Buddy Reads discussion

This thread is for your reviews.
Do mark spoilers.

This is my review... I hope there isn't any spoilers.

Darce's review:
I had very high hopes for this book, and that might be why I was let down.

Blue and the boys in this book just didn’t really make me feel anything and I just didn’t care about any of them, which isn’t great given they’re the 5 main characters. If I had to choose a favourite character it would probably be Persephone, who I was quite interested in with her psychic powers and the way that she was described. But the four boys just either bored me or annoyed me (in Gansey and Adam’s cases).

The storyline to this book, searching for magic and having destinies and everything, should have been interesting and a captivating read, but I didn’t enjoy the style of writing and it didn’t really hook me in past the first couple of chapters. The perspective changes were ok, but the ending and the plot twists were reasonably easy to guess and I didn’t really feel anything except disappointment when I finished the book.

I understand that this is probably an unpopular opinion and people may disagree, and you can comment and we can chat about it, but I probably won’t change my opinion. I will not be continuing this series despite the vague interest I have around how Gansey and Blue will work out. I will attempt to read Shiver though, which is also by MS, and hopefully that will be better. Fingers crossed!

I finished this book five days ago, so here is my review:

I am sorry but I did not like this book, and I was really looking forward to reading it as it seems to have such good reviews.

I thought the storyline was interesting and something I would like, but I did not like the writing style, it was difficult to keep track of what was going on, at some point I was not sure what the plot even was, and it took a long time to pick up the pace, half of the book was just their daily life, and then everything was happening so quickly I could not keep up and had to go back several times to check how I got to that part of the story, even from paragraph to paragraph it was confusing.

I also thought that the characters did not seem believable, they are supposed to be teenagers but they act and talk as if they are very philosophical adults and I just did not like this.

I have heard that the other books are better, but I do not think I will be continuing this series.

I did feel like there were times when the chapter started and it did not seem to correctly continue from the page before. But I still want to know what happens so will pick up the second book sometime.

I agree, it was a little choppy, but I can’t stop without knowing who Blue ends up with and what happens to the boys.

I actually loved it a lot, writing style included, and completely plan to finish out the series. Here’s the spoiler-free review I uploaded ten minutes after finishing it.


4 stars but also 10 stars because this book owns my heart, and I know I’ve said that about at least ten books in the last ten minutes, but I mean it this time.

I LOVE THE RAVEN BOYS WITH ALL MY HEART. I SAID IT.

I can’t remember the last time I finished a book and felt this ecstatic. I’m so happy and I don’t know what to do with it.

This book is so weird and strange and I’m so furious at everyone for not making me read it sooner. Like, now that I’ve read this book, everything else in the world is actual trash. That episode of Wizards I’d Waverly Place I’m watching right now? Trash. The black nail polish I’ve been obsessed with lately? Garbage. Flippin Pringles and Skittles and jelly beans and cake? Absolute rubbish.

The Raven Boys made me feel so many feelings and I don’t know what they all are but I love them. I cannot wait to get to know all of the raven boys and Blue and Maura and Calla and Persephone so well that the details of their favorite things and least favorite things are etched onto my brain and heart and soul.

Adam is such a complex character and I’m both scared and excited to see more of his character growth. At first I though he was just a little soft smol boi, but now I know that he’s a COMPLEX soft smol boi.

Blue is probably the most down to earth and relatable of the squad and I would 100% go on a Barnes and Noble date with her and rant about every random thing possible while drinking Starbucks.

Gansey is so driven and passionate and obsessed. He’s basically me during my first-time-reading-the-entire-Harry-Potter-series phase where bad fanfiction was my Bible. He has a soft boi hidden somewhere inside of him and I can’t wait to read about that soft boi in the following books.

Ronan is the angry bad boy with a troubled past trope, except done in a way that makes me NOT instantly hate him and instead want to get to know his history and the thoughts inside his head. I feel like the Ronan inside is distinctly different from the Ronan facade we got throughout all of this book and I’m psyched to analyze the heck out of both of them when we get the secret Ronan.

Also I wanna get to live in a weird house with all of my best gals. So not fair.

The climax left me all like what the heck and, though there were some boring parts, there was enough action and jazz and tea to keep me way interested the whole time.

This isn’t the first Maggie Stiefvater book I’ve read (Scorpio Races was), but I’ve noticed how magical and lyrical and dreamlike her writing is. Ms. Stiefvater, teach me your ways, please. Her writing was so poetic that as soon I’m done with this review and then ranting about it over on my Bookstagram (@evelynandthewords some shameless promotion here), I plan on writing actual poetry for the first time in like seventeen years. Stiefvater’s writing needs a whole national holiday, just saying. If whoever’s in charge of all the national holiday stuff is for some reason reading this, you can go ahead and make that happen. I give you permission.

I’m aware that this was less of a review and more of straight paragraphs of me just fangirling. Do I plan on fixing this review or changing it? Absolutely not. Deal with it sirs. I’m feeling that post-Life Changing Book high and I want it to never end but this review just did. Mic drop