Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

by:  Maggie Stiefvater
published by:  Scholastic Press
publish date:  September 18, 2012

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.

Blue Sergeant grew up in a family of clairvoyant women.  All her life they've been telling her that she will cause her true love to die.  Because of this she pretty much stays away from boys.  She especially stays aways from the Aglionby boys, the boys from the fancy prep school.  They are known as the Raven boys because of the ravens on their uniforms.

While Blue isn't a psychic, she has the ability to turn up the volume for other psychics.  She increases the energy around them.  So one of the psychic women is using her to help commune with the dead when Blue actually sees and talks to her first spirit.  The spirit's name is Gansey.  The pyschic tells Blue that the reason she can see him is because he will die within one year, he is her true love or she will kill him.

Gansey is in Henrietta going to Aglionby because of his life's pursuit of ley lines.  He's convinced they run through the town.  Blue gets involved with Gansey and his friend during his search for the ley lines despite all her mother's predictions and warnings.

I ended up really liking The Raven Boys.  I listened to the audiobook.  It was read by Will Patton.  If you don't know the name, you probably know the face from movies and television.  It was extremely well done. 

I have to give props to Maggie Stiefvater for keeping things fresh.  From werewolves to water horses to raven boy, she's definitely covering a lot of territory.  The writing is awesome.   I'm bummed that this is the first book in a series/trilogy/whatever but it's to be expected in YA now.  Hopefully we don't have to wait forever for the next book.