Saturday 23 July 2016

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Whispered by Clara Cheng at 3:02 pm
Publication Date: September 19th 2012
Publisher: Scholastic 
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Owned, Paperback, 454 pages

Synopsis:
Even if Blue hadn't been told her true love would die if she kissed him, she would stay away from boys. Especially the ones from the local private school. Known as Raven Boys, they only mean trouble.

But this is the year that everything will change for Blue.

This is the year that she will be drawn into the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys. And the year Blue will discover that magic does exist.

This is the year she will fall in love.

My review: ★★★★☆

"She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness." 

Reading this book required a good lot of patience. This masterpiece was mysterious, so magically mysterious that it had burnt a fair amount of my reading time to slowly devour the descriptive details. It was like a match - the plot constantly intrigued you, and you'd let curiosity to lure you in, hence you stayed and it unfolded layer by layer as you read, but still not enough to be fully grasped and thus hardly got you excited; it was still perplexing when you turned to the last page.

But the book was undoubtedly, beautifully written. The sentences were delicate with omniscient style that it felt like you were not merely reading. In fact, it occasionally sent me chills because it read like someone was narrating the ghostly atmosphere to me, and the scene was vividly depicted on my mind.

All of the characters in this imaginative story were very dynamic and distinctive from each other. Blue was unique and unlike the other heroins we had normally seen, eccentric but strong-minded. And there was a group of tight-knitted Raven boys - Adam, a boy who'd always yearned for more and strived to be better; Ronan, a troubled teenager who hid untold regrets and secrets with constant anger; Noah, who spoke the least and held the thinnest sense of existence but apparently knew more than the others; and also, Gansey, like a pack leader of four with some vulnerably soft spots who restlessly obsessed with the supernatural.

Speaking of which, I adored seeing the desperate side of Gansey. Perhaps it was the whimsical writing style that could speak through the words, I found his need to do something meaningful with life, the fear of oblivion was rather relatable. And oh, his banters with Blue were oftentimes entertaining and hilarious too!

"I guess I make things that need energy stronger. I'm like a walking battery.""You're the table everyone wants at Starbucks," Gansey mused as he began to walk again. Blue blinked. "What?"Over his shoulder, Gansey said, "Next to the wall plug."  

All in all, I was utterly enthralled by the beauty of this book. Despite being confused at times, I loved the way Maggie Stiefvater played with words to allow readers to effortlessly see the beauty in ordinary things.

"In the end, he was nobody to Adam, he was nobody to Ronan. Adam spit his words back at him and Ronan squandered however many second chances he gave him. Gansey was just a guy with a lot of stuff and a hole inside him that chewed away more of his heart every year."

Perfect for this book: 



Are you going to age with grace?
Are you going to age without mistakes?
Are you going to age with grace
or only to wake and hide your face?

When oblivion is calling out your name
You always take it further than I ever can


With love,
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10 lovely confession(s):

CG @ Paper Fury on 24 July 2016 at 14:03 said...

Omg I LOVE and ADORE this book. <3 *hugs it forever* I agree the writing was so perfectly magical and often whimsical....I just....afjdksladj I couldn't get enough! AND ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE MY PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLLS. I loved Gansey, but Ronan is my favourite, and I like Adam's character development as the series go on. And Noah is precious. <33 And Blue is just AMAZING and intense and I want to live in her house. xD BEST SERIES EVER OMG.
Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!

Pearl @ Pearl's Book Journey on 24 July 2016 at 14:25 said...

OhmyGod Clara your page is so beautiful. And that music soothes me <3

Diva Booknerd on 25 July 2016 at 03:41 said...

This is one of those books that I really struggled with and have attempted it several times and haven't been able to finish it. I vow to get through it though because so many readers, including yourself, absolutely love the series. I think you're spot on, you really need a lot of patience and to set aside a few days to read it. Wonderful review Clara, I'll have to try again soon and hopefully I enjoy it as much as you have <3

Nicole @ Blackbeak Books on 25 July 2016 at 04:29 said...

I love love looooove this book so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Clara <3

Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight on 25 July 2016 at 12:10 said...

I totally agree with you! I liked the book, most especially for the writing, even though I was a bit confused in the beginning. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series! Hope you enjoy the rest of the books too, lovey review!

Alexa @ Words Off the Page on 25 July 2016 at 18:22 said...

I'm glad you loved this book! I agree that it wasn't the most engaging an fast paced, but it definitely held my interest very well and I couldn't help but keep reading. The characters are so great and I love them and want to protect them. There are so many quotes from this series and I can't get enough of it! Thanks for stopping by at my blog!

Lola on 26 July 2016 at 00:21 said...

I'm glad you like this series! I sadly did not enjoy this book (I'm not even sure I finished reading it) but that's because the author's writing style really does not appeal to me. Hopefully, you will love the sequels even more! Great review, love :)

Kelly on 26 July 2016 at 01:54 said...

The writing really is quite beautiful! Something I really like ab out Maggie Stiefvater's writing is what an intense sense of place she manages to infuse her stories with. (And the characters, of course. The characters in this book are fantastic!)

Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity on 16 August 2016 at 11:20 said...

I'm really glad you liked this, Clara! It is one of my favourite books ever, and the series stays strong throughout all the books, I can tell you now. The writing is so incredibly detailed, and I really hadn't expected that going in. So I agree that sometimes it's hard to wade through, because you don't want to miss any of the meaning behind the words.

You'll come to love the characters even more as the books go on, because each of them has a larger focus on one of the boys from now on!

I hope you continue to like this series, and lovely review ^.^

Thuong Le on 16 August 2016 at 21:59 said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the Raven Boys! Agreed with everything you said and does require patience. I did find it confusing in some parts because of the unique writing style but its a very compelling story. I still need to read the final book! Which I've been waiting for such a long time but haven't gotten round to it yet (hopefully soon!) Anyway, great review, Clara!
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