The Raven Boys

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

"There are only two reasons a nonseer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve," Neeve said. "Either you're his true love... or you killed him."

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them - not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is 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 has it all - family money, good looks, devoted friends - but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, 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 never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the best-selling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we've never been before.

©2012 Maggie Stiefvater (P)2012 Scholastic Audio

Enjoyed this series

This is a really sweet series about teenagers and adventure and magic. I read a lot of YA books, and most make the teenagers either really immature or older than you would expect. This one seemed nicely balanced. It reminded me of when I was in high school and some of the good friendships I had built. It was comforting in a way to read it. This first book in the series was good, but not my favorite. The rest of the series drew me in and I enjoyed the adventure.

I did have to roll my eyes many times throughout this book at the over dramatic descriptions. It either got better throughout the series, or maybe I just got used to it.

I enjoyed the narrator. It was like he was reading a story to us (he was!). This was different from most books I read where it's more like the main character letting us into their thoughts. The writing told different pieces of the story for what was happening for each of the characters, so you got to see things from multiple character's perspectives.

soooooooo goood

this is fantastic, love everything about the book and how it is written and narrated.

A slow start but ends with a bang!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Raven Boys?

The second half of the book is where the book really picks up and (without giving it away) the part where the group discover an interesting secret about one of their close circle is where the book starts to get exciting.

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

Will Patton's performance (apart from a few mispronunciations) was great. I loved the way he interpreted many of the characters but the way he captured the fragility and strength of Adam was lovely. Cala was also great.

A best ever

Melodic Writing! Fab Narration! Great Characters and Story! Fun and full of Magic!
Fits between young adult and beyond.

Just great

This was a great book well developed and thoughtful with good characters and pacing. Will Patton’s narration puts the book over the top for me. Each character is made so distinct that at the beginning of a sentence you already know who is speaking. While not all the plot points are addressed it’s just enough to be satisfying and there’s enough unanswered questions left on the table that I’m interested enough to get going on the next book

A Fantastic Performance

I absolutely adore this book and its followers, and this was a fantastic performance of the book. it was just as if I was reading it on my own, the way that the scenes came to life in my mind's eye.

amazing!!

such detail writing. it's amazing. a great story! I absolutely loved it! the voices do it justice! the emotions are very well portrayed.

so great

the story, the narrators. ...simply wonderful! I'm very excited about the other books in the series and hope the same people were used.

Life changing

I don't know what I expected when I bought this on a whim. I don't know what inspired me. But this book has changed me. It is perfect. Whole. Poetic. Insightful. Heartbreaking. Inspiring.

This is great ... keep going.

I loved this book, but I loved it least of the series. It’s an odd thing to say for something you like, but if you’re on the fence, I’d encourage you to continue. This series is one of my favorite reads in ages. Will Patton also has a range of accents (hallelujah! a narrator that doesn’t do Foghorn Leghorn for every Southerner!) and his emphasis makes jokes I didn’t even notice in the hard copy of the book into things I laughed uproariously at when they came through my headphones.