Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys
Raven Cycle #1
Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic, Inc., September 2012
ISBN 978-0-545-42492-9
Hardcover

5 Reasons to Read The Raven Boys……..Right Now.

1. The Supernatural Element: I adore all things supernatural, and to have the opportunity to read about something I’ve never heard of, well that is the icing on the cake, and probably the top reason that I admire all of Ms. Stiefvater‘s works. No exception here. Ley lines, psychics, a potential witch…….oh, my!

2. The characters: so quirky and interesting, I couldn’t help developing feelings for them. Some of them I admire, while others seem……sneaky, with hidden agendas. I got to “know” them, but it is very clear that there are plenty of secrets still lurking. Even the adorable characters have real-life flaws: some of which are charming, some….not so much. I say this as a good thing. I don’t want to read about boring, perfect people.

3. The relationships among the teenagers: Ms. Stiefvater truly captures the essence of teen-age friendships in that: they don’t always get along, they don’t always make the best decisions, but best of all, they tend to be amazingly accepting of someone, despite knowing nothing ‘about’ him (last name, family, classes). Ms. Stiefvater goes on to encapsulate the bonds that form at this age: comfort levels that aren’t obviously explicable; fighting one minute, jumping to defend the next; trust and loyalty; and discovering “brothers”, in spite of completely different backgrounds.

4. The relationships among the adults: While Blue Sargent’s household is anything but typical, it is indeed a family in every sense of the word. As one would expect in a house filled with women, there is sniping, but the admiration and support are very clear. I love the way the womens’
relationship with the “kids” evolves.

5. Genre: I appreciate Ms. Stiefvater‘s presentation of “Young Adult” material. Vocabulary is extensive, cursing is completely unnecessary, and real-life friendships and relationships are present. This is a book that, as a not-so-young-adult, I can thoroughly enjoy, as much as anything written by Nora Roberts or Dean Koontz; but the perk is, I can also share this with my 13 year old niece.

Reviewed by jv poore, September 2012.