#165 Book Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys
Release Date: September 2012
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy:  Fishpond | Booktopia | Dymocks
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

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 bestselling and acclaimed author of theShiver 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.

Cover:
If you look closer or have the book on your hands, you can see the details of the raven's picture on the cover. The paint strokes are clearly visible, particularly in the raven's wings and the touch of red in the raven's body embodies the feeling of the book, including the symbol behind the title of the book.

Story:

If Blue was to kiss her true love, he would die...

This prediction seems vague and obscure. How do you know when someone is your true love? How exactly would he die? Would a peck on the cheek, a kiss on the back of his palm kill him? Blue lives through her life thinking about these questions. In Maggie Stiefvater's newest novel, The Raven Boys, clairvoyance, psychics and magic are blended to create a new mystical and spellbinding world.

I expected nothing less from Maggie in her newest book. After reading her previous works, I dreamt to be back and drown myself in Maggie's writing. It is not often that I get lost in Maggie's lyrical and gorgeous prose and time seems hardly the matter when reading her works. This is what happened to me in The Raven Boys. This book I believe is different to Maggie's other works. It's refreshing, written in a chilling, haunting yet beautiful way. The prologue completely captured me and there I am, sitting with the raven boys and Blue, trying to find a Welsh king and believing in psychics. The world Maggie has created here is fascinating. What may seem like an average story carries a tone of depth that resonates throughout the story. Maggie redefines the concept of death and afterlife, legends and also explores the way life is lived through her different characters. The Raven Boys is written from third person point of view, and Maggie's writing is like a story-telling, beautiful and lyrical. However, while I have no doubts of Maggie's writing, finishing this book left me discontent. It feels like only small things are introduced in this book and the major questions I have been pondering about are not yet answered. But then, I have to remind myself that this is only just the beginning to a magical new series. 

Characters:
While I am not a huge fan of books with more than 2 or 3 main characters, I bonded with each and every raven boys and of course, the lovely Blue. Seeing Blue's life and reading about her worries of killing her true love makes me feel sad for Blue. I like how she is kind, heart-warming and loving, particularly towards the raven boys. At the beginning, I only wanted to know about Blue and Gansey. But when Maggie introduces the other raven boys; Adam, Ronan and Noah, I want to know their lives and how they become friends with Gansey. Each raven boys are so different but also have things in common. However, the characters I think particularly stand out in this book are Blue and Gansey. I love everything about Gansey. From the way he wears his glasses, to the way he gets excited when discovering new clues to help him find the Welsh king. Gansey may seem like the typical rich private school student but there is depth to his character. He is looking for something to prove that there is something more in life than what he is living now. It's something extraordinary but not impossible. His relationship with Blue is a little complex. Their first meeting is strange and ethereal but their relationship itself are not quite developed yet throughout the book. The relationship I truly adored is actually the 'brotherhood' or bond between Gansey and the other raven boys. It's interesting to discover how they have different stories but came united for a sole reason. Without Adam, Ronan and Noah, there are no raven boys. They make the book whole and complete. Maggie's characters are always heart-felt, it feels as though each characters are alive after given a 'breath' of Maggie's beautiful writing. 

Conclusion:
In Maggie's newest book, The Raven Boys, clairvoyance, magic, psychics and forgotten legends are an essence of the gorgeous story. Maggie redefines the concept of death, afterlife and explores the meaning of love and also life. Meeting the raven boys and reading Blue's story is an unforgettable experience. I want to be a part of the team and set on adventures to find the 'extraordinary'. In this beautifully haunting first book of a new series, The Raven Boys took me into a new fascinating world I never imagined before. 

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for The Raven Boys!

Thank you Scholastic Australia for the review copy!

Check out the book trailer below!

#25 Book Review: The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 404
Published: October 18th 2011
Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Summary from Goodreads:
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.


My review:

Cover: I adore the cover. It's so simple yet reflects the whole story. The font for the title of the book is also very nice! The colour of the background (brown) gives a beautiful contrast to the fonts and the picture.

5 Forget-me-not flowers for the cover!

Story: I don't think I can write many for this review. The problem is, it's too beautiful it makes my heart ache. Beautiful in what? I guess beautiful in writing and everything. Everything about this book is just beautiful. I won't even bother summarizing the story of this book because the summary from Goodreads pretty much sums it all and you'll just have to read it to find out the details!

