The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1)

When I read a book that I didn't love but so many others have, I'm really torn. I always second guess myself and think about what I missed and what I didn't get. The Raven Boys is one of those books for me. I don't want to compare this book to others that Maggie has written because each one and each series is different. And I LOVED The Scorpio Races, it was my favorite book of last year. So I was really torn over not loving this one.

What I did like about The Raven Boys was the world that Stiefvater created. She has a way with words that makes each series and each story so unique and original. Maggie's writing is always beautiful and I can appreciate that, even though I didn't care for this particular story.

I struggled to get through this book. I found the change of narrators confusing and it took me a long time to figure out which boy was which. As beautiful as the writing is, the story seemed to drag in many places. It was about half-way through the book before I was excited about anything that happened and then it was many more pages before anything else really happened. The pace of the story did not work for me.

I don't think I will read any follow up books in this series. I just didn't connect with it. That's not to say that you won't. Maggie Stiefvater has a huge following and many people are raving over this book. You may read this book and think I'm crazy for not loving it. Again, I had high hopes for this book but it missed the mark for me.

I was really torn on Raven Boys.

Our protagonist, Blue, lives in a house full of psychics and gets dragged into a shaky friendship with the boys from the local boarding school, as they search for the ley line, a place where the dead walk. Each has their own reason for wanting to locate the line, and while she doesn't want to spend time with the Raven Boys (a prediction that you will cause the death of your first true love will do that), Blue can't help falling into their plans.

On one hand, Maggie Stiefvater is the author of some amazing YA novels, like Shiver and The Scorpio Races. I adore her writing style and some of the phrases in her latest novel blew me away, like, "What it did was make him look more fragile and dirty, somehow, like a teacup unearthed from the soil..." I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of the titular Raven Boys, privileged students from a local boarding school. I feel like I am right in the room with the characters when I read, "They filled the hallway to overflowing, somehow, the three of them, loud and male and so comfortable with one another that they allowed no one else to be comfortable with them. They were a pack of sleek animals armored with their watches and their Top-Siders and the expensive cut of their uniforms." Despite the engrossing writing, I didn't connect completely with The Raven Boys.

I understand that the first book in the series must set up those that follow, but I found some of the plot decisions really bizarre. A tree that characters stand in to tell them the future? Check. An unexplained pet raven and a tattoo that changes shape? Check. An increasingly psychotic teacher? Double check. The Raven Boys gave me the strange experience of wanting to savor all the writing, without having to process the plot.

I'm in the minority in not adoring this book; Goodreads.com is blowing up with excitement. Still, it wasn't the right fit for me and I look forward to other books from Stiefvater that aren't part of this series.

I did not enjoy this book like I expected to. I've read several other Maggie Stiefvater books, the most recent being, The Scorpio Races which is one of my favorites! This book was dark, heavy and less appealing to me but then again, I don't enjoy reading about mediums and witchcraft.

The body of the story seemed very wordy (for lack of a better term) and I often felt like I was reading an Alice Hoffman novel. The alternating POV's were confusing at times because I wasn't sure who was speaking, causing me to have go back and reread sections which is both time consuming and annoying.

The characters themselves weren't bad and I enjoyed their personalities, witty banter and sense of humors but that was about it. The plot didn't hold my interest and I don't really see the need to spread it out over several books.

Having said all of that, not every book will please every person and I'm OK with that. I've no doubt that The Raven Boys will have many fans but I'm just not one of them. (insert frowny face)