Early Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Cycle #1
Reviewed by Maggie and Noelle August 10, 2012
Published by Scholastic Press September 18, 2012
(YAA received an ARC of this book from the publishers)
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Blue Sargent is the only non-psychic in a family full of mediums so when she unexpectedly sees a spirit on a routine dead walk on St. Mark's Eve, she's told it means one of two things: the boy is either her true love or she will be the one who kills him. Thanks to a unanimous psychic warning that if she kisses her true love he'll die, it could very well be both.  Either way, he'll be dead within the year.

Unbeknownst to her, Gansey and his Raven Boys are already on a crash course of fate with Blue, her family and his quest to uncover a sleeping secret that has the power to change everything.  But as Blue's aunt says, when you go looking for a god, don't be surprised to find a devil too and the quest promises to take Blue and the Raven Boys places they never expected.

Noelle: As you can see The Raven Boys has an intriguing premise and (raven) boy does it deliver. (Not even sorry!) The end of the prologue and first few chapters should come equipped with the Law and Order chime-of-suspense sound effect. Stiefvater sure hits the ground running.

Maggie: Definitely. This book had me at "kill your first love."

Noelle: I loved Blue and her family right off the bat.  The Sargent house is charmingly packed with psychic abilities, family dysfunction, louder than life personalities and just enough mysteries in the family history to be deliciously intriguing.  It wasn't long before another family dynamic, Gansey's Raven Boys, began stealing my heart too.

Maggie: The Sargent house gave me a Practical Magic/Pushing Daisies feel with charmingly kooky characters who happen to have some powers. I loved the boys right away. Gansey, the leader, who acted as instigator as much as mama hen to Ronan, Adam, and Noah. Ronan, angry, damaged, loyal... of course, I loved him. Adam, the perfect student with the neatly pressed uniform, except for the fraying seam at his shoulder noticeable only to him. Noah, the quiet one who they'd be more worried about if they weren't all caught up in Gansey's quest.

Noelle: At first I was like, so many rich boys in Raven sweaters! But soon it became clear that each boy had a distinct personality and something that made them especially interesting in their own right.  Each had cracks in their shiny veneers, some just more well hidden than others.

Maggie: This is my second Stiefvater book and I absolutely love the way she writes. She's atmospheric and descriptive, yet there's something timeless about her writing. We know this story takes place in present day with references to cell phones and BMWs, but I feel it could've just as easily taken place in an earlier time, or in England instead of Virginia. This is your first Stiefvater book, and I know for some, her writing just doesn't work for them. What did you think?

Noelle: It was my first Stiefvater and I was really surprised!  Besides the qualities of her writing you mentioned, I really appreciated how she kept me engaged the entire novel.  It was exciting to read.  There were a couple developments that took me totally by surprise and that doesn't happen that often.  I loved being swept into the mystery.

Maggie: Nerd confession: I love when I learn things from a book. This story with its ley lines, ancient kings, and Latin had me googling like crazy. Like with Scorpio Races, Stiefvater takes existing folklore and makes it her own. Plus, she even makes dead languages compelling (although this may have more to do with Ronan speaking said dead language). Latin, who knew!

Noelle: Stiefvater's writing was so compelling that it took me awhile to realize I was halfway through and not much had actually happened in the way of forward plot movement.  I got the sneaking feeling the series was conserving it's energy, if you will.  That's when it hit me: Ah, First Book of a Trilogy frustrations and unanswered questions! How I love/hate you!  While the plot definitely picked up the pace during the second half of the book (not coincidentally when all the players in the plot were finally interacting), it became clear that many of the tantalizing possibilities introduced in The Raven Boys wouldn't come to fruition until later installments.

Maggie: That ending. It totally gave me Lord of the Rings rage. (I'll never forget sitting through 3 hours of hobbit feet and elf ears, only to have the movie end with, "And we're off! To be continued." RAGE.) This is why I hate starting series before they're done because I want to read the next book immediately. However, I do love a good cliffhanger. (See: Exiles, Froi) A bad cliffhanger makes me want to find a cliff to throw the book off of (yes, I revenge cliffhang), but a good one just makes you that more excited for the sequel. This one made me more excited for the sequel.

Noelle: Oh totally.  The writing remained compelling straight through and while incomplete, the ending was still more than satisfying.  I can't wait to read what comes next! Rating: 4/5 stars.

Maggie: Maggie Stiefvater, you got some 'splainin to do! That was my initial reaction upon finishing Raven Boys followed immediately by, Actually, Maggie, just write. Rating: 4/5 stars.

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Reviewed by Maggie: February 24, 2012
Published October 18, 2011 by Scholastic Inc.
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This was a book I was ready to hate. Actually, if I'm being honest, this was a book I wanted to hate. What? German foosball players aren't the only ones capable of schadenfreude.

Plus, this was a story about horses, those vicious, four-legged beasts that naive children are tricked into riding at summer camp before they're brutally thrown off. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Yet I found myself drawn into this story, this mythic tale of savage water horses in a barbaric race created by all too real people, and I found myself hoping it was all real. Because that would mean Sean, Corr, Puck, and Dove exist. I loved these characters, never mind that Corr and Dove are two of those four-legged beasts I despised not too long ago.

Maggie Stiefvater's mythic capaill uisce are wild water horses that come ashore the island of Thisby once a year. Those capaill that have been captured are raced in the island's famous Scorpio Races, a tradition similar to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, but with far more deadly results. It attracts crowds from all over, people drawn to the thrilling and terrible spectacle. The Scorpio Races are so dangerous that fatalities occur before the race even starts. Capaill are controlled by two things: the call of the ocean and their bloodlust. Despite months or even years of training by the capall whisperer, Sean Kendrick, capaill can never fully be trusted. Their natural instinct to kill is too strong. It can only be temporarily curbed. However, the tremendous risk of the races comes with even greater reward. The races are Thisby's main attraction, so most islanders just manage to eke out a living. Winning the races comes with an enormous, irresistible purse. All residents of Thisby have lost a person, or more often persons, to capaill. And if the horses don't get them, Thisby gets to them and they end up leaving. For Kate "Puck" Connolly, one has already happened and the other is about to happen. Her parents were killed by capaill while out fishing, and her older brother, the main breadwinner, is about to leave the island. (Raise your hand if you just pictured Matthew Fox as both Charlie Salinger and Jack Shephard.) Puck impulsively says she's going to race to get her brother to stay, or at least delay him, but when she finds out they are about to lose their house, she realizes she has to race. Sean, the whisperer, lost his father to capaill and his mother to the mainland, but he's won the races 4 times. That enormous purse and the gorgeous horse he rode on, though, belong to his boss. He races because it's his job, and he can't imagine anyone else on Corr. Puck and Sean are literally on a collision course.

This is usually the part of the story where a rich and handsome 3rd party enters the picture, but The Scorpio Races isn't a love story. It's a survival story. The only love triangle here is between a capall, his rider, and the ocean -- and it's beautiful and heartbreaking.

This is a book I saw in my head. Maggie Stiefvater crafts such a visual story I could picture every scene. For Thisby, I pictured Jersey in the Channel Islands. The dual points of view of Sean and Puck allowed me to get into their heads. When I started this book, I figured I'd just read it and rate it and be done with it. After all, why spend my time writing a review for an author who doesn't really value them? In this case, it's because what the author put out is that good. It's the same debate I go through whenever I think about buying Kanye's latest album. Yeah, he says shit that irritates the hell out of me, but damn, does he know how to make music. Maggie Stiefvater? She knows how to make music.

Verdict: 5/5 stars.