Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (@Scholastic)

Read and reviewed as part of the Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tour

I’ll be honest. I had absolutely no idea what The Raven Boys was about when I requested to be part of the ARC tour. I just knew a bunch of other bloggers had been raving about how excited they were for it, and about what a great writer Maggie Stiefvater is, so I threw my hat in the ring. And then it arrived in the mail and it was thick, and I had just been in a mini-slump and thought “Oh no. I’ll never finish this in a week.”

And then I finished it in three days (which for some book bloggers is still slow, but with the way my life has been lately, let me assure you that three days is about as fast as it gets). If that tells you anything.

The Plot (from Goodreads)

“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.

My Thoughts

First of all, the synopsis is misleading. It implies that there is a romance in this book between Blue and Gansey, and there is not. There is a hint of romance between Blue and one of the other Raven Boys, but not Gansey. Now, I’m pretty sure that if all the foreshadowing is to be believed, the Blue-Gansey romance will come later in the series, but in this first book, there’s actually very little romance at all.

This book does really well on a few fronts. First, the story itself is really interesting. The complex relationships between the boys and Blue, the intricate supernatural element that they’re exploring, and the interwoven mysteries that play out all kept the narrative moving and my attention occupied.

I also really liked several of the characters, particularly Blue, Adam, and strangely enough, Ronan. I’m not even sure if I was supposed to like Ronan, but I did. Adam was definitely my favorite of the Raven Boys, and I thought the best developed. And Blue was feisty and quirky in a way that let me see how she would really fit in well with the odd group of friends.

Maggie Stiefvater’s prose is engaging and flows nicely. I can see why her books are so popular (and now I’m motivated to actually go read the Shiver trilogy, which has been sitting unread on my shelf for months).

One warning: This book asks some pretty big questions that are not answered in this book. One in particular that I thought for sure would be addressed before the end of the book, isn’t. It’s not a cliffhanger per se, just big questions that remain unresolved. Now I’m thinking that it will probably take the entire trilogy to get answers to some of these, but it took the entire book for me to realize the answers weren’t coming.  It didn’t really bother me, but I just want you to be aware.

I did have a few problems with the book that kept me from completely loving it. The first is the shifting POVs. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good multiple-POV book, when it’s done right. And for the most part, this book did it right, with one exception. The villain (of sorts) gets a voice, and while part of me loves the idea of a villain getting to tell his side of the story, I don’t think it worked in this book. It all comes back to my whole hangup with “is this voice necessary?” and his POV was used so infrequently, I didn’t think it was necessary. Interesting? Kinda. Necessary? Probably not. Yes, he lets us in on a few pieces of information we wouldn’t have had otherwise, but I don’t think the story would have suffered without them, or if we had learned them through another method.

Then there’s the fact that I just didn’t really feel connected to Noah or Gansey, and I’m not sure why, but this story really needed me to have a connection with both of those characters to fully succeed. This just might be a problem with my brain, because I haven’t heard of anyone else having this problem. But bottom line, I felt like I really should care about these characters, and I didn’t. Not too much. I didn’t dislike them; I was just sort of apathetic towards them.

Now, will that apathy keep me from picking up the sequel? Definitely not. As I mentioned before, I loved some of the other characters, and the story is fascinating. So while I may not have thought the book was perfect, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be eager to pick up the next one when it comes out to see what happens next with Blue and the Raven Boys.

Content Guide: Contains profanity and some violence

Blog Tour: The Dark Unwinding – Interview with author Sharon Cameron (@CameronSharonE @Scholastic)

I’m excited to be participating in the blog tour, hosted by The Book Vortex, to help launch debut author Sharon Cameron’s new book, The Dark Unwinding! Sharon is a lovely person who I had the pleasure to meet earlier this week at her launch party. Sadly, she was the only person I “knew” at the party, and she was — understandably — completely swamped with adoring fans, so I wound up wallflowering it up in the YA section most of the evening. (Fortunately, I spotted Kat Zhang — who I hadn’t met before, but who is also a lovely person — doing pretty much the same thing, so we wallflowered together.)

But in my few precious moments with Sharon, she ingratiated herself to me permanently by being the only other person I have ever met (who is not related to me) to have seen and loved the movie Raising Arizona. We are now BFFs.

So today, I am excited to bring you an interview with Sharon! I kind of got carried away with my questions and sent her quadruple the amount I was supposed to. Oops. But she was, again, awesome and picked her favorites to answer. I think her answers are pretty spiffy, myself.

