The Raven Boys

At its heart, The Raven Boys is about five high school students who are searching for the long lost tomb of an ancient Welsh king. There's a lot that happens around this goal, but that's to be expected from a series that is 100% character driven instead of plot driven.

One thing that really pains me about this series is that it's marketed so heavily as a YA paranormal romance. While this series has each of these individual elements, there is just SO MUCH MORE that sets it apart from other books in this subgenre (and other books in general). The blurb for the first book, The Raven Boys, focuses almost entirely on two characters. The series really has four or five main characters, and all of them are pretty much equally important to the story and compelling as a reader.

Most of the story takes place in Henrietta, Virginia, a rural town with an expensive private high school. There's no vampires or werewolves, so the story almost feels like it could happen in real life. The way magic is handled almost makes me want to label the series as magic realism, though I'm pretty sure it's actually closer to mythic fantasy. There's an air of mystique that makes the magic feel, well, magical, but you always have a pretty good idea of what is and isn't possible. This gives the series a grounded feel.

Maggie Stiefvater has pretty much mastered the art of show vs. tell. The characters quickly immerse you in the story and behave as if they are real, complex people. You find that you have a pretty good idea how most characters will react before they do, not because they are predictable but because you feel like you know them as real human beings. The main characters also encompass many of the key struggles teens go through. Issues like gender, sexuality, money, abuse, love, grades, extra jobs, and a desire to make a difference in the world are all important to the series.

Honestly, this is the weakest element of the series. The plot is always moving forward, but at times its progression is so subtle you don't realize it. This is not a fast-paced, action-packed series. The drive to keep reading comes from the characters and the slowly unfolding mystery. When I finished the first book, the plot almost made me leave the series. I loved everything about the first book, but it was slow. I'm glad I stuck with it (and book 2 has drag racing, so yeah). One thing I noticed is that the “forbidden romance” trope is not so much a plot as it is an added complexity in the relationship between two characters.

The pacing for this series is a bit slow, especially in the first book. I almost didn't continue the series, but I am so incredibly glad that I did.

One of the best parts of Maggie Stiefvater's writing is her prose. I don't mean purple prose or long-winded descriptions. Stiefvater consistently drops line after memorable line that leaves you thinking long after you hear them.

If you like thoughtfully written characters, slowly unfolding mysteries, and realistic romance, you might love this series. Plus, there's some really cool stuff along the way, like talking trees, time travel, and dragons. There's also a TV series in the works!

On the other hand, these books can be slow. The characters steal the show, but that happens at the expense of plot and pacing. If this is a deal-breaker for you, you might want to avoid this series.

If you enjoy audiobooks, I can't recommend this series enough. Will Patton has an incredible voice and masters the art of making each POV instantly recognizable, even without dialogue. Plus, the author even composed and performed original music for the series.