The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Released: September 18th, 2012

Pages: 408 (Hardcover)

Cover: 5/5 Stars

Plot: 4/5 Stars

I'm not going to start this review off with a summary. All the summaries I've read simply don't do the story justice, so you can't possibly leave it up to me to come up with one. The Raven Boys is something different and lusciously complex, you just have to read to find out how!

Maggie Stiefvater's books and I have a very complicated relationship. While I don't love them like most people, I admire them. A lot. The Raven Boys was no exception. The writing is beautiful, the plot unique, and the book was overall very graceful.

One things I've always loved about Maggie's books is her graceful, lush writing. While I felt it wasn't as present in The Raven Boys as in The Scorpio Races, it was present nonetheless. She words things in a very great way, completely different than what I would have imagined. It's very elegant. Words are the foundation of the novel, and I for one really love Maggie's. 

If you've read any of her other books, you'll notice how the author always uses a very creative and unique concepts. The Raven Boys featured psychics, supernatural energy lines, trees which speak Latin, and Welsh kings awaiting to awoken in their hollow tombs. Sound familiar? I sure hope not! While it took me a while to see how all the aspects of the book linked with each other, it gave the story an edge. 

A story like this one which jumps back and forth from so many characters has to be a train wreck, right? Actually, no. While I would certainly have liked a deeper look into all the characters, I enjoyed reading how their lives flux and flow with each other, intermingling. 

On terms of characters, I think Maggie did a good as job as she could. They're all versatile and have their own unique qualities. You eventually grow attached to all of them! I especially loved Gansey's determination in finding Glendower and Adam's perpetual dream of gaining freedom for himself. To me, the other characters were a bit pale in comparison to them.

When starting The Raven Boys, I had a lot of questions. After finishing it, I possibly have even more. I for one know that I'll be haunted until the sequel comes out!

Palak