The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. New York: Scholastic Press, 2012. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0545424929.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $6.37. Kindle $4.99.

Synopsis:
Blue has always known (thanks to her clairvoyant family members) that she is cursed. Her curse says that her true love will die after she kisses him. So Blue has made it a point to stay away from boys, and from Raven Boys (wealthy private school boys), in particular. Since Raven Boys are arrogant and annoying, this has not been difficult. But Blue meets Gansey and his friends, all Raven Boys, and soon finds herself drawn into their Quest to find a mythological King, said to be buried somewhere near their town. Whoever finds this King is said to receive one wish. Now all of Blue’s plans are spinning out of control as she befriends, and begins to fall for, these Raven Boys.

My Thoughts:
I just discovered The Raven Boys this summer, and I loved it. I think I liked it even more because, based on the book flap description, I didn’t expect to like it. The description says that Blue has known her whole life that she is cursed so that if she kisses her true love, he will die. The description makes this story sound like a love story about Blue not being able to kiss the boy she loves, but it turns out to be much more a story of friendship among these five main characters. As they embark on their quest together, each of the five bonds with each other in different ways, and throughout the series we see the great love they all bear for each other. There are definitely themes of “bro-mance” as well as romance, and I quite liked seeing their loyalty and affection for each member of the group. I like that we are getting to know the characters so well, and there is no insta-love. The quest and world building are great, and the characters are quite unique and lovable. Some of the strongest aspects to this series is that the characters feel realistically drawn, and none are stereotypically “perfect” people. They have their own insecurities and quirks. I’m loving this series.

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Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it? 
The next two books in The Raven Cycle are The Dream Thieves and Blue Lilly, Lilly Blue
Book four, The Raven King, comes out March 29, 2016

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Extras:

• Maggie Stiefvater’s website has extras including music written for/about The Raven Boys, the first chapter, & others.
• Find The Raven Boys at your local library through worldcat.org
• Find other recommendations on goodreads.com

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About the Author:
Learn more about Maggie Stiefvater and her books on her website.

• Find her on her blog
• on Facebook
• and on twitter @mstiefvater

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Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.