The Raven Boys

I recently finished reading my twentieth book The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater! When I started into the book I didn't know if I was going to like it, but I devoured every page of the book and finished it within hours of starting it. This is a four part series and I am happy to start the second book in the series!

This book is full of magic. It presented the psychic in a way I hadn't seen before and implemented historical aspects. Blue Sargent is the daughter of a psychic but has no Vision herself, but she does have an ability. She is like an amp for a guitar, she makes everything louder for her fellow psychics. One thing Blue has been told since she was a child, by every psychic she has come in contact with, is that she will kill her true love if she kisses him. Despite that being the premise of the story, it is not at all romance based and I love that. There is too much emphasis on love in young adult novels and it gives unrealistic dreams or desires to these impressionable youths. Blue becomes unlikely friends with a group of four boys from the boys' private school (for affluent boys) of Aglionby. The five of them go on an adventure looking for Glendower, a long dead king, and trying to awaken the Ley Line in their small town of Henrietta, Virginia. The adventure is the result of a near death experienced by Gansey, the leader of the group. Ronan, the "mean one" as Blue so lovingly dubbed him, found his father after he had been murdered and suffered mentally because of it. One of the boys, Adam, is not at all rich. He works three jobs to pay for Aglionby and lives in a trailer park with his abusive father. The fourth boy is Noah, who is actually dead. He is only able to be a part of this group because his bones are buried on the Ley Line enabling him to have a corporeal body.

I highly suggest this series to everyone, including students. I think it could help older students who have suffered through abusive parental relationships. It can also help those who are struggling emotionally or mentally because of parental loss or witnessing something they should not have. I feel as though this would be especially beneficial in lower income areas.