Goodreads Blurb
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.
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.
OK, so you know my BBFE (Best Bloggy Friend Ever. Or one of them!)? WELL HER BLOGOVERSARY IS HERE!!! And this is a post on her Blogoversary Tour (just wanted to say, THIS WAS TOTES MY IDEA! ;D) But anyways, she wanted to do a joint review. And I could only think about Raven Boys. SO. Raven Boys review. Also, sorry for the long giant post. We did this over Gchat and I just copy/pasted. Also, forgive the craziness. I did edit most of it out though!
Eileen: I hate Maggie Stiefvater's writing style. There! I said it! Don't shoot tomatoes at me
me: :O
Ok I actually LIKE her writing style, it's the slowness that irritates me :P
Eileen: The way she writes is so...distracting
The first half of the book I was like "WHAT IS GOING ON?
"
4:24 PM me: LOL. I was reading two books at once so I have an excuse!
Eileen: And then thought: "WHO'S NOAH? WHAT ARE THESE LEY LINES YOU SPEAK OF? WHO'S NEEVE? WHO'S BLUE?"
me: ...please tell me you're exaggerating O_O
Seriously
Eileen: Okay I'm exaggerating but I didn't know all of that except for Blue
4:25 PM me: Lol I had experience with ley lines before so THANK GOD I wasn't confused
Eileen: Well...I never did
me: :P
Anyways
Eileen: So I would have liked a little more develepmont
However you spell that
me: Hmmm true.
Also, am I the only one who thinks the romance is messed up?
Also, am I the only one who thinks the romance is messed up?
O_o
I mean, it was SWEET
but...
4:26 PM Eileen: Wait
THERE WAS ROMANCE?
me: YES
Eileen: ?!?!?!??!
EVEN MORE CONFUSED
me: LOLOL. ADAM
HELLO
WAVES WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU WERE READING
Eileen: Oh him!
He went insane in the end
Just sayin'
me: ...shhhhh.
It was messed up
4:27 PM the sypnosis makes you think that she'll fall for Gansey right?
But then poof hi Adam
Eileen: Yep
me: I was...more than shocked. I WANTED SOME GOOD (smexy) ROMANCE. Sigh
Eileen: I totally think it's going to happen next book
And THEN SHE'LL KILL HIM
me: It probably will
4:28 PM and O_O
Eileen: Well
me: I hope not
Gansey's the only sane one
Eileen: Either he's her true love or the guy she's going to kill
Probably both
me: Maybe....but isn't it one and the same?
After all, she'll kill her true love right?
4:30 PM Eileen: SEE?
I'm totally right
BOOM
me: ...BUT
remember what he said in the vision?
;D
ANYWAYS
Characters
They were...
weird
Eileen: I KNOW!
4:31 PM me: i mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVED THEM. But they were...
4:32 PM Just...weird
Eileen: I mean
Seriously
THey were so....awkwardly awkward
me: LOL. Nice way of phrasing that. XD
BUT
They were awesome
ADMIT IT
How many YA characters believe in MAGIC
NOT many
It was definitely fresh
ADMIT IT
4:33 PM ADMIIIITTT ITTTT
Eileen: Okay
Number one
They will believe in magic if they ARE magic
Hello, Iron Fey!
Second,
They will believe in magic if they're friends with magical people
me: ...SHUSH. I'M TALKING ABOUT HUMANS HERE
And not really
O_o
Eileen: Hello...Unraveling!
me: A lot of times, their friend won't say anything
Eileen: Janelle's normal
me: ALSO
Eileen: And Ben's some kind of freaking alien
4:34 PM THIS WORKS
me: Let me REPHRASE THAT
SADFCBNASLJDBVLAKJBDF
Let's change it into
HOW MANY YA CHARACTERS DISCOVER MAGIC BY THEMSELVES WITHOUT HESITATION TO BELIEVE
Eileen: shush up I'm having a moment here
me: HA
Eileen: Okay
First of all
Blue's in a family MAGIC business
Secondly
me: AND GANSEY
HUH
HUH
HUH
4:35 PM HUH
HUH
Eileen: Gansey had some traumatic childhood experience
me: STILL
Eileen: That made him believe in magic
me: HE FIGURED IT OUT
HIMSELF
4:36 PM HAHAHAHA
HA
AND HA
Eileen: But the traumatic childhood experience!
