The Raven Boys

Although The Raven Boys is quite different from Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy and The Scorpio Races, it highlights her amazing characters, exciting suspense, and that intriguing sense that the words could almost be poetry.

Each of the characters in this novel are both utterly deep and (despite the supernatural themes and plot) utterly real. For fans of Stiefvater's other works, this is expected. The bonus of this novel is that we get so many characters and yet can feel invested in all of them. Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronin, & Noah (the most central characters) were especially wonderful because they were neither wholly good nor wholly bad. Each had his/her own idiosyncrasies and failings as well as moments of heroism and compassion. I fell in love with all five!

I'm not generally a fan of the supernatural genre, but this story had me mesmerized and on the edge of my seat. I would have listened straight through if it weren't for those pesky distractions of sleep and work. You can tell that this is the beginning of a series ("The Raven Boys Cycle," according to the audiobook), but it does not end in an annoying cliffhanger.

The prose itself is captivating. I'm not even sure how to describe it, really, except that you can tell that Stiefvater's writing style is influenced by her love of music. I highly recommend reading/listening to any and all of her works.

Note about narration: Will Patton did an excellent job; he really brought the text to life! I wasn't sure if I would like his narration because I expected the narrator to be about the same age as the characters (late teens) and Patton is definitely much older. However, the 3rd person point-of-view and his engaging narration really made it work and, I think, added to the whole experience.

I was expecting a mildly entertaining semi-supernatural thriller. Wow was I off the mark. This book was not only well written, but the story has complex and real characters - even those who aren't "real" - the quest is really very interesting and based upon existing mysteries. The chemistry between all characters is fantastic and lets you become involved with all of them and their friendships. The prose is rich without being bogged down and wordy - you can SEE the situations and almost smell the woods or dusty apartment. I also read Tarot and am always fascinated to read stories involving characters who wear that skin being portrayed with dignity and respect rather than the charlatans and grifters they are often painted as. Yep, really liked this one so much more than I thought I would and was so happy that there are more in the series - I want more of this group and their quest for the King. Will Patton is one of my FAVORITE narrators - he always imparts class and so much honeyed Southern charm to his narration - love to listen! Thumbs Up all around!!

I wasn't quite sure if this was a young adult book or not. I tend to think it is. However, even adults can enjoy this one.
If you like paranormal, ley lines and mystery, you should like this book.
Each major character is fully fleshed out, which gave me a reason to keep listening and rooting for them through out the book.
Will Patton does an excellent job of narrating and bringing the characters to life.

Have fun listening......

WOW. Talk about information overload!! My head is still reeling and trying to capture everything that happened! I will be listening to this book again, and soon.

I was drawn into this immediately and I couldn't let go. Everything, every detail just kept coming and coming. A few times I went back and listened to a few parts when I had to quit listening, just to get my brain caught up again. Blue is such a weird name, I actually wrinkled my nose at it until I got to know her. That is when I felt it fit her. Most of the names of the Characters were so different and unique, which added so much more to their personalities. Of course we can't forget that Blue has "her Raven boys" whose personalities differ from night to day, but are all handsome and attractive in their own ways.

Maggie's writing is amazing. She is a genius when it comes to putting a story together, especially how she plots out each character and makes them so unique and part of the whole picture. She takes the supernatural world and makes it seem so normal, such an every day occurrence that I didn't even seem to notice it really couldn't happen. There are so many twists and turns, mysteries, lies, and shocking truths that unfold. I really enjoyed it. I am excited for the next installment.

Will Patton did a great job with the narration! I love it when famous actors take time to narrate books and Will did an excellent job, especially with the southern accents. I hope he narrates the next book as well!!

Many of my readers already know that I adore Maggie Steifvater’s books. Her stories are unique and her writing is witty yet poetic. The Raven Boys is no exception. I loved it and I think this is one Steifvater’s best books. It’s slow at the beginning but I wouldn’t necessarily change that. It lays some important ground work for the intense ending and the books to come. What I liked most about The Raven Boys was the originality of the story. I’ve never read/listened to anything like this before and that is one of the main reasons I highly recommend it.

I truly do not know how to summarize this story. Any attempt to describe this story does not do it justice. I will do my best with one sentence. There are some psychics, some ghosts, a murderer, a creepy mystical place, and teenagers on a supernatural quest. That’s all I can say.

The Characters

The characters in The Raven Boys are deep and complex. These are not your teenage angsty, love triangle entangled, young adult fiction characters. These guys are different. Blue Sargent is the daughter of a psychic and lives with 3 other psychic women. Blue is not psychic but she has the way of amplifying energy. Gansey is a wealthy teenage boy on a mission to find something supernatural. Joining him on his quest are his 3 friends, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. Ronan is a wealthy boy gone bad. He’s reckless, edgy, and unpredictable. Adam is the poor, nice boy who’s under a lot of pressure. He’s on a scholarship at Anglionby Academy and under extreme pressure from his parents.

