Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater 

“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.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

Publishes in US: July 30th 2013 by Scholastic Paperbacks
Genre: YA paranormal
Source: library
Series? The Raven Cycle #1

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   I've had my eyes on The Raven Boys for quite some time because of all of the positive reviews. I decided to wait a bit for a few reasons--maybe expectations would be on par instead of reading right when hype is high, and also, I just haven't had time in my reading schedule. 

   I connected with Blue right away. I liked her voice and I could relate with feeling on the outside even if my feelings have nothing to do with the paranormal. Hers is because she hasn't been able to see ghosts or have any intuition for the supernatural world, she only amplifies that of her family. Speaking of they are so eclectic and fun to read about. It had to be hard for Blue as well because a premonition has followed her for her whole life-- that the boy she kissed/fell in love with would die. I mean talk about a dating downer and how you view yourself. 

    When it came to the Raven Boys, it took me longer to get a sense of their separate personalities and how they played into the story. Gansey is the boy that Blue saw, so it seems that I would gravitate to him, but he seems to have a split personality and I had a hard time with his ups and downs and acting so differently. I was more drawn to Adam personally. 

    I was pretty confused at times, and I know that some is probably on purpose, and honestly I would skim a bit, since I was intimidated by the size to start with.  It had that feeling that everything was slowly setting up, and honestly I am surprised that I stuck with it since I had issues that I didn't really get inside the head of and feel for the guys as separate characters but also how they work together. But I liked Blue and I liked the mystical feel to it, and wanted to know how it would play out for Blue and Gansey.

    But there was something about it, even with my gripes that I just couldn't put it down and I had to know what would happen. As the story went on I was able to finally get a grasp on some of the raven boys, but Adam continued to be my favorite. 

    There were so many twists, and changed what I thought of the different characters and the roles they played. Some of the character's actions really surprised me as well as the whole thread of her first kiss and who I thought and who I wanted it to be. I will be continuing the series, and glad I gave it a chance. 

Bottom Line: Slow set-up but loved Blue, one of the main characters, and the mystical tone.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you ever have supernatural intuition or know someone who does? Or do you not believe in that sort of thing in real life?