She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own."
My Rating: ★★★★≛
Genre(s): Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural Fantasy
Publication: January 1, 2013 (Scholastic Press)
Synopsis:
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them -- until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her. His name is Gansey, 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 is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher 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 doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
Review:
The Raven Boys is the first book in a series that is ultimately a coming-of-age story about five teenagers searching for purpose and their place in the world. It is a witty, sometimes tragic, and generally trippy exploration of what it means to matter in a world that is both brutal and unforgiving, yet beautiful, and its characters are complex, dynamic, and some of the most thoroughly loveable people I've had the pleasure of reading about. Throw in some psychics, ley lines, Welsh history and mythology, and a magical forest that speaks Latin, and you've got Stiefvater's recipe for the beginning of a truly stunning paranormal fantasy series.
“She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness.”
Set in the fictional, small town of Henrietta, Virginia, the story follows Blue Sargent, a non-psychic amongst a family of psychics, as she becomes entangled with a group of wealthy and troublesome Raven Boys of the locally-notorious Aglionby Academy. Blue is particularly -- albeit reluctantly -- drawn to Gansey, who may or may not be her true love, and who may or may not die within a year according to the longstanding prediction that Blue would one day cause the death of her true love. Together, Blue and her Raven Boys -- Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah -- embark on a quest to find the long-dead Welsh king, Owain Glyndwr, who supposedly sleeps somewhere along one of the various ley lines, or energy lines, that travel across the globe.
“'Fate,' Blue replied, glowering at her mother, 'is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast.'”
Stiefvater has created some truly beautiful and distinct writing. She is somehow able to switch from descriptive and elegant prose to snarky witticisms to vulgar violence (looking at you, Ronan) without a hitch, and it all blends together perfectly. Because of this, The Raven Boys has a unique voice that contains a combination of clandestine humor, sage mysticism, and dark adventure that is unlike anything else I've read in the young adult genre. It very much elevates the book's paranormal vibe, and it also adds some cohesion to a story that is sprawling despite its small-town setting.
“The way Gansey saw it was this: if you had a special knack for finding things, it meant you owed the world to look.”
It shouldn't be possible for all of the characters in this book to be so completely real while also being so ridiculously charming, but somehow, that's the case. Blue is a quirky environmentalist with a stubborn streak who is as fiercely determined to change the world as she is loving of the people in it; Gansey is a wealthy historian-to-be with a guilt streak a mile wide who has a big heart and is dead set on using his privilege for the greater good; Ronan is a violent thug with a tragic past who is intensely loyal and would do anything for those he cares about; Adam is a poor scholarship student with a history of parental abuse who is wildly intelligent and set on forging his own path; and Noah is a meek and quiet wallflower of a boy with a mysterious past who is sweet, selfless, and intent on truly living life. And these are just the main characters -- so many of the side characters are equally as complicated and likeable.
“Blue tried not to look at Gansey's boat shoes; she felt better about him as a person if she pretended he wasn't wearing them.”
This group of varying personalities and backgrounds works so well on the page. Together, they create moments of humor, frustration, and beauty that are all so powerful and so thoroughly entertaining. Blue and her Raven Boys, through their differing upbringings and values, create a compelling lens through which to analyze themes such as socioeconomic disparity, grief, family trauma and abuse, and feelings of otherness, among other things. It is clear that they are meant to serve as more than just a loveable, hilarious, ragtag bunch -- they are also a vehicle for social and emotional commentary, and Stiefvater accomplishes this balance so incredibly well.
“'My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.'”
The Raven Boys is a great start to a totally original paranormal series that is full of compelling characters and thematic depth. It is a bit on the trippy side, and it's not always grounded, but I think that this adds to its charm. The characters, however, are very real and extremely relatable, and their relationships with one another are what make this story thrive. I highly recommend this book, and I think it is an excellent start to an amazingly impactful series with a world and characters that you are likely to never want to leave.
Content Warnings: death, abuse, violence, emotional trauma, mention of suicide, paranormal/supernatural themes
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