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e_lace's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I will always have a special place in my heart for the Raven Boys. There's just something about the like Ethel Cain-core Hana Yori Dango character study that's both incredibly nostalgic and really fun to read. I think if you like fast cars, urban exploring in abandoned schoolhouse buildings, and rich people that seem to be so against their will, you will like this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism
A large part of this book that I maybe don't love is that, in typical fashion of like a 2000s/2010s ensemble YA novel, one of the character's defining traits is that he's poor and we know this becausebooksandstardust's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Gun violence and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
nicamooch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was far too slow for me for the first 30% (I felt like I was fighting to get through it) but I got invested when Blue and Gansey (finally) properly met 😂
I’m not typically one for slow paced character driven books but there’s a quirky feel to this book and its characters that all ended up growing on me. The character development and their relationships with each other were interesting (especially Adam and Gansey’s ðŸ˜).
I also can’t remember the last time I got a little spooked by a book either! The Chapter 28 twist reveal was so good 🥲
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Violence, Vomit, and Classism
li_reading's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, and Vomit
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
THE RAVEN BOYS is a found family story of intense friendships, supporting each other's obsessions, and navigating the uneasy balance of helping someone but not doing the thing for them.
I was a little nervous when the start of the book seemed headed towards "girl torn between two boys and whoever she chooses will die". Maybe in the end the series will have that technically happen, I don't know yet, but in the meantime this is a complex and earnest story of five kids on the cusp of adulthood just trying to be good friends to each other even though disparities in privilege and circumstance stain their most heartfelt interactions. This is made more complicated when (because of clairvoyant stuff) the girl knows that one of the boys will die within the year. All five of them have their own unique tangle of issues and baggage and they don't say the right thing all the time but they're just trying to get it right (some of them act like they want to crash and burn and seem to be trying to get it wrong). Blue fits in among the Raven Boys without being overshadowed, I love her relationship with her family (especially in contrast to the way the boys are so disconnected from each of theirs). Gansey has all the money he could want but he can't just solve his friends' problems for them and it's tearing him up inside. Adam is determined not to be beholden to a rescuer, but needs a way out. Noah tries to keep the peace (or at least get out of the way). Ronan is great to have on one's side in a fight but oscillates between seeming apathy and violence in the face of an uncertain future.
The world-building is pretty decent on the magic front but definitely assumes that you know things like what a boys school is. The characters are very well developed but the world a step away from them is sparsely sketched at best, and it's a very character-driven story. I liked how focused it felt, and it was nice to have a story about teens who attend school that wasn't desperate for me to know what happened in each one of their classes, or exactly what Adam does at his job after school. It's a particular vibe and I enjoyed how it worked out here. When it does focus in on a location it paints it in vibrant detail, I'm thinking particularly of the grove. Each space is described based on how it feels to be there and secondarily on how it appears, which suited the increasingly magical bent of the story.
I'm definitely going to read the next book, I need to see what happens next for them.
I was a little nervous when the start of the book seemed headed towards "girl torn between two boys and whoever she chooses will die". Maybe in the end the series will have that technically happen, I don't know yet, but in the meantime this is a complex and earnest story of five kids on the cusp of adulthood just trying to be good friends to each other even though disparities in privilege and circumstance stain their most heartfelt interactions. This is made more complicated when (because of clairvoyant stuff) the girl knows that one of the boys will die within the year. All five of them have their own unique tangle of issues and baggage and they don't say the right thing all the time but they're just trying to get it right (some of them act like they want to crash and burn and seem to be trying to get it wrong). Blue fits in among the Raven Boys without being overshadowed, I love her relationship with her family (especially in contrast to the way the boys are so disconnected from each of theirs). Gansey has all the money he could want but he can't just solve his friends' problems for them and it's tearing him up inside. Adam is determined not to be beholden to a rescuer, but needs a way out. Noah tries to keep the peace (or at least get out of the way). Ronan is great to have on one's side in a fight but oscillates between seeming apathy and violence in the face of an uncertain future.
The world-building is pretty decent on the magic front but definitely assumes that you know things like what a boys school is. The characters are very well developed but the world a step away from them is sparsely sketched at best, and it's a very character-driven story. I liked how focused it felt, and it was nice to have a story about teens who attend school that wasn't desperate for me to know what happened in each one of their classes, or exactly what Adam does at his job after school. It's a particular vibe and I enjoyed how it worked out here. When it does focus in on a location it paints it in vibrant detail, I'm thinking particularly of the grove. Each space is described based on how it feels to be there and secondarily on how it appears, which suited the increasingly magical bent of the story.
I'm definitely going to read the next book, I need to see what happens next for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Sexism, and Death of parent