Thursday 4 April 2013

My review of The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 18, 2012
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The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1)“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.


Oh dear, where do I start? The Raven Boys was a drag. I think that's the only way I can this describe it. At first, when I read the blurb a few months ago, I was extremely excited. It sounded unique, romantic and seemed to display a wide range of new characters to meet. But, no. No, no, no. 
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The writing style was simply too complicated to read over once. I had to keep going back to it to find the hidden meaning or to mull over the complexity of it. Let's not even get started on all the useless descriptions that kept appearing in the middle of an interesting conversation. 

The book actually started off really well. The prologue was gripping and I thought, "YES! I am definitely going to love this!" Sadly, after the fourth chapter, Maggie was losing me. She was losing me to boredom. She was losing me to confusion. She was losing me entirely and completely. I didn't understand what the hell was going on. This was from the fact that the writing was too confusing and too many characters that were not properly explained.

As for the romance, I felt let down. I was expecting forbidden romance because of the whole, "If I kiss you, you will die" thing, but there wasn't. Just a load of nothing. Okay, so there might have been a few cute scenes, but not hot, sexy kissing scenes that I wanted from Blue and Gansey. *Shame*

I really want to tell you guys more about the story and the plot... but I didn't understand it. It feels like I haven't written a proper review because I haven't actually told you the ins and outs of the plot like I normally would, but you see, the plot was confusing and it went something like: the Raven boys are looking for something; Blue is going to help them; she likes Adam; she should stay away from Gansey; one of the boys is keeping something a secret. *Dun, dun, dun!* See? It doesn't make any sense. 

Despite all my complaining, I did enjoy Adam, one of the Raven Boys. He is not rich like Gansey and his other friends. He tries to do his best in life and put on a front so nobody can see his past or anything too deep inside him. Yeah, he was awesome. As for the other Raven boys, well just imagine them with a lot of money, fancy clothes and a dark secret that apparently everyone wants to know.

I've seen plenty of bloggers and reviewers rating this book extremely highly so maybe it's just me and you might actually enjoy it? 
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When the sequel is out I'll probably give it a quick flick through to see if Maggie has toned down the complicated writing style and made the characters more likable. I think I'll go back and ATTEMPT to read The Raven Boys again just to see if I understand it. I would recommend this book to those who like complicated and descriptive novels.
Rating

14 comments:

  1. This is on my tbr pile but I've been reluctant to read it since I wasn't a huge fan of her Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Its too bad that you didn't like this one much but you did a great review!
    -Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

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    1. Thank you. I think you should try out a few pages to see if you like where the story's going but before you dive into it.

      The ending the Wolves of Mercy Falls sucked! D: I don't blame you for being reluctant to pick up another one of Maggie's books!

      When you do come round to reading this, let me know what you think. :D

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  2. Her writing style is very difficult to follow. I also had to re-read passages. but I did like Adam and Noah. They are .Thanks for the review worth sticking with the series for.

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  3. It's not just you. This book wasn't for me as well.

    - Ellie at The Selkie Reads Stories

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  5. I am wanting this book because of the high ratings it got from reviewers although there are a few who did not like it. It still seems pretty interesting why some liked it that much and some did not care for it. I will check this out. :)
    Thanks for sharing your review!

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  6. I haven't read it yet but have it on my to-read list. I worry it won't be for me either after watching the trailer and reading some reviews. Thanks for your thoughts!

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  7. Great review! And the gifs are super awesome too!

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  8. Nice review. I like how you use gifs. I tend to use gifs when I (rarely) review a book because I can't find the right words to express my emotions towards what I've read =) I haven't read The Raven Boys but do own a copy. I did read the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and though I'm not a fangirl of it, I did like it. After reading your review I'm more hesitant in reading it if it's going to have me confused. And no hot sexy kissing scenes? C'mon! That's what I'm looking for when I read a book! =D

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  9. Hmm that's disappointing....the concept looks really great and I've been meaning to read it but not now after your review.

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  10. So stinkin disappointing! I have been looking forward to this book for such a long time, but I haven't read a ton of reviews for it. Your review makes me very nervous. I love this author. I really hope that my experience is better than yours, but I can't stand the boredom!

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  11. I know you've all heard me rave about Maggie Stiefvater. She is an amazing author, and while I'm not always 100% satisfied with all her books, I AM enthralled with them. Maggie's voice is so strong, so poetic and magical. The Raven Boys was no different. She has this soft way of telling a story, and I will gladly read everything she writes.

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  12. wow! 1 star? I've heard such good things about this book, it's been one of the more popular YAs... will definitely give it a try though, maybe ill like it.

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  13. Believe me its not just you. I found it difficult as well... which is sad 'cause i adore her other books

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