It totally happened
That was the only part of the book I DID get
4:37 PM me: :P
Whatevs
Just admit that they're some awesome, weird, characters
And we can move on
:P
4:38 PM Eileen: Okay
Wai
Get rid of the "awesome"
So weird characters
AGREED!
Moving on
me: OH MY--NO. They were complex characters. BETTER
you are killing me
4:39 PM Eileen: I hope you understand I'm not budgin
g
Okay
For characters, you give them a 4, I give them a 2
Agreed?
me: Complex, weird characters. BETTER
Eileen: So we can compromise on a 3
me: I give them a 3.5. But yeah
COMPLEX WEIRD CHARACTERS. ADMIT IT
Eileen: >.<
Fine
4:40 PM me: THANK YOU
Win
Eileen: They were complex, but didn't like their complexity
me: Well I did. :P Opinions
me: ANYWAYS
Eileen: What did you think about the setting?
me: I actually liked it!
4:42 PM O_o
Don't tell me you didn't
Eileen: ...where was the setting again?
me: LOLOL
The town
Ley Lines
That forest
Eileen: but like what town?
me: ...
4:43 PM Eileen: HA! I got you on that one too!
me: SHUT
UP
PLEASE
But lol
I LOVED the forest's image!
I mean, that fish part
had me squealing
Eileen: The trees creeped me out
me: Just cuz I liked magic
also O_O
HOW
Eileen: And I have no idea what you're talking about the fish O_O
And the trees were like talking to Ronan (RONAN!!!!!!!) in Latin
me: ...you're very forgetful
4:44 PM Eileen: That was so random!
me:And made sense
Latin IS the oldest laguage
Eileen: And I only forget books that were bad to me O_O
But I don't know that!
me: ....
ANYWAYS
4:45 PM What did you think of the setting
Seriously
4:46 PM Eileen: It was meh to me
Nothing special
me: You haven't answered your own question
WELL
I TEND TO DISAGREE
4:47 PM Eileen: Well to ME, the setting was MEH
me: I give it 3 stars
No. 4
:D
Eileen: Well I give it a 1
me: O_O
Eileen: Since I had no idea what it was about
me: NO
Eileen: I mean
Seriously
me: Just No
Eileen: I think it was set in Virginia
But who knows?
me: It was AMAZING
Eileen: I had no idea what was going on!
me: ...WELL
ANYWAYs
4:48 PM BEFORE IS STRANGLE YOU
Romance
we still need to rate
I give it a 1
Eileen: Well if Blue ended up with Ronan I would've bumped it to 2
me: She kind of dated Adam even though Gansey was supposed to be her true love?
Just weird. and Dude. That's only cuz of the name isn't it
Eileen: Just because an AMAZING Taylor Swift song called RONAN was released for Stand Up for Cancer and was EMOTIONAL AND AMAZING
4:49 PM So yep
me: RONAN IS SO NOT EMOTIONAL AND AMAZING
I'm talking book now
Eileen: Well the song was
And the association was enough for me :P
me: ...romance rating?
Eileen: Okay
Well, Adam was a nutjob
Ronan was a nutjob
me: HE WAS NOT. He just got pushed over the edge
Hmph
Eileen: Gansey was an organized notjub
me: Ronan defintiely was
and NO. HE WAS NOT
4:50 PM Eileen: nutjob
me: Although I would've loved it so much more if BLUE ACTUALLY FELL IN LOVE
WITH GANSEY
Eileen: I mean, hello? Misleading synopsis always makes me go strangle
4:51 PM me:And I KNOW
It's almost as bad as covers
Ugh
so romance-2
Eileen: I give the romance a .35
me: O_O
dude
Eileen: I didn't believe the Adam and Blue romance
At all
me: That's seriously low
and I KNOW
SO TRUE
4:52 PM Eileen: So then I was like "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YOU DON'T EVEN FALL IN LOVE WITH THE RIGHT PERSON AND I CAN'T EVEN FEEL THE EMOTION BETWEEN THE WRONG ROMANCE? COM ON STIEFVATER!"