Oh, and at the end, there’s a chance to win pretty and shiny swag!

1) How long did it take to write The Dark Unwinding?

From first word to sale to final copy edits, almost three years. To get my first completed
draft, about thirteen months.

2) Is The Dark Unwinding the first novel you’ve written? And if not, what was the first
one about?

Oh, my beloved first novel! It’s about a young man’s sacrifice and impossible choice
when his adopted Scottish clan commits treason against the King of England in 1745. I
hope to shake the dust off it someday!

3) Avoiding spoilers (so you can be really vague if you need to be), what is your
favorite scene in The Dark Unwinding?

I have such a soft spot for the scene where Katharine spends the afternoon sliding down
the hill. It’s a glimpse at everything she would want from her life, and yet believes she
will never have. It was also one of the most difficult scenes to write, probably because I
loved it so much!

4) What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

This came from my agent, Kelly Sonnack, at Andrea Brown Literary. She told me that
whenever she suggested a change in my manuscript, that instead of thinking about the
exact change she suggested, I should focus on why she felt there needed to be a change
in the first place. By focusing on “what” was making a reader feel a certain way, rather
than “how” I was being asked to revise, I think I’ve been able to get to the heart of
the problem during the revision process, rather than focusing on specific changes that
weren’t resonating with me. It made me much more perceptive as a writer.

5) What’s next for you as an author?

The Dark Unwinding the sequel! Look for more info coming soon!

6) Top 5 favorite villains (movies, TV or books – anything goes)

Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes (especially in the new BBC Sherlock television series, SO
awesome!)
Gollum in Lord of the Rings (poor Gollum!)
The Winter in The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Snape in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

7) Top 5 favorite heroes (same as above)

Sam in Lord of the Rings and Eowyn in Lord of the Rings (I can’t possibly choose
between them)
Eugenides in The Queen of Atollia and The King of Atollia (Sigh!)
Jane in Jane Eyre
Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Luggage in The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

8) Best book you’ve read in the past 12 months.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

9) Most recent movie, TV show or book that made you cry.

Oh, gee. The unfortunate truth is, they all do. Happy or sad. It’s humiliating, really.

THCW: I pressed her on Twitter for a REAL answer to this one, and turns out it was a Publix commercial. I feel ya, Sharon. Those things are brutal. Seriously.

10) Reality show you’d have the best chance of winning.

The Amazing Race. I am positive I would rock that and win a million bucks.

11) Ideal vacation spot.

The West Highlands of Scotland. THE most beautiful place on the planet and where I feel
incredibly at home.

Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today, Sharon! I’m so happy I could be part of your tour, and I wish you and The Dark Unwinding oodles of success!

More about Sharon:

Sharon Cameron was awarded the 2009 Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for her debut novel, The Dark Unwinding. When not writing Sharon can be found thumbing dusty tomes, shooting her longbow, or indulging in her lifelong search for secret passages.

More about The Dark Unwinding:

The Dark Unwinding begins when seventeen year old Katharine Tulman is sent to her uncle’s remote and bizarre estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, she finds a child-like, genius inventor with his own set of rules, employing a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London. Katharine is torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving her uncle’s peculiar world that she has come to care for deeply, a choice made even more complicated by a gray-eyed apprentice, and the strange visions and nightmares that have her secretly fearing for her own sanity.

Find Sharon on the Interwebs:

Her website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Visit the other stops on the Blog Tour!

Buy The Dark Unwinding (releasing September 1)

Amazon               Barns & Noble              The Book Depository

And now for some fun swag! Sharon is going to send 10 lucky winners a beautiful ribbon bookmark, perfectly tailored to match your copy of The Dark Unwinding. There’s a key at one end and a metal disk with the title and gears at the other, tied with either a satin or organdy ribbon in light blue (to match the cover model’s dress, of course).

I used my copy of the book to model the bookmark for you. But don’t get excited. It’s my book. You can get your own.

The ribbon is light blue. I swear.

It fits the book perfectly! You know you want one.

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Review: World of the Hunger Games by Kate Egan, Plus a GIVEAWAY!

