The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

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max_melissa
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The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

Post by max_melissa »

I picked up this book because a friend recommended this to me and since I trust her, I immediately ordered it at my local library and set to it. I began with high hopes for this one because of who recommended it to me, and I was very pleased with the way things turned out. This book focused on several characters and plots for each. We have Blue Sargent, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. Each character is faced with his/her own problems which makes for a very complex novel, however they are all intertwined. Blue has to live with a prophecy that she will kill her true love. Gansey is searching for an ancient Welsh King. Ronan and Noah have a few secrets of their own that are revealed later in the book. And Adam must learn to make tough decisions in his life. I fell in love with all the characters. There really is no way for me to choose just one. I especially gravitate towards Adam because of the crap he has to put up with and I wish I could hug him and share ice cream with him. Despite the hard way he lives, is a very understanding and strong guy. He is the best friend that will do anything to help you. Ronan is, in a way, the sarcastic guy who you can't help but love and want to help. Blue is adorable and strong-willed. I would love to sit with her and talk about life. Gansey has a passion for finding that king and that passion makes him a sort of leader in his small group of friends. The characters in this book make it worthwhile. The writing itself is magical and draws the readers' attention. Maybe "draws" isn't the right word but captivate. The author has a talent for weaving words into a story that will have everyone sitting at the edge of their seats.
I did, however, have several problems. Although I loved the story and characters and writing, I had a problem with pacing. The book is considerably long with in-depth character analysis. If anything, I would say that this book focused on characters more than the outside world which meant that it felt as if there was little action. Despite some fights, there was an absence of action. There were moments where all the suspense had me prepare for something to jump out at me but that never happened. It did creep me out, though. There were parts where I wanted to hug my pillow to me or stop reading because it did creep me out and that's good. I like a writer who could use words to scare me, and scared me it did. It wasn't like something jumped out and said "Boo!" but more like the suspense was building and building until I had goosebumps on my arm and was desperate to have SOMETHING really pop out.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys an amazing cast of characters and beautiful writing. Also, if you enjoy a creep factor, pick this one up.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.
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KitKat_Reader
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Post by KitKat_Reader »

I have been a big fan of Maggie Steifvater for a while now, so obviously I picked up the book once it came out. This book was different from most things I had read. The main story was one I hadn't ever really seen before and what made it even better was that it felt like you got multiple books for the price of one as there were a few story lines that all meshed together perfectly. Some of the characters felt a little stereotypical for my liking, but to counteract there were a few character twists that rather changed the characters into something a little bit different. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in a more ghost/magical type of genre.
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Post by ashleyink1809 »

I'm still not 100% sure about the actual story itself, but the characters are so well developed that I don't honestly care very much. Part of me feels like this should be a required text in an advanced fiction writing course purely for it's character development. It blows my mind that a story can be so fantastic with a story line so lacking in meaning and clarity....or maybe I simply don't understand or empathize with the main character's motivation to follow a ridiculous hunch on some random mythological nonsense when there seems to be absolutely nothing at stake. Basically he's created a hobby for himself for no clear reason. Still, I care so much about the characters that the confusion and dissatisfaction I feel over the plot is totally inconsequential. I will definitely be reading the sequel and hoping that the story reveals itself a little better in the next round.
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Gingerbo0ks
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Post by Gingerbo0ks »

Hope no one minds me jumping in on an old post but I didn't want to duplicate.. Has anyone else read this series? I could talk about it all day, it may be marketed as YA but I'm in my mid 20s and this series is going to stick with me forever. I found it much more moving than Maggie Steifvater’s first Shiver trilogy.
It is so much more than it's first book, and the character development is amazing. Anyone else love this series?
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Post by ashley_claire »

I tried reading this book about a year ago and just couldn't get into it. Which is a shame because I had heard such good things about it. I was listening to it on audiobook so maybe that was part of the problem? I've also heard that the series gets better with each book. I've thought about picking up a copy at the library and trying again because maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time that I was listening to it.
Last edited by ashley_claire on 25 Mar 2017, 08:58, edited 1 time in total.
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Gingerbo0ks
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Post by Gingerbo0ks »

I would recommend trying again as the first is a bit slow and maybe easier to follow by reading it rather than listening. The plot develops into something more after the first book. I always say it is more than its first book. I think the author said the series was originally meant to be about Ronan, but it soon became more. I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to pick it up again :-)
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Post by ande-ny »

Seems like a good read! I'm adding this to my shelf now no doubt. I doubt I'll have a problem with the pacing things such as that rarely seem to bother me when I am reading. :wink:
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Gingerbo0ks
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Post by Gingerbo0ks »

ande-ny wrote:Seems like a good read! I'm adding this to my shelf now no doubt. I doubt I'll have a problem with the pacing things such as that rarely seem to bother me when I am reading. :wink:
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, it's a beautiful, quirky series, let us know what you think :D
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Post by CarrieMe »

I feel like I keep hearing people talk about this series lately, and the recommendations on here have convinced me to move it to the top of my list!
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Gingerbo0ks
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Post by Gingerbo0ks »

CarrieMe wrote:I feel like I keep hearing people talk about this series lately, and the recommendations on here have convinced me to move it to the top of my list!
Oooh that's good to hear. I hope you enjoy it, let us know what you think :)
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Post by godreaujea »

I have heard good things about this book, and your comments are making me want to pick it up. Thanks!
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Gingerbo0ks
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Post by Gingerbo0ks »

godreaujea wrote:I have heard good things about this book, and your comments are making me want to pick it up. Thanks!
I'm glad, I adore this series :3
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Post by psychopathycathy »

I was definitely in the minority for this one - I didn't like the book at all. It was slow and the writing was just boring. I've read her Shiver series and that didn't do it for me either, so I guess maybe her style just isn't for me. I slugged my way through this book, but in the end I couldn't give it anything above a one star.
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Post by Gingerbo0ks »

psychopathycathy wrote:I was definitely in the minority for this one - I didn't like the book at all. It was slow and the writing was just boring. I've read her Shiver series and that didn't do it for me either, so I guess maybe her style just isn't for me. I slugged my way through this book, but in the end I couldn't give it anything above a one star.
The first one in the series is definitely a slow starter. I agree with you on Shiver, I wasn't a fan of the writing at all but kept going because the plot intrigued me. I thought the writing for The Raven Boys was much better and improved, I couldn't believe it was by the same author!
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Post by valegrissom »

This series is so amazing! I didn't feel like the first book was slow, but quite a few other people have mentioned that. It's worth noting that it had been a while since I'd read something truly engaging so maybe that was why I liked it so much from the start. I loved this series from start to finish and I think Maggie is amazing!
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