Series Review: The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Series Review: The Raven Cycle by Maggie StiefvaterThe Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Published by Scholastic Inc. in September 2012
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
four-half-stars

"'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.

Series Review: The Raven Cycle by Maggie StiefvaterThe Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #2
Published by Scholastic Inc. in September 2013
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
four-stars

If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take?

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.

One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.

Ronan is one of the raven boys - a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface - changing everything in its wake.

Series Review: The Raven Cycle by Maggie StiefvaterBlue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #3
Published by Scholastic Inc. in October 2014
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
five-stars

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.

Series Review: The Raven Cycle by Maggie StiefvaterThe Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #4
Published by Scholastic Inc. in April 2016
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
four-half-stars

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater is a series I’ve been meaning to read for ages. I’ve heard so many good things about it. I knew I had to at least give it a try. The series as a whole is quite unique and different. It’s about a group of friends and the search for a King. It’s a fantasy set in a contemporary world with a whole lot of mystery and a bit of romance.

Maggie Stiefvater’s writing isn’t for everyone. I thought her writing was beautiful but also quite slow. It took more effort for me to continue reading this series because of the pacing, but I was so intrigued by Blue, her Raven Boys, and their search for the King that I had to continue. It was such a struggle though. I think, out of all the books, the third installment of the series, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, was my favorite and the easiest read.

If you read The Raven Cycle, I think the first thing you’ll fall in love with are the characters. It’s hard not to love Blue and her family of psychics. It’s hard not to love her Raven Boys: Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. (Granted, I really did not like Adam in the beginning. I really did not like him.) I love how well crafted they were with their individual personalities. Even the secondary characters were fantastic! The Raven Cycle series truly is about all of them. It’s not Blue’s story or Gansey’s story. It’s all of their story. The story would not be complete if any of the characters were missing. I truly believe the characters are why everyone loves The Raven Cycle series so much.

With that being said, the search for the King was a bit lengthly. There were so many aspects in their search for Glendower that it did get a bit boring at times. I wasn’t invested in all of the side stories that occurred, and I’m not sure if it was all necessary. The series could have been cut a bit by exculding some of the unnecessary side stories and unnecessary characters. View Spoiler » But in the end, I think the journey was all worth it. I enjoyed how the series eneded even with some unanswered questions.

If you don’t mind slower paced stories, I think you should definitely give The Raven Cycle a try. It’s beautifully written with wonderful characters. The story just moves at a slower pace, which may make it difficult if you’re used to reading fast moving, page-turners. If you already enjoy Maggie Stiefvater’s work and haven’t read The Raven Cycle yet, what are you waiting for? It’s high time you read this seires. Plus it sounds like there may be more coming featuring Ronan… Hmm…

Overall I’d give this series a 4-star rating. Have you read The Raven Cycle? I’d love to hear your thoughts and discuss! 🙂

four-half-stars