*REVIEW* The Raven Boys

Synopsis:

“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.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

This book was really, really good. Maggie Stiefvater does it again, creating a world that readers will feel like they're a part of. The Raven Boys is one of those books that completely leaves you wanting more, but that also leaves you strangely satisfied. Even though I'm dying to see what happens next, I'm completely content with what's happened so far and can patiently await the next installment.

The Raven Boys introduces us to Blue, a teenage girl surrounded by family and friends who all have psychic powers. While Blue has the ability to magnify things for the psychically inclined, she herself has no supernatural gifts. Until the night of St. Mark's Eve that is... for the first time in Blue's life, she sees a spirit that night. The spirit of a boy named Gansey. The only thing that Blue is certain of is that Gansey will die sometime in the coming year...

It's not long before Blue meets Gansey in the flesh and though she knows she should stay away from him, she can't help getting sucked into his world. As she joins the gang on their adventure, strange things begin to happen and it seems as if they're all on the right path towards discovery. But not everything they uncover is good and a dangerous adversary is revealed. Will Blue, Gansey and the others discover what they need to before anyone else? Or will someone silence them--forever?

The Raven Boys is one of those books that will completely ensnare readers and the twists and turns are plentiful. And the characters are all so interesting! That's rare in a book but I seriously want to know more about each and every one of them. I have to say that this book contains one of the best supporting casts EVER. Any fan of Stiefvater's writing should definitely plan to check this out. Shoot, any fan of BOOKS should check this out.

Once the book got into the swing of things, the pacing was perfection, the storyline is original and fresh, and adventure and discovery is the main attraction. How rare for a YA book! While I'm sure romance and love will play a larger role in subsequent books, based on the prediction that Blue will be the reason her true love dies, it was completely refreshing to have this book focus more on other things. Kudos to Stiefvater, another FANTASTIC series. Be sure to jump on board when it releases in September. Enjoy! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: September 18, 2012 by Scholastic Press
*Thanks to Around the World Tours for the ARC