You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
.png)
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into this not expecting much, and almost gave up about ten pages in. Not from a genuine dislike, or even a permanent "did not finish" sort of rating--I just thought this was going to be a fluffy little paranormal/urban romance or something and I wasn't really in the mood.
I was very, very wrong, and I feel very, very foolish.
This was honestly phenomenal. It had a mythological element to it that I absolutely was not expecting but that I adored. I love hidden history and ancient myth and the feel of Arthurian legend, and this had it in spades, with a mystery and a bit of thriller mixed in as well.
The Raven Boys themselves were fascinating. They were difficult and three-dimensional and just very well-written. I liked each and every one of them, and if occasionally I wanted to beat Ronan over the head, I was in excellent company with that desire.
Adam and Gansey really shined. I loved watching them attempt to interact with each other when they came from such different places, and I felt for both of their hang-ups that caused problems with their friendship. Gansey probably stole my heart a bit more simply because his character was just more similar to mine in many ways--he wants the best for his friends, but he can't quite figure out what that is or what he needs to do with that, and also he has an unlikely quest of his own to pursue and he wants to make sure he has time to manage it and to handle all of the research necessary to follow every possible clue in the hopes of discovering what has been hidden.
I felt a lot for Adam, who had an unfortunate situation and enough pride to turn a bad situation into one that was almost worse. Watching him handle the fallout of the entire quest was interesting, and I can't wait to see where he will end up going from here. I'm a little worried about how dark his future is going to be, admittedly.
There was magic, but it was the sort of uncontrolled magic that makes it harder for the characters instead of easier. Blue's family was the major source of it--women that can see the future, with all of the pitfalls of that particular gift. Blue herself was easy enough to root for and to understand. She wanted to fit in, but not too much--a very teenage mindset. The part that made it interesting was really that she wasn't sure where she wanted to fit in, but the primary place was in a family full of what society would label outcasts. She fortunately did not suffer from YA heroine syndrome, so she also felt like a real and three-dimensional character. I liked her quite a bit.
I can't wait to see where things are going to go from here. There was a mystery cleared up by the end of this novel, but not the entirety of the long-term quest, and something new and intriguing was introduced in the very last line that I can't wait to see a follow-up on. It didn't feel like an incomplete story, but it did feel like something that I really want to read more about as soon as possible, so I can't wait to see what happens next.
I may have accidentally read the entire book in one sitting without even stopping for water because I needed to see what happened. And I am remarkably okay with that, except now I am ready for the next one and it is going to seem like a ridiculously long wait.
I won't say that this book touched me deeply, but I was definitely drawn in quickly and it was hard to stop reading. It was fun, which is sometimes more than I can say about books, even books I genuinely like, and there will always be a place for fun books in my reading.
Adriana, our titular "demon princess", is actually more of a character than simply that, which is refreshing. It is an unfortunate thing I have noticed in YA fiction where once a character is given a "thing" that (s)he is, the author feels like they are done and no longer have to bother fleshing the character out. This is not true here, and it made it much easier to get inside Adriana's head and stay there happily.
She does not do knee-jerk reactions to things, she's capable of being patient and thoughtful and actually clever, and she's willing to re-evaluate things that she's heard all her life without falling into either the trap of immediately tossing everything (herself and her opinions included) aside OR refusing to look at things that contradict her previous beliefs. Thank you, Kassandra Lynn, for a YA main character that doesn't act like a complete idiot.
Because of all of this, I am significantly more invested in the romance that eventually starts to develop, and I'm much more willing to go along for that particular ride. Bonus points for it being a generally non-creepy romance, of course--I've seen a few too many books where the romance is treated as the pinnacle of the characters lives and is also a deeply unhealthy relationship besides. This does not do that.
I feel like I've spent a lot talking about what this book is not, which is good in that all the things I've mentioned are things I don't want my books to be, but probably not the most helpful in explaining what the book actually is.
It is a good read, certainly, and filled with characters that are different. A few of them fall into the "overly villainous villain" category, but it's the first book in a series and is in Adriana's viewpoint, so that gets some slack. The rest of the crop are interesting, and if we don't get to hear as much about them as would be helpful in fleshing them out, they also seem to be characters that actually have something there to flesh out, so that is a hopeful sign for future books in the series.
I really liked the whole "Wise Man, Savior, Warrior" part of the world. It felt a little like an RPG, but in a good way (is there a bad way it can feel like that, though? Just me?). I'm interested to see where that is going, and what may come of it. I'm thinking prophecies in the next book, maybe? I do love me some prophecies.
I'll be picking up the next book and probably swallowing it whole, as I did with this one.
This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I won't say that this book touched me deeply, but I was definitely drawn in quickly and it was hard to stop reading. It was fun, which is sometimes more than I can say about books, even books I genuinely like, and there will always be a place for fun books in my reading.
Adriana, our titular "demon princess", is actually more of a character than simply that, which is refreshing. It is an unfortunate thing I have noticed in YA fiction where once a character is given a "thing" that (s)he is, the author feels like they are done and no longer have to bother fleshing the character out. This is not true here, and it made it much easier to get inside Adriana's head and stay there happily.
She does not do knee-jerk reactions to things, she's capable of being patient and thoughtful and actually clever, and she's willing to re-evaluate things that she's heard all her life without falling into either the trap of immediately tossing everything (herself and her opinions included) aside OR refusing to look at things that contradict her previous beliefs. Thank you, Kassandra Lynn, for a YA main character that doesn't act like a complete idiot.
Because of all of this, I am significantly more invested in the romance that eventually starts to develop, and I'm much more willing to go along for that particular ride. Bonus points for it being a generally non-creepy romance, of course--I've seen a few too many books where the romance is treated as the pinnacle of the characters lives and is also a deeply unhealthy relationship besides. This does not do that.
I feel like I've spent a lot talking about what this book is not, which is good in that all the things I've mentioned are things I don't want my books to be, but probably not the most helpful in explaining what the book actually is.
It is a good read, certainly, and filled with characters that are different. A few of them fall into the "overly villainous villain" category, but it's the first book in a series and is in Adriana's viewpoint, so that gets some slack. The rest of the crop are interesting, and if we don't get to hear as much about them as would be helpful in fleshing them out, they also seem to be characters that actually have something there to flesh out, so that is a hopeful sign for future books in the series.
I really liked the whole "Wise Man, Savior, Warrior" part of the world. It felt a little like an RPG, but in a good way (is there a bad way it can feel like that, though? Just me?). I'm interested to see where that is going, and what may come of it. I'm thinking prophecies in the next book, maybe? I do love me some prophecies.
I'll be picking up the next book and probably swallowing it whole, as I did with this one.
This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
