The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue Sargent lives in a house with three psychics. Despite having a psychic mother, she only has the ability to amplify the power of others. Her town was built on a ley line, a powerful, magical line that is often the source of unexplained occurrences. Every year, one member of the psychic family stands on the ley line to see the ghosts of all the townspeople who will die in one year. Blue is often brought along to amplify the power of the psychic, but this year is different. She sees a ghost for the first time- a boy wearing the uniform of the nearby Aglionby Academy, a prestigious high school for the extremely rich. She later meets the doomed boy, whose name is Gansey, and his friends at her job in a pizza parlor. Despite a deep dislike of Aglionby boys, who she calls “raven boys”, there is something about Gansey that intrigues her. She eventually warms up to them, and Gansey tells her of his mission; to find the lost Welsh king Owen Glendower. He believes that the king must be buried somewhere along the ley line, and that the person who finds him and wakes him up is allowed to ask for a favor of any kind. Blue agrees to help, and through the process grows closer with both Gansey and his friends, Adam, Ronan, and Noah. Adam comes from a poor background with a bad family but is steadfast and hard-working. Ronan is tough and hostile at first glance but has another side not many get to see. Noah is quiet and reserved, but just as part of the group as any of them. The five form a strong friendship and work together to find the location of Owen Glendower, making a huge step towards their goal by the end of the book.

This book introduces you to the characters and the world they inhabit, setting you up to read the next book in the series. I was a fan of the author’s writing and could picture the scenarios she wrote about perfectly in my head. Her writing was detailed enough that it would allow you to picture places and facial expressions but wasn’t so detailed that it became hard to continue reading. Additionally, all of the characters felt different and were easy to remember. However, it often felt like there were long stretches between important plot points. If you’re looking for a book full of grand battles and magical weapons, this book is not for you. While there is magic in this book, it’s not over-the-top and blends with the real world that the reader knows very well. This book would be good for someone looking to read about friendship, discovery, or who wants to imagine that there is magic somewhere waiting to be discovered. I would recommend this book for ages 12-13 and older, as there are some mature themes involved but there is nothing too graphic. While this book was a fun read, it didn’t make me question or reconsider any of my beliefs. This book made me want to read the rest of the series to see how the characters grow and how the plot progresses."

Reviewed by Maggie P., 11th