As I’m sure most of you are well aware, I’m a fan of The Hunger GamesI loved both the book and its film adaptation. Here are my reviews for both:

Book to Film: The Hunger Games

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

So imagine my excitement when I opened my box from Scholastic yesterday and discovered this:

The World of the Hunger Games is a companion to both the book and film version

s of The Hunger Games. Here’s what you’ll find inside (please pardon the glare – a photographer, I am not):

 

The book is divided into sections focusing on different aspects of The Hunger Games. Many subjects are highlighted, including “Life in the Districts,” “Katniss Everdeen,” “Reaping Day,” and obviously, “The People of the Capitol.” Each section uses quotes from the book, the movie, and Suzanne Collins to bring attention to its subject matter.

The book organizes some of the more confusing aspects to the plot and politics of Panem into concise and easy-to-follow summaries.

There are also a ton of stills taken from the movie. Some are those we have seen before, and others, such as the ones above, are new images that focus on things we didn’t get a good look at in the film.

This book is not for people who want to avoid spoilers. Its intended audience has either seen the film, read the book, or both.

There’s also a handy glossary in the back, in case you needed to brush up on your Hunger Games terminology.

My Thoughts

The World of the Hunger Games is meant to be a companion to the book and movie (the movie in particular). It does not provide any great new insight into the story. You will not learn what happened between Peeta and the girl in the woods, you will not become an expert in the history of the war between the Capitol and the Districts, and you will not discover why people in the Capitol decided it’s cool to look so garish. This is not The Silmarillion, and it’s not supposed to be.

What it does do, and does well, is explain the elements of the story simply and understandably. I think it would be especially helpful for people who saw the film but have not read the books. It explains the origins of The Hunger Games, the basics of the political system, the roles of the Districts, and gives a brief profile of all the major players.

I read a lot of comments from people who saw the movie and still couldn’t figure out why the people in the Districts wanted to watch the Games, and why they didn’t fight back. This book helps people who didn’t fully understand all the elements of the story figure out what was going on.

Even if you are a veritable font of information on all things Hunger Games, this is still a fun book to have. I feel I have a pretty solid grasp on the inner workings of Panem, but I still liked reading the summaries. It’s nice to have everything in one place, since all the background information in The Hunger Games is delivered by Katniss in bits and pieces scattered throughout the story.

Plus, the pictures are awesome. My photography doesn’t do them justice. All the main characters are featured in at least a couple of photos: Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, President Snow, Seneca Crane, Cinna, Cato, Rue. I love looking at movie stills, and these are not the same ones that have been plastered all over the Internet for months. They’re printed full-page and glossy and gorgeous.

So for what some wish it was — an in-depth guide to the Games and Panem loaded with new information — it falls short.

For what it is — a fun companion book breaking down the intricacies of Panem and The Hunger Games into an easy-to-follow, beautifully illustrated guide — it’s perfect.

And now…

It’s GIVEAWAY TIME!

As promised, to celebrate my first month in the blogosphere, I’ve decided to host my first-ever giveaway today! Hooray!

So, as much as I loved paging through The World of the Hunger Games, I know myself. I will look through it once, put it proudly on my shelf next to my boxed set of The Hunger Games, and probably never look at it again. And since I’ve already read it cover-to-cover, I’m going to give it to one lucky follower!

But wait! There’s more!

The winner will also receive this:

I’m throwing in the Paperback Movie Tie-in Edition of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! There is the same novel we all know and love, but with new cover art that matches the movie poster.

Since I’ve already reviewed The Hunger Games and you can see the cover art right there, I won’t write a separate review for this edition of the book. But I will point out that if you’re like me and have The Hunger Games in hardcover, this edition is smaller and lighter. Great for road trips or sticking in your purse for “emergencies.”

Add them to your Hunger Games collection, or give them to a friend who has yet to experience the Games! I think it would make an especially great prize/gift to someone who has seen the film and not read the books.

Here’s the details:

  • Books were provided by Scholastic for the purposes of review. I am giving them away after writing this post because, much as I love them, a girl only needs so many copies of the same book!
  • Giveaway will run from 12:01 a.m. on April 26 until 12:01 a.m. on May 4.
  • Winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of the end of the contest. Once notified, winner will have 48 hours to respond with their address before a new winner is chosen.
  • You must be a follower to enter, and can enter every day.
  • You must be at least 13 to enter.
  • U.S. entries only, please.
To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below:


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Thanks for making my first month a great one, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

(Sorry, sorry, but it’s a Hunger Games giveaway. You know I had to say it.)