The Raven Boys Book Review

I’ve talked about intriguing titles before, but when I came across The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, I had three thoughts. 

1. Who were the Raven Boys? 

2. How does one become a Raven Boy? 

3. Will they pester me like Bart does with Homer in the first Treehouse of Horror episode from The Simpsons?

These questions were answered when I read the book. Along with that, the novel offered realistic and fantastical world building, memorable characters, and a great audiobook.

The Raven Boys is the first book in “The Raven Cycle” series. Every year on St. Mark’s Eve, Blue Sargent stands by her mom as the soon-to-be dead walk by in the churchyard. Blue has never seen them – until that day, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. The only reason that she sees him is either he is her true love, or she killed him. His name is Richard Gansey III (aka Gansey), and she soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby Academy, the local private school. Her mom told her in the past to stay away from Aglionby boys (also known as the Raven Boys due to the mascot being that bird) because they only mean trouble. 

Despite that, she is drawn to Gansey for some inexplicable reason. He has it all – family money, good looks, and devoted friends, yet he’s looking for more. Gansey is on a quest to find the Welsh King Owain Glyndŵr (Owen Glendower,) and it has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam Parrish, the student on scholarship who resents the privilege around him; Ronan Lynch, the fierce soul battling his own demons; and Noah Czerny, the watcher of the four, who notices so much, but says so little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die if they kiss. She never thought that this would be a problem, but once she gets caught up with the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

The world building is well established. Blue lives with her large family, who happen to be psychics, in the rural town of Henrietta, Virginia. She is the only one who doesn’t possess such powers. Even Nino’s Restaurant – the place that she works at and where she first meets the Raven Boys – is portrayed as the location where the cool, Aglionby kids go even if working there can be a pain in the butt. Speaking of Aglionby, it’s seen as a typical private school, where there are perceived snooty students and buried secrets even among its staff. As for the fantastical stuff, it blends into the real world well. There’s even a plot development that illustrates this point.

Moreover, the characters stand out. Blue is your average female protagonist in a YA fantasy novel. She is the only normal person in a family full of quirky people. As it progresses, she befriends Adam and gets closer with Gansey as she helps the boys to find Glendower. She has to decide how she is going to handle those relationships despite the “curse.” I hope the series gives her more character development because her character arc is interesting so far. 

With the Raven Boys themselves, each is memorable in their own right. Gansey is charismatic and mature for his age and has a single-mind focus. He is determined to locate the Welsh King even at the expense of his friends as he slowly falls in love with Blue. Adam is a boy who comes from the lower class and managed to obtain a scholarship to study at Aglionby. He also has a horrible home life, but he doesn’t want to live with Gansey no matter how many times the latter asks him. Adam values his agency. I liked him the most because of how sweet he was, and I’m also drawn to characters who are “outcasts” in their own groups. Then, there’s Ronan. He comes off as aggressive, cynical, irritable, and sarcastic. He doesn’t care much about school unless it’s Latin. But, underneath, he is compassionate and loving towards his friends, family, and animals. I hear that the second book Dream Thieves is all about Ronan, so I can’t wait to read more about him.

The only complaint that I have with reading this book is that its flowery language slowed the pacing down a bit. This was most apparent in the beginning where everything was being established. Although it’s good with setting up the world within, it felt too much when all was needed was to move the plot and characters along, especially the sections with the Raven Boys. It got better once they went to Blue’s house for a psychic reading.

Now, of course, I have to talk about my favorite part of the book: the audiobook! It was narrated by Will Patton. For those who don’t know, Patton is an actor known for work in movies like Armageddon, Remember the Titans, and Minari as well as in television shows like Yellowstone. In addition, he has recorded audiobooks for authors like James Lee Burke, Stephen King, and Maggie Stiefvater. In fact, this was the first one he did for Stiefvater, and he has narrated all titles in both the “Raven Cycle” series and the “Dreamer Trilogy.” 

Patton is great at voicing all the characters. He gives them subtle, but notable distinctions. Blue sounds the most normal of all the people in the book, which illustrates her main problem of wanting to feel special despite her “curse.” Gansey is voiced with maturity, class, and determination, while Adam possesses a sweeter tone with a Southern accent at times to demonstrate his outsider status in the group. Ronan broods, yet Patton provides a fierce compassion and vulnerability to him when needed. Furthermore, I enjoyed how he portrayed Persephone – one of the women who lives with Blue. She has a quiet, but cheeky voice. 

Another thing that stood out with this vocal performance was Patton’s ability to switch from the private school dialect to a more rural one naturally. The book mentions how certain characters possess the Henrietta accent, so he translates this into a county one. This makes sense because the town is supposed to be rural. One last detail that impressed me was how Patton’s voice dubbed twice over when two characters speak at the same time. It was effortless, and I could tell which ones were talking at that moment. I can see why Stiefvater has continued to work with Patton since 2012.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is a pretty good start to a YA fantasy series. One could easily imagine what Henrietta, Virginia looks like and all the places within. The characters stand out in one way or another. Additionally, Will Patton does a fantastic job with the audiobook. I would recommend this book for people looking for a fantasy series, especially ones focused on psychics, the occult, and teenage protagonists. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to go read the next novel in the series Dream Thieves!

In the meantime, you can listen to the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast. Returning guest Amanda Garrison and I discuss how to adapt this book into a series. Check out at this link.

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