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A review by euphoriaonpluto
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ok, here we go. This review will be very messy, and I'll probably be the only one who understands it. Oh, well.
The series is shaping up to be really interesting. I assume I'll love it by the end. I like the premise and I like the things that have been set up so far. The Raven Boys on its own, however...
It honestly feels wrong to even be writing a review at this point. It feels like I' only a third of the way into the book. And in a way, I am. Well, a fourth of the way done, I suppose. It seems that the was this series is written is like one big book broken up into serials, rather than four separate novels. The Raven Boys was pretty much entirely exposition. The main goal was established. The main characters were introduced. Several major plot points were started. One of them was resolved. That's it.
About 2/3 of the book felt like what the first 100 pages usually feel like. A lot of introductions, some exploring, mild adventuring, hints at future conflicts. Then the last third happened. One of the conflicts that had been set up was resolved. But, with how much the book had already set up for the future, it felts very quick and unfinished. Reading the last 100 pages felt the same as when you're rewatching your favourite 10-season-long epic fantasy TV show and you just got to the part where they defeat the big bad of season 1. It's nice but it mostly leaves you feeling amused by the knowledge of how minor it feels compared to everything else that will happen in the later seasons. The big difference here is that I'm not rereading The Raven Cycle. It's my first time. And yet, I still got that feeling. It was all a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think all of this is necessarily a bad thing. I'm certainly a lot more used to a fantasy series structure where there is a main series plot going all throughout it but the individual novels, especially the first ones, still have their own main conflict and resolution, which could stand on their own. Not continuing The Raven Cycle right now would feel more like DNFing a book 100 pages in, rather than not reading a sequel.
As for the characters, at this point I'd say I know them about as well as they know each other, which means barely. There was no development on that front. I can tell there will be in the future, though. Or at least I'm hoping there will be. Because half of them I have almost no impression of and the other half I find annoying.
Adam gets on my nerves. I feel for him, his situation is terrible, but that's no excuse to treat his own supposed best friend so terribly. He's awful to Gansey. The entire book all Gansey wanted to do was help him in any way he could because he cares for him, and Adam did everything in his power to act like he's being condescending and selfish. Which he wasn't being. And at no point did he do anything that could come off that was without his intention. The whole book was basically:
Gansey: Please, I'm afraid that you're going to get seriously hurt. Please let me help. You can live with me. I'll do whatever you want just to get you out of this situation
Adam: Stop patronizing me, you don't own me, you don't even know how shitty you're being.
Hell, at least Ronan didn't throw his own problems and failures in Gansey's face, nor did he try to portray him as a bad person for trying to get him to graduate.
And why the hell did he say something as deeply hurtful as "Sometimes I don't know how you live with yourself" because Gansey said?????? that they shouldn't do the ritual?????? because they just found out it's deadly????? and one of them would die?????? How the fuck is that something to be mad about?
Now let me go over Blue quickly. What's her deal, exactly? She's supposed to be the main character and yet, there's barely anything of note about her. Her only personality trait seems to be being #notliketheothergirls (something I'm trying to ignore in this book since I know it was written in 2012 and that trope was unfortunately a staple at that point in time). She has pretty much no motivation behind her actions. Her only problems are that her mom prophesized that she'll kill her first love by kissing them and that apparently that true love is meant to be Gansey. Yeah, this is a bad situation to be in, but what is her reason for joining the ley line hunt? What is her reason for not telling them about the prophecy or about what her seeing Gansey meant? She never showed any internal conflict about the whole thing, other than "they won't believe me", which, given what they're doing, isn't a reasonable assumption at all. They're looking for a medieval king who's supposedly being kept alive by magic, for god's sake. There are several reasons she could not want to tell them, fear of being blamed or rejected or kicked out of the group, for example. But she never thinks about those things, so they must not be her motivation. She's basically flying by the seat of her pants the entire time.
Ok, I'll end my ridiculously long review by saying this: the series are shaping up to be great, but the The Raven Boys as a novel on its own without the future promise of continuation holding it up, is pretty mediocre.
The series is shaping up to be really interesting. I assume I'll love it by the end. I like the premise and I like the things that have been set up so far. The Raven Boys on its own, however...
It honestly feels wrong to even be writing a review at this point. It feels like I' only a third of the way into the book. And in a way, I am. Well, a fourth of the way done, I suppose. It seems that the was this series is written is like one big book broken up into serials, rather than four separate novels. The Raven Boys was pretty much entirely exposition. The main goal was established. The main characters were introduced. Several major plot points were started. One of them was resolved. That's it.
About 2/3 of the book felt like what the first 100 pages usually feel like. A lot of introductions, some exploring, mild adventuring, hints at future conflicts. Then the last third happened. One of the conflicts that had been set up was resolved. But, with how much the book had already set up for the future, it felts very quick and unfinished. Reading the last 100 pages felt the same as when you're rewatching your favourite 10-season-long epic fantasy TV show and you just got to the part where they defeat the big bad of season 1. It's nice but it mostly leaves you feeling amused by the knowledge of how minor it feels compared to everything else that will happen in the later seasons. The big difference here is that I'm not rereading The Raven Cycle. It's my first time. And yet, I still got that feeling. It was all a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think all of this is necessarily a bad thing. I'm certainly a lot more used to a fantasy series structure where there is a main series plot going all throughout it but the individual novels, especially the first ones, still have their own main conflict and resolution, which could stand on their own. Not continuing The Raven Cycle right now would feel more like DNFing a book 100 pages in, rather than not reading a sequel.
As for the characters, at this point I'd say I know them about as well as they know each other, which means barely. There was no development on that front. I can tell there will be in the future, though. Or at least I'm hoping there will be. Because half of them I have almost no impression of and the other half I find annoying.
Gansey: Please, I'm afraid that you're going to get seriously hurt. Please let me help. You can live with me. I'll do whatever you want just to get you out of this situation
Adam: Stop patronizing me, you don't own me, you don't even know how shitty you're being.
Hell, at least Ronan didn't throw his own problems and failures in Gansey's face, nor did he try to portray him as a bad person for trying to get him to graduate.
And why the hell did he say something as deeply hurtful as "Sometimes I don't know how you live with yourself" because Gansey said?????? that they shouldn't do the ritual?????? because they just found out it's deadly????? and one of them would die?????? How the fuck is that something to be mad about?
Now let me go over Blue quickly. What's her deal, exactly? She's supposed to be the main character and yet, there's barely anything of note about her. Her only personality trait seems to be being #notliketheothergirls (something I'm trying to ignore in this book since I know it was written in 2012 and that trope was unfortunately a staple at that point in time). She has pretty much no motivation behind her actions. Her only problems are that her mom prophesized that she'll kill her first love by kissing them and that apparently that true love is meant to be Gansey. Yeah, this is a bad situation to be in, but what is her reason for joining the ley line hunt? What is her reason for not telling them about the prophecy or about what her seeing Gansey meant? She never showed any internal conflict about the whole thing, other than "they won't believe me", which, given what they're doing, isn't a reasonable assumption at all. They're looking for a medieval king who's supposedly being kept alive by magic, for god's sake. There are several reasons she could not want to tell them, fear of being blamed or rejected or kicked out of the group, for example. But she never thinks about those things, so they must not be her motivation. She's basically flying by the seat of her pants the entire time.
Ok, I'll end my ridiculously long review by saying this: the series are shaping up to be great, but the The Raven Boys as a novel on its own without the future promise of continuation holding it up, is pretty mediocre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Gore