And since I've already read three out of four in this series, I figured I better get to reviewing!
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), by Maggie Steifvater
Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Steifvater
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Release date: 18th September, 2012
Pages: 454
Blurb: "Even if Blue hadn't been told
her true love would die if she
kissed him, she would stay away
from boys. Especially the ones from
the local private school. Known as
Raven Boys, they only mean trouble.
But this is the year that everything
will change for Blue.
This is the year that she will be drawn
into the strange and sinister world of
the Raven Boys. And the year Blue
will discover that magic does exist.
This is the year she will fall in love."
My Thoughts
Going into reading this for the second time, I knew I wasn't going to fall in love with it. And I was right. But I did enjoy it more than last time.
There were aspects that I enjoyed about this book. The characters for one, the group dynamic, the four individual, yet complete set of boys that were both unique in their own way, but complimented each-other so perfectly, was one of the best parts of the book. And that was unwavering.
But there were certain aspects that I expected to enjoy, and I didn't.
So all in all, it was disappointing to say the least.
Another thing that I liked was that, all the way through the book, the moment that Blue and the group of Raven Boys that she was so hesitant to get to know, they didn't welcome her with eager arms the minute she started to get to know her either. And I liked that. I liked how realistic that was.
Now let's talk about the Raven Boys. These boys consist of Gansey, Noah, Adam, and Ronan. They were this groups of boys that were all primarily one emotion, though they weren't at all stereotyped. In fact, I'd go as far to say that I have never read about a group of characters quite like this one. Just the way they didn't agree about everything, they had their own opinions, and their own unique way of looking at things, in some way, it all seemed to work out. This group of boys were in it deep together, and in the situations where they surprised both themselves and the rest of the group and stuck their neck out for another, it was refreshing to see.
They all shared a common interest too (which you will get to see if you read the book), which also helped.
And then Blue and the Raven Boys met. And that's the start.
As you can see, this book is quite heavily character orientated. And if you've been following this blog for a while, you know that that's something I like in books.
Next, the plot. Not much really happened in this book. Up until the end, when a bunch of moments, that left you realising that you were actually much more invested in the story than you originally thought, (mostly the characters), there was some searching, and some character development. It was enough to keep me occupied, and keep me reading, but I was never fully engaged in the story.
The pacing was kind of slow. Well, not kind of, it was slow. Granted, it did give me the chance to get to know the characters inside out, which was probably the purpose of the slow pacing, but it was largely the reason why I was never fully invested.
The writing wasn't too flowery and poetic, but it wasn't completely nitty and gritty either. The feel of the chapters were polls apart (they switched from Blue, and her physic family, to the Raven Boys, getting up to mischief), but the contrast made the book flow in a way I never thought it would.
The writing was a nice steady medium.
So overall, it was an okay read. I know it gets better from here, which is why I'm saying that I'm glad I read it again, and continued the series. If you are reading this now, and wondering whether to carry on the series, I promise it gets better after.
So that was my review of The Raven Boys, by Maggie Steifvater! I hope you enjoyed it, and even though it wasn't singing it's praises, it was totally honest.
So I will see you all on Monday, when I will be posting my review of The Dream Thieves, the second book in the series!
I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you then!
Byeeee!
-Abi xxxxx
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