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The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, Book 1) | August 24, 2016

by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2012)

Okay, look, I know that I am very late to this party. But think of me as that awesome friend who brought ice in the nick of time! Because I am so obsessed with The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater that I have, in the past week, committed the following moral crimes: Ignored the Olympics, stayed up way past my bedtime, and neglected all other reading because this is FIELD RESEARCH! Ahem.

The Raven Boys begins with Blue, a girl who lives in a household of psychics, but who has no supernatural seeing powers of her own. Instead, she amplifies the intuitive, maybe magical, powers of others. And then there are the Raven Boys, who attend the preppy Aglionby School, drive around town in expensive cars, and generally exude wealth and privilege. Blue usually ignores these kinds of boys. But then one night, she encounters a ghost, a sign that a prophecy coming true: if she kisses her true love, he will die. Against all odds, this ghost is wearing an Aglionby sweater.

Enter the Raven Boys. Adam, studious and trying desperately to survive an abusive father until college. Noah, quiet but cheerful. Ronan, who’s biting humor keeps everyone, including his friends, at bay. Gansey, larger than life and searching for a mythical King.

This is the kind of complex, layered story that is a dream to read. It’s beautiful without becoming ornate, and the characters change and grow together. Though the story is magical, it’s the kind of magic that’s rooted in intuition, making it feel somehow realer and more tangible than a more traditional fantasy. And while the characters are chasing after a mystery, it’s the characters themselves that keep me turning pages, wanting to know what happens next for each one of them.