of times. That being said, I still really liked the story.

I particularly liked that it took place in my native Virginia. Though Henrietta doesn't exist (except in West Virginia), the author still nailed the woes of a Virginia summer and the beauty of the Appalachians.

Blue is a particular favorite of mine. I loved how she just rolled with everything thrown her way. Her hectic, crazy family was a nice touch too. It was probably one of the most believable parts of the story, psychics aside.

(view spoiler)[Though I liked her and Adam, I was a little confused by their relationship. She knows she's not destined to be with him because Gansey is supposedly her true love. In the visions in the tree she has this connection with him and they clearly have become very close, but in reality there's not even a hint of attraction from her. There are a few hints from Gansey, like the way he reacts to Adam being so close to her, but Blue seems almost annoyed by their destiny and not intrigued by him at all. (hide spoiler)]

[Amanda Setasha]

Honestly (view spoiler)[ Noah being a ghost (hide spoiler)] had to be my absolute favorite part of the book. I wasn't expecting that kind of twist at all.

[S.E.]

Amanda Setasha wrote: "Honestly [spoilers removed] had to be my absolute favorite part of the book. I wasn't expecting that kind of twist at all."

It was actually kind of sweet. (view spoiler)[ I had been wondering why Noah played such a minimal part in their friendship. The other two seemed so present in Gansey's life. When they found out he was a ghost, it made a lot more sense. It also showed them all in a different light. Though he'd been dead for seven years,
they all grieved him like it had been yesterday and their various reactions were refreshing to see. (hide spoiler)]

[Dee Dee]

Getting started on this one soon!!

[[deleted user]]

i'll be starting it soon as well

[Dee Dee]

Prologue - That prediction. My goodness, what a way to start a series.

Ch1 - A very definitive proclamation as well. We are not to be left guessing with this one for sure

[Dee Dee]

ch4- (view spoiler)[Is the suspicion of Ashley's interest warranted..only time will tell (hide spoiler)]

[Dee Dee]

(view spoiler)[So how does Adam truly fit if Gansey is Blue's true love? (hide spoiler)]

[Dee Dee]

Ch13- What does that reading mean????! Gaaah