*COME
me: scared
Eileen: But I was kidding before I actually give it a 1.35 :P
4:53 PM me: LOL. that was a typo wasn't it XD
Eileen: Yeah
me: ANYWAYS. World-building. LOVED
Eileen: HOLD THE PHONE
me: O_O
Eileen: There was world-building
world building
me: ...YES
THERE WAS
LEY LINES
MAGIC
Eileen: WORLD BUILDING?!?!?!?!
4:54 PM me: You weren't paying attention
WERE YOU
Eileen:
Maybe I was
Maybe I wasn't
me: YOU WERENT
Eileen: I concede
I was not paying attention because let me tell you, I was too busy trying to figure out who the heck Noah and Neeve were
Maggie needs to write a middle grade novel
me: O_O You weren't paying attention to that either. _
ANYWAYS
Eileen: She really does
me: WHAT DO YOU GIVE THE WORLD-BUILDING
4:56 PM Eileen: I actually give it a 3
Since I did get to see some of it
me: WOOT. I give a 4
Eileen: And I liked what I saw
me: :D
Eileen: BUT
me: THERE SHOULD NOT BE A BUT
Eileen: Maggie needs to pull up her juices and write an MG novel
Seriosuly
Somebody go and get her to do that
me: ...
MOVING ON
Eileen: The world-building and the way she writes would pair so well with an MG
Seriously!
me: OVERALL WHAT DO YOU THINK
OVERALL
Eileen: I gave it a 2 overall
4:57 PM me: 3.5--->3
Eileen: Good worldbuilding, but I'm sorry sweetie, everything else just wentflying flying flying BOOM
me: NO BOOM
Eileen: There was so a boom
me: But I admit, the romance was NOT GOOD
No
there wasn't
The characters were GOOD
Glares
4:58 PM THE WORLD BUILDING WAS WONDERFUL
Eileen: Maybe they were
me: But the plot was...
not good
Eileen: But I had no idea since I was tryikng to figure out who half of the characters WERE
me: too slow
Eileen: And yeah
Plot definitely went BOOM
me: YES
I AGREE
It was more like, like ya said, Exposition
Eileen: And then the worldbuilding was like "Let's get this little plane up the ground"
4:59 PM me: YES. It was like, the only good part
:P
Eileen: See?
We're on the same page!me: :P
LOL
So hmmm...3 star total?
Your opinion mixed with mine?
Eileen: Well
ACtuALLY
Since I gave it a 2
7:00 PM me: AND I GAVE IT A 3.5---> 4
Eileen: O_O
me: THATS
RIGHT
Eileen: YOU SO GAVE IT A 3-->3.5
me: 3
I DID NOT
Eileen: 3.5--->3
me: 3 average
Eileen: THAT IS WHAT YOU SAID
me: YES I DID
3Eileen: BUT BUT BUT BUT
Wow O__O I can see this was a very heated debate.. CALM DOWN, KIDS.. *thinking* Should I call for mental support?
ReplyDelete~Ariella @ Secrets of Lost Words
Say...... What? I am so confused. I couldn't keep up with you two. I totally understand the best blogging buddies (or one of them) thing. Y'all think alike. All kinds of crazy. In a good way! Easy there, totally in a good way. I haven't read The Raven Boys yet, but a copy is on the way to my house. Maybe I should come back and read this debate again after I read the book? Yeah, good idea!
ReplyDeleteI have had this book staring at me since June! How do they/the momma see the soon to be dead? Is it the souls she sees? I'm confused. Should I read it? Please advise!
ReplyDelete