Book Spotlight: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

“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 theShiver 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.
From goodreads.com

Raven Boys takes off from the first pages. Right away, we are pulled into the life of Blue, a girl who’s family is psychic. Everyone but her that is. Every year, her mother and Blue go to the cemetery and write down the names of those who are about to pass. Blue can’t see the people at the cemetery, no does she possess any special powers. Until that night. This year, she goes with her aunt and this year she sees someone for the first time. He’s one of the Raven Boys, and he’s either her one true love or someone she kills. When the Raven Boys walk into her life, everything changes. 

Honestly, I don’t even know where to start! This book is so much, too much. Maggie is fabulous at creating stories that pull you in and take your mind on a journey. Blue is a great character. She’s strong and smart, pushing herself beyond the comfortable to discover what lies beyond. Enter Gansey. I was very interested in how Maggie will introduce Gansey to the readers and let me tell you, it wasn’t what I expected. We see a lot of Gansey and his friends, because Maggie tell their stories along side of Blue’s. I really enjoyed this aspect. 

Oh Raven Boys. You have stolen my heart. Seriously, these guys are great! I love their intensity, I love their different personalities, I love their quirks and dynamics. Maggie did such a great job making them real and complex and lovable (even while you want to strangle them). My only concern is that...no I can’t do it. I can’t be spoilery and can’t go crazy and talk about the romance in this book. I won’t do it. (ugh)

When you read this book, you need to read it. There is so much going on, you don’t want to miss anything. This book, this whole story was not what I expected. This is definitely a set up for the next books and I can’t wait to see where Maggie takes these characters. Honestly, that ending left me quite frustrated because I needed the next book right now! This book comes out September 18th, 2012! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading, 

Valia