Each character feels real and as the reader, you feel for them. Like I said earlier, I’ve never encountered characters like these. I can’t say I loved them or related to them but I was definitely intrigued by them and I want to learn more about them.

The Story

As I said earlier, the story takes a little while to really get going. However, it lays important groundwork for the plot and develops all of the characters. Hang in there, things get really interesting about half way through and you want to stop after that. What pulled me in was the mysterious quest the group embarks on. I had never heard of lay lines or a sleeping ancient king named Glwendower and I was eager to find out more. I also felt Steifvater wrote wonderful side stories involving each of the characters. They added layers to the main plot and overall, made the story so much more substantial.

Conclusion

I loved it. I wish I could say more about The Raven Boys but I fear I would give away too much. The writing is beautiful. he characters are strong and well developed. The story is unlike anything else out there. The only downside to the story is it’s left very open. Something is resolved in this book but many things are not. Obviously they we will learn more in the next book but I really wanted to know more in this book. You can probably guess I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

Local girl with psychic family townies mix with Ravenwood Prep boys to solve a mystery. Set up as first in a trilogy, much data missing to save for future books. Typical stereotypes make this book predictable and boring. You have the misunderstood, yet special girl who meets the ultra-cool and misunderstood rich boy, befriended by the intelligent and yes, misunderstood town boy on scholarship.

I don't care for Will Patton's narration. He sounds 25 years older than character's age and has a creepy tone to his voice.

The redeeming quality of this selection is Maggie Stiefvater's talent in writing. Her descriptions illuminate the characters and surroundings. Book would be better if characters weren't so darned anticipated, certain, and expected. Waiting for someone to break the formula. Anyone, anyone? Bueller?

I would recommend The Raven Boys to most of my friends. I went into it with a preconceived notion that the book would be pretty much Harry Potter rehash. It is not. In fact, from what I can tell about The Raven Boys' characters, I would have to say the only thing that makes the book fall into that genre of Young Adult (YA) fiction is because most of the main characters are in high school. Apart from that, it reads like a really great book on the paranormal that is suitable to old guys like me (43). There's some rough language from time to time, violence, murder, child-abuse, and people literally falling out of their own skin. As an adult, I really loved the book and I can't wait for the next book if there is ever another sequel.OH, and most importantly, the narrator, Will Patton, once again brings his A-game to this recording. He definitely helps give the story a nice sense of depth without sounding forced. I think Will Patton is one of the best Audible narrators and I look forward to whenever he signs on to read another book

His voice sounds natural when reading for characters from the South. He has that downhome sound that sounds like he's just sitting out on his back porch, drinking lemonade and reading the book me personal.

Yes, I wanted to listen all in one sitting, but it is so good, I forced myself to only listen to it while I was driving to or from work. Sort of a treat during a stressful drive on these Los Angeles highways.

More books read by Will Patton for sure. (His performance on Deliverance is a national treasure.) But I can me eager to read book 2 of the Raven Boys.

I have not read the print version, but I did find this book very suitable for the audio environment.

For me, one of the most memorable moments is when they discover that one of their own is a ghost. It was fascinating.

His performance for Blue was a little off-putting. He did a great job with the guys, but whenever he acted Blue's part, I felt pulled out of the story for a moment. It may be due to the timid, wavering voice he assigned to her.

Yes. I had to stop at the end of Part 1 because I finished my drive and had to wait a week before starting Part 2. It was worth it though.

I cannot wait for the next part in the series.

The three words I would use to sum up The Raven Boys would be mysterious, intriguing, and wonderful!

One of my favorite novels is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I loved the complex storyline and well-developed characters in The Historian. Similarly, The Raven Boys storyline gives me so much to think about. I also feel like I know the characters really well, yet I know there is so much more to learn about them! I'm so thankful I will have that opportunity in the books that follow in this series!

Will Patton does an awesome job narrating this story! It is almost impossible to name a favorite character narration. I cannot! I love them all!

This story made me smile and laugh quite a bit. I also wiped tears away. It made me gasp as well. I am looking forward to the revelations in the next books in this series! I've added this title to my list of favorite reads.

Maggie Stiefvater has a gift with turning a phrase. Remembering these phrases gave me so much joy days later when my memory was triggered. Thank you Maggie! It was hard to put this book down and move on to my next book! In fact, I read it and listened to it a couple of times and made delightful discoveries each time! :)

Yes, due to Will Paxton's great narration.

Adam's pressing charges against his abusive father. The other was learning the truth about Noah.

Everything. Paxton is one of my favorite dramatic performers and he nailed this book.

Yes, but I had to force myself to split it into two sessions at work.

While I was somewhat disappointed with the suddenness of the ending, I highly recommend this book.