The moment I began the first chapter, I'm already stuck and glued to this book. I can't let it go. I want to stop, but I just can't. This fantasy world Stiefvater created through this book amazes me. I love horses. I had the experience riding one, but a water horse? A dangerous horse that can kill you? Well I don't know what that one's like! Stiefvater introduces you to the beauty of Capall Uisce (Pronounced CAPple ISHka) which is also terrifying at the same time. These water horses have won me from the first page. I adore these horses, and the way Stiefvater describes them, it makes them feel so alive that they're almost like humans. The details of how the characters took care of their horses makes me able to imagine that I'm now riding a horse, taking care of it as I read the book. The races with this horse and the storyplot is such a rare beauty. It is not surprising for me, since I've read Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series and Lament which of course contains Stiefvater's beautiful writing. Not only does the storyplot contains these beautiful water horses, there are also stories of the lives of the different characters in this book. As I read this book, my heart twinges a lot and it aches me. Is it because the story's sad? No. Not at all. I mean there are some parts where it's quite sad but I don't know how many times I have to repeat this but the words Stiefvater used is so beautiful and her writing is just wow.

Characters: I would love to be Puck Connolly's bestfriend or even sister. She is a wonderful character who is brave and loves her horse, Dove so much. She has to join the races for several reasons, including winning the money but then she meets Sean Kendrick, the returning champion of The Scorpio Races. He had won 4 tims in a row. Now comes the part where I am truly, truly impressed by Stiefvater's writing. Sean Kendrick is a character written so perfectly. He's a quiet boy with not much words, but once he does say something, it's something powerful and beautiful at the same time. The way he loves Thisby (the land where the story is set in), the Capall Uisce especially Corr (the horse he used to win The Scorpio Races which does not belong to him) and his love for the sea makes me love him a lot. My heart 'shivers' when Stiefvater describes him whispering to the horse's ears, it sounds so beautiful. He just whispers these words to the horses and they would understand him. He is the best person to take care of the dangerous Capall Uisce. His connection with them is so strong and he understands them like no one else can. Oh, and the romance between him and Puck. I love it. It's slow building, not too much as in falling in love at first sight, but the love they have for the horses and their land is what brings them together. The ending truly breaks my heart, it's so sad and I feel a huge urge to hug Sean. His love for Corr is undeniable and no one can truly understand Corr better than him. I love reading all the characters in this book particularly Sean because we all love quiet, mysterious boys with incredible talents, don't we? ;)

Overall: Beautiful. Heart-aching. Water Horses have never been so beautiful to me after reading this book. This is recommended for everyone. I have to admit, I was worried that I might not enjoy this book a lot because many reviewers said that romance was not the focus. This book is already beautiful as it is but when there is romantic scenes between Puck and Sean, it makes this book even better. A must-read which you'll never forget and regret. Also, this book is a stand alone. If you're bored with reading books with sequels and dying to read the sequels already, then this book is for you. The ending is just great and you'll be pleased! In fact, I did write a lot for this review, isn't it? :)

5 Forget-me-not flowers for The Scorpio Races

Favourite Quotes:
“I say, 'I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.'
Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.”

“He is slow, and the sea sings to us both, but he returns to me.”

“Shhhhhh, shhhhhh, says the sea, but I don't believe her.”

In My Mailbox #6

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. I've been so busy that I did not have time for memes but because I'm really excited for what I got this week, I decided to make an IMM! Recently went book shopping and look what I got!

I finally got this & currently reading this. Three words: IT SHATTERS ME!

So I loved The Wolves of Mercy Falls series a lot. I will alwas read any books by Maggie Stiefvater!

 A very very cool time I got this week which I almost forgot to mention:

I won this from a live chat with Leigh Fallon on 11/10/11 in Mundie Moms blog! My first signed T-Shirt, Bookmark and postcard ever!! Thank you so much Leigh and Mundie Moms! As you can see, I got a signed bookplate too but sadly, my copy of Carrier of the Mark have yet to arrive! Ordered it online but I don't know what happened and it's not arriving so I can't stick it on my copy. :(

 

Well that's pretty much it! I've got some other books last week but it'll be too much to share in this IMM!! What do you have this week? And if you have reviewed the books above, please leave links in your comments so I can check it out! Would love to read what other bloggers think about the books above! Thank you for checking out my IMM!