Book Review - The Raven Boys

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Raven Cycle (book 1)
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 19 Sept 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1407134611

Synopsis
Blue has spent the majority of her sixteen years being told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue meets Gansey's spirit on the corpse road she knows there is only one reason why - either he is her true love or she has killed him. Determined to find out the truth, Blue becomes involved with the Raven Boys, four boys from the local private school (lead by Gansey) who are on a quest to discover Glendower - a lost ancient Welsh King who is buried somewhere along the Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be granted a supernatural favour. Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey her true love? She can't imagine a time she would feel like that, and she is adamant not to be the reason for his death. Where will fate lead them?

My Review
I actually received an 'uncorrected proof' copy of this from the publishers in exchange for an honest review but I had it longer than expected and now the book is out. *oops*. However I still read that uncorrected proof so if anything I comment on isn't right it means it was changed between then and the finished copy.
I love Stiefvaters writing and when I received this I was really excited, it only took me so long to get to because I've been doing other review books, I actually have been carrying this around with me though, it's the perfect size to fit in my bag, but that also meant I never really took it out, but yesterday I had to take my mum to the supermarket to collect something and I had to wait in the car for her. Being Christmas rush weekend I had a good 15 minutes in that car and I pulled this book out of my bag. I got about 40 pages into it by the time she came back.
I had actually planned to read a different book this weekend, but those 40 pages were enough to hook me in and I found myself spending the rest of the day with this book almost permanantly attached to my hand.
I've been in a little bit of a reading slump lately - I have a mass pile to read and have felt a bit over-whelmed, making it seem a little bit like a chore, but this book picked me right back out of it. I found myself hungry to read again, desperate to cram more pages in, to read as much as possible. And I feel a lot lighter and happier, now my TBR pile looks like a world of possibilities again!
I love books like that, so magic.
Now I've bored you with that intro, onto the actual review.
Blue lives with her mum who is a psychic, they also share their home with a group of other psychics, but Blue does not share their power, however she has a different gift - she enhances the powers of those around her, a sort of amplifier. When she goes to Corpse Road however she sees her first Spirit, a young boy who tells her his name is Gansey. She is then told that the only reason she could have seen him is that she either killed him or he is her true love. Determined to find out who this person is and more importantly make sure he stays alive Blue embarks on a dangerous investigation.

Gansey is a private school boy with loads of money, he lives in an old warehouse with his mates Roran and Noah. He gets good grades at school but he's really interested in investigating Glendower and discovering the Ley Lines of Henrietta (the town they live in) His friends help him on the way, including Adam, a scholarship boy who is the opposite of his friends, he wants to work hard and get good grades, prove himself to be worthy. 
I liked Adam best as he wasn't arrogant or pig-headed, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy, although he has moments of intense stubborness and awkwardness. Gansey comes across at first as self obsessed and a bit high and mighty. I wasn't particularly keen on him, but he does everything he can to help his friends and he actually is a really good guy.
Roran totally freaked me out, he's the psycho gothic kid, the rebel, doesn't say much but has a threatening presence, although I definitely think there is more to him. 
Noah was a bit of a mystery throughout, I liked him but he was very much in the background for the first half of the book, when you find out why it all makes sense, but I had definitely not seen it coming.
The story diverted quite a bit away from Blue and Gansey's destiny, it's still mentioned occasionally and the odd development is mentioned, but the story really diverts to focus more on the ley lines and the discovery of Glendower. I did find moments of uncertainty as to what was happening, but it added to the mystery of the book and I always knew enough to keep me hooked. 
There are so many un-expected twists and turns in this story it will keep you on the edge of your seat. 
I found this story captivating and I can't wait for the second book. Stiefvater truly has a way with words that just grab you, shake you up and refuse to let you go. It's awesome!


My Rating