The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys
by Maggie Stiefvater
416 pages
High School+

Blue lives with her mother, plus several other women, all psychics except her.  She has another gift, she amplifies the energy that they read. While she tries to get on with her normal life, she lives under the prophecy she has heard all her life: if she kisses her true love, he will die. Never really interested in guys, it's not that difficult not to kiss her true love.

One year as she is helping with a typical activity- helping one of the psychics on the corpse road.  Each year they go to see who is going to die that year, except Blue never sees anything.  She is just there to share her power.  But this year is different.  This year she sees someone- a boy, a teenager like her, in a raven crested sweater.  When she asks him his name, he tells her Gansey.  Spooked by seeing someone for the first time, she asks the psychic.  She says their are only too possible explanations: either he is your true love, or you kill him.  Unsettled by these choices, Blue is even more unsettle when Gansey makes an appointment with her mother for a psychic reading.

Richard Gansey III is a student at the local private school, but far more interested in studying ley lines and where Glendower, the lost king, is buried.  Along with his friends Adam, Ronan, and Noah, they look for clues, dowse for energy lines, and investigate where this burial site may be.  When the psychics tell him and his friends things too close for comfort, Gansey begins to think he is getting close.  With Blue coming along on adventures, her power starts amplifying his results, getting him further in a month than he had in years.  But one of his companions is more, or less, than he seems.  What will happen as they get closer to finding Glendower?

So, wow...  Such a beautifully written story!  I found myself re-reading sentences for the beauty of the language.  I enjoyed reading this as much for the style as for the story.  Great style, great story!  Loved it!

Many themes and mysteries in this book. Friendship and families are key in this book.  Especially important is the definition of family- who really counts as family?  Along with that

Self exploration and self definition is also huge.  The boys really create their own family, but also are trying to find their own self at the same time.  They each have to discover not only which family they belong to, but how they fit into it, what roles they play, and how dependent they are on each other.  And then Blue comes in and messes it all up!  Once again, Stiefvater has written a book all about relationships and trust.

So, over all, amazing book!  It took me a while to get to it, but I loved it!  Great story, very mysterious and lots to be discovered throughout the story.  The ending seemed a little abrupt (had to make sure I hadn't missed a page) but I just learned there is a sequel!  Woo hoo! That makes me very excited.  Read this, because I bet the sequel will just build off of this.  Stiefvater is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!