The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater Published by Scholastic Press on September 18th 2012
Pages: 409
Goodreads
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is 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 has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, 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 never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.
DNF (x2)
That’s right, folks. I’ve DNFed this book not once, but twice now. I have never finished a Maggie Stiefvater book. Not once. I follow her on Twitter, I think she’s very funny and interesting, but I just cannot get into her books. On top of that, I don’t even really get the hype. Why are these Raven Boys books so popular?
The first time I tried to read this book I picked up a paperback copy from Half Price books, based purely on the hype that the series was getting. Then I heard the bit about Welsh kings, thought about the Dark is Rising Sequence, and got excited. So I opened the book…. and nothing.
Guys, I was so bored. I think I got about a third of the way through, maybe a little less, and nothing was happening. There was this long bit about killing the guy she kissed and some very badly explained magic. Yay? Oh look a bunch of guys show up and we awkwardly describe them. Why do you guys like this?
But here’s the biggest thing: the names in this book are SO distracting. Ganesy? Blue Sargent? Are we playing some weird name game I don’t know about? I’m trying to focus on the book and all I can think about is how stupid these names are sounding.
So I set the book down. 2 years later I decide to try again, this time using Overdrive to listen to the book. Guys, don’t ever try this. The audiobook narrator is ATROCIOUS! Like, so bad I didn’t even make it a chapter. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I can put up with a lot of silliness but no, I just couldn’t do this.
And so here we are, me having DNFed a book twice. So I’m wondering what do I do now? I’m still very curious about what makes these books so popular, yet I don’t have the time to slog through a book I just can’t get into, particularly one not on my review pile from the publishers. Should I let it go? Or try again in another year or two?
What are your thoughts on this? Share in the comments.
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
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