Confessions of a Literary Addict

This review is spoiler-free!

---

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover, 409 pages
Rating: ★★★★★
Find it here: Goodreads || Book Depository

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. The plot, characters, setting, it was all well-written and captivating, and I had a lot of trouble putting the book down each time I had to go do something else. If the timing had been better, I probably would have devoured the whole thing in a single sitting. The first chapter was a little slow and dull, but from there it only picked up speed and threw a few twists at you, ending on a note that seems perfect for the next book.

While I wasn’t a hug fan of the villain (which, I’m sure is the point), I certainly couldn’t get enough of the boys. I loved their chapters the most and anticipated reading them each time I was on a chapter for someone else. I loved Blue, don’t get me wrong, but I think the guys are my favorite characters. And I use that as an overall plural because I can’t bring myself to pick just one of them, they each have at least one thing about them that I really adore, even Ronan. Especially Ronan.

The plot line of the story, while seemingly a little divergent here and there, all came together nicely by the end of the book, which set it up pretty well to be continued in the rest of the series, in my opinion. I’m really hoping the next books don’t squander the story that was set up in this first book, or at least add to it in a way that will be of use later on rather than being your typical bridge book. It’s not a trilogy, and people rave about the series as a whole, so I’m hoping.

All in all, such a good starter to a series and easily placed on my favorites shelf. If you’ve started it and disliked it because of the slow pace, keep reading! I gets faster and you might like it by the end.

Expect more reviews as I move along with this series!

Thanks for reading!