For as long as Blue Sargent can remember, she's been warned that her kiss will kill her one true love. The daughter of a psychic, Blue takes this prediction to heart, never truly entertaining the idea of a romance. That is, until the Raven Boys land in her life.
Blue isn't a psychic like her mother, but she does boast a supernatural power: she magnifies energy. So each year on St. Mark's Eve, when the souls of the soon-to-be dead cross the corpse road, Blue accompanies mom Maura on her watch in order to heighten the spirits' presence. This time though, while watching with her aunt Neeve, Blue sees one of the souls for the first time. "There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve, Blue," Neeve tells her. "Either you're his true love or you killed him."
The doomed is a Raven Boy—one of the privileged elite of the prestigious Aglionby Academy. His name is Gansey (first name: Richard, a.k.a. Dick), and he has Golden Boy written all over him—all tousled locks and mesmerizing smiles. But he's also a boy consumed by a mystery. He, along with his three begrudging friends, are searching for the body of a centuries-dead Welsh king who, once found and awoken, will grant one favor.
Despite her mother's protestations that she stay away from these Raven Boys, Blue finds herself entangled in their hunt, and what they find will change all of their lives forever.
Author Maggie Stiefvater is no stranger to the YA literati, having penned such notables as "Scorpio Races" and the "Shiver" series, and "The Raven Boys" (the first in a four-part series) is a high-flying addition to her already impressive canon. Equal parts thriller and mystery, with a measured dash of romance sprinkled on top, "The Raven Boys" is an intricately layered read that will probably leave you with more questions than answers. In fact, Maggie has woven such a unique, intriguing narrative that I struggled for comparisons. Its Southern, supernatural bent hearkens somewhat to Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's "Beautiful Creatures," but that's where the similarities end.
I guess you'll just have to meet "The Raven Boys" for yourself.
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Maggie Stiefvater's 'Raven Boys' Taking Flight As Movie
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