Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

~Official Synopsis~ 

“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.

Pages: 409

Published by: Scholastic Press (Sept. 18th, 2012)

Genre: YA paranormal

My rating for The Raven Boys:

I got 54% through this. I did not finish. But not because it was a bad book because it wasn't bad. It was a good book. But it wasn't my thing and I didn't want to finish it and give it a bad rating solely because I had poor choice in deciding if it was my kind of book.

What I liked:

Beautiful writing - Maggie Stiefvater's writing is absolutely beautiful. It's enchanting, a bit mysterious, and interesting. It stands out amongst other YA books.

Characters - I actually really liked all the characters, even with their weird, moody, or just simply unlikable traits.

What I disliked:

The subject - Psychics, spirits, and magic searching, I realize, are not subjects I enjoy reading about. I just am not interested in them. The concept of the story was completely original and brilliant, but I feel like I already have a set taste of books so I personally am unable to enjoy books outside of that range.

Recommended to readers who like: beautiful & unique writing styles; stories about psychics, spirits, & magical elements; mysterious and tense, slow-building (like a wave) plot, YA, some romance (The romance barely started when I stopped reading it, but I've heard it doesn't pick up much later on.)