Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Paranormal/Fantasy
Release date: September 18th, 2012
Pages: 408 (ARC)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Publisher
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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.

Up until this point, Blue has never had what most people consider to be a normal life.  Raised by a pack of psychics, she finds that magic does exist, but the only gift she has is the energy to make psychic readings stronger.  Every year on St. Mark's Eve, Blue's mother tries to get a glimpse of the people who are meant to die within the next 12 months, but when Blue sees her first spirit, she's told that he is either her true love or that she killed him.

The most that Blue knows about this boy is that his name is Gansey and he's a Raven Boy, meaning that he's a student as an elite private school.  This gives her the impression that he's no good, because the Raven Boys rarely are, but when their paths cross, they both come to find that Blue has much of the information he needs in order to find something he's been searching for.  With that, she becomes drawn into his group of friends and their unique quest.

Blue and her family are rather eccentric, which I loved to read about.  They're exactly how you picture a family of psychics to be.  Gansey was extremely determined throughout the book, almost obsessive about finding what he's been searching for.  Though he comes off as a bit rude at some points, you can see that his heart is good, especially when it comes to caring for his friends.  Ronan was tough, definitely someone you don't want to mess with, but his softer side shows itself when its most needed, and for me, Adam has to be the character that outshines them all.  He's so hardworking and he doesn't quite fit in the way he's supposed to, but that's what makes him special.

The Raven Boys turned out to be so much more than I would have ever expected.  When I first began the story, it seemed like it was going to be more about the relationship between Blue and Gansey, but it took a completely different turn.  What made me fall in love with this book, though, was the writing.  Maggie Stiefvater's way with words is absolutely gorgeous.  It flows perfectly and leaves you aching for more.  This story is nothing short of brilliant, definitely a must read for anyone who loves passionate characters and an insanely gripping storyline.