How Does She Come Up with This Stuff?!

I want to tell you about a book that is, at the moment, my all-time favorite.  I checked it out of the library when I was on a binge of reading scary stories.  As I got further into the book, I realized that that's not quite what it was.  I wasn't too disappointed, though, because what it actually was . . . was INCREDIBLY AMAZING.

Now, those of you who find books to read by browsing the shelves in the bookstore may have passed right over this one, because it is shelved with the Teen Romance novels.  I'm sorry, but this book is so not Romance.  Okay, so it does have some relationship angst, and it is based on the premise that if the protagonist kisses her true love he will die, but the book is so much more than that!  It could just as easily be shelved with the paranormal books, or the ghost story books, or in the mystery/suspense section.  There are even some action/adventure aspects and coming of age sort of stuff.  Oh, and then there are the fantasy elements that have been tossed in for good measure.  You might be thinking, well that book sounds like it is a total mess!  But in reality, the combination of all of these aspects mixed up together creates something that is so much more that the sum of its parts.

Oh, and then there's the writing.  I won't even try to explain it - trying to find the right words just leaves me speechless.  Let's just say that I don't come across something that is so . . . so . . . Wow  (I don't know how else to describe it - I did mention being speechless didn't I?) every day, or even every year to be honest.

So I'll bet that you're on the edge of your seat now, wiggling around with anticipation, wondering just what book it is that you need to rush out immediately and obtain a copy of.  And the answer to that is The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be-dead walk past.  Blue never sees them - until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, and he's 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 is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher 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 doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem.  But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.  -excerpt from book jacket

The Raven Boys is actually the first book in a series.  When I found this out, I was super excited to discover that there were three books already out.  I was like, Yay!  I don't have to wait to find out what happens!  Then, I was super bummed at the end of the third book, when I realized that the story wasn't over and I would have to wait almost a year to see what happens next.  But then I was super excited again, because I was like, Yay!  More to read!  I am now hoping that there are like ten more books in the series, because I could go on reading them for, like, forever.



There is just something about these books, just the right type of bizarre-ness that, instead of being weird and confusing and leaving you scratching your head and saying What?!, is instead, strange and wonderful and makes you say Give me more!  This series is so unlike anything I've ever read before, it makes me think, How does she come up with this stuff?  Seriously, it is that original, that creative, that . . . Wow.

Here is a piece of music that I think gives an overall sense of the series:

Some books should be made into movies, they are that awesome.  This series should be made into a television show.  Not only is it that awesome, but each book is jam-packed with so much good stuff it would take an entire season to do it justice.

Here is a fan-made trailer in the form of opening credits for a Raven Boys production.  (I would make some changes with the way the names appear, but it is really pretty good otherwise.)

And two more that I thought did a great job showing what the books are like, although they focus more on the romance and action/adventure parts, and less on the paranormal, fantasy, and mystery aspects. (I don't know where the clips came from, but I hope you aren't already familiar with them and it ruins the effect for you!)  The background music on the first one is actually written and performed by the author of the series, Maggie Stiefvater. ( She uses it in her own animated book trailer that, alas, would be pretty good if the voices on it weren't so darn weird - you can find it on her website if you're interested.)

If you are looking for a simple love story, this isn't the series for you.  These books are complex and complicated.  And they aren't just about Blue and Gansey, either.  They are about the entire circle of complicated friends and their relationships with one another.  Hello - that's why the book is called the Raven Boys.


Ever since I finished The Raven Boys, any time the topic of books comes up, I tell the person to read this series.  And I'm telling you, now:  Read This Series.  Now.


Rating:  5 Stars (Can I give it more?)
Reading Level:  5.4/5.0/5.1
Age Appropriate:  Upper Grades
Page Count/Word Count:  409/ 102,956
Genre:  Mystery, Action/Adventure, Paranormal/Supernatural, Romance
Keywords: friendship, quests, mystery, ghosts, romance