4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
So this is Maggie Stiefvater's newest creation and it is very good. I'm dissapointed I didn't pick it up sooner. The story focuses around six people, four p.o.v.'s, pyschics, magical ley lines with a faery feel to them, and could work as a psychological thriller. Basically, it drove me insane and I fell in love with the characters.
This book starts us off with more protagonists then either Scorpio Races or Wolves of Mercy Falls did (sorry, havn't read Ballad or Lament, so I don't know how those compare). The story line as expressed on the inside cover is really bad sounding and could throw you off because "looking for long-dead king who will grant a wish" sounds cheezy. There is so much more depth to it then that, and the reader becomes swept up on the search for Glendower (that 'dead' king), trust me.
The main characters are Gansey, Blue, Adam, Ronan, Noah, and Barrington Whelk.
Gansey is the one with the quest for Glendower. Why? It's actually a very personal reason, but you don't get the real reason until later in the story when he bares a little peice of himself to Blue. The shallow reason is that he's good at finding things that are strange and wants to prove to himself that magic is real. Plausible, but one dimensional. Gansey is a spoiled kid, though he doesn't try to act it, and he feels responsible for his friend's and their problems. He's rather eclectic and likes the journey as much as the conclusion of any adventure. Most important, he attends Aglionby Academy, making him a Raven Boy (hence the title).
Blue is the daughter of a Psychic and lives in a house full of them. She never met her father, but no big deal really. Unfortunately Blue herself is not a Psychic. She just amplifies the energy that helps her family of Psychics do their thing. On top of being an outsider, ever since she can remember she was told that when she kisses her true love, he'll die. Depressing. So, like any sensible person, she decides never to share a kiss with anyone, and never to fall in love. When she goes with her mysterious Aunt Neeve (who just arrived in town) she see's Gansey spirit (not that he's dead, but that he's going to die in the year). Even knowing he's a Raven Boy, she knows she needs to get the message to him somehow. Lo and behold, Adam schedules a meeting with her mother to get information about the Ley Lines. This is when their lives cross paths and Blue finds that Gansey and his friends aren't that bad and the five of them become thick as thieves on the quest for Glendower (even though Blue's mother forbids her).
So who's Adam? He's the poor scholarship kid from a local trailer park and an abusive dad. Yeah, his life sucks. He falls in love with Blue when he first lays eyes on her, and she like him back. However, as the story progresses we start to see a little something between Gansey and Blue as well (love triangle... !). The only thing that really bothered me about Adam was that he had a giant pride. Really, sometimes help isn't that bad dude, but I do get it.
The other two Raven Boys are bad-boy Ronan (who has a dark past where he found his father dead), and Noah (who is far from what he seems). Honestly, Noah and Blue were my two favorite characters in the whole story. One last tidbt about Ronan, though, is his pet raven, Chainsaw. So not only do they go to a school where the students are referred to as Raven Boys, they are searching for the Raven King Glendower, but Ronan actually finds and adopts a baby raven. I'm with Gansey: there are no such things as coincidences.
Finally we come to Barrington Whelk. The evil Lating teacher out for Glendower and revenge for everything that has been taken from him. He's evil, but he's human, so he makes a very realistic villain. Glad to have someone to root against.
Anyways, pick this book up because it really is worth the read. The pacing may be a little slow for some, but the twists are incredible and you'll just about die by the end. Can't wait for book two in, September is it?
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