BEA Book Review #2--The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater

It's Wednesday! Wow, week, where did you go?

Well, as promised, this month is all about reviews (and, of course, that amazing GUTGAA event going on, courtesy of Deana Barnhart). And today, I picked a good one. Oooooh, I'm so excited to share this one with you. *shivers in anticipation*

“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.

*Sigh* What do I say? First off, I'll let you know I waited a long time before picking up this book. It sat there on my bookshelf out of fear. Fear because I loved Shiver and I really didn't want to risk reading a book I might not like by an author I loved. 

And the summary didn't do it for me. At all.

As wonderfully written as all these YA books coming out are, I'm getting a little bored with romance. Not that I don't like romance, it's just things have felt...similar. And I was afraid that a really cool story would eventually morph into chapters upon chapters of two people falling in love instead of two people working together to get through the obstacles the story has presented.

But a fellow SHP author posted about her love for the book on Facebook and I really liked what she had to say, so I decided I needed to give it a go.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Brilliance! So much brilliance.

This is NOT just about two teens finding love and the ensuing chapters of kissy-kissy. Not that many chapters of kissy-kissy is bad, it's just been done and I wanted something new.

In typical Maggie Stiefvater fashion, the story has a very contemporary feel. It's both dark and vivid. And though I'm not usually into stories about mediums/clairvoyants, I really loved Blue's story and her family. Every character came to life and each one was brilliant in a different way.

And is also typical of Stiefvater, each character was so detailed, so fleshed out, any one of them could have been the MC. But Blue is the heroine here and she is amazing. First off, I love the name. And I love how she's kind of the opposite of special. Surrounded by very talented women, she's pretty normal. And she does not want to be normal.

If you love kick-butt female MCs (who show you rather than tell you how kick-butt they are), very real, very sympathetic characters, and unique story lines, you'll like this book.

Though there aren't long, drawn-out kissy-kissy bits, there are very sweet, wonderful moments that should please any romance lover.

Preorder now! Do it. *waves jedi hand*

BEA Book Review #1--Crewel, by Gennifer Albin

Hi, everyone! If you're stopping by for the GUTGAA Meet and Greet, my post is here.

As my long-time followers know, I went to BEA last June! And I got a LOT of books. I'm still working through them all, but this was the summer of reading, so I have lots all ready to review. :)

Today, I'm going to talk about this one:

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

I have to admit that I did NOT know Gennifer Albin was going to be at BEA. So when I was walking around, looking for a good book to stand in line for, I did something embarrassing. I asked a very nice girl (who was standing in a very long line) who she was waiting for. When she said Gennifer Albin, the author of Crewel, I squealed. Right in her face. 

And then I ran away to the end of the line. 

*head smack*

Obviously, when my senses came back to me, I was humiliated.

And obviously, you can guess Crewel was one of the first books I read when I got back home. 

Adelice Lewys is an easy protagonist to fall in love with, especially when you find out what happens to her. Gennifer Albin was not afraid to write about tough issues and force her characters to make hard choices. There were moments I actually gasped.

And the writing. Let me talk about the writing.

The insides match the cover, my dear readers: beautiful.

Albin weaved words as wondrously as her characters weaved space and time. I loved all the characters (even the annoying ones) and loved every moment I was stuck in their world.

I HIGHLY recommend you check this book out. Preorder. Now.