Age: Middle School-High School

Not quite the ripping page turner of other magic-based books, The Raven Boys unravels the magical energy surrounding the little town of Henrietta. Raised in a house of psychics, Blue tends to amplify their abilities with no special ability of her own. When she joins a rag-tag group of boys on their quest for a Welsh king led by the charming Gansey, Blue finally feels like she belongs as part of a unit. But Blue has a dark secret: A daunting prophecy has revealed that the first boy she kisses will die. Although she has seen Gansey's spirit wandering the graveyard of the soon-to-be dead, she is falling for another boy, Adam, desperately trying to avoid a kiss that could seal his death.

I liked the more gritty presentation of magic through paranormal happenings that exist in our world such as psychic readings and energy surges. The various abilities of Blue's family was also fun to watch in play and I'm intrigued to see more of them throughout the series.

Although young love is blooming in Blue's life, the ties of friendship between the boys and Blue is much more interesting to me. Through their friendship and shared "screen time" (if you will) I am delighted to move onto the next book to continue their story.