I’ll be brief. The problem with The Raven Boys was that it spent so much time getting around to the plot, that I’d lost all interest by the time it did. Note that I’m usually a very patient reader if the writing is good enough and the characters interesting enough. It’s not like I’ve got the attention span of a gnat.
What you can expect from The Raven Boys is a lot of faffing. Faffing about here, faffing about there, chasing down some long dead king so that they can get a wish for… something? The story revolved around Blue and her witchy family, and Gansey and his friends, Random 1, Random 2 and Mister Occasionally-Appears-in-this-book-when-convenient. Only Blue and Gansey don’t actually properly meet until about a third of the way into the novel. Like a said, a whole lot of faffing about.
Once they do meet, the novel finally decides it’s ready to get on with the story and canters at break-neck speed past good character development and good plotting towards it’s completely foreseeable end. So yes, pacing clearly leaves something to be desired. Reading this novel felt akin to being slow punched in the face.
Exactly like this only less cool.
The only thing that carried this mediocre novel for me was Steifvater’s writing which has clearly improved some since her Shiver days. When I stopped to think about the themes and messages of this book, I came away with some vague concept about friendship, even though I didn’t entirely feel why any of these people should have been friends except for lynchpin Gansey there who keeps them all together.
What was the book trying to say about the nature of life, relationships, the world? Sometimes it seemed to have something to say about greed and desperation, about the value of relationships, the power of love, but all these messages get mixed up in such a sloppy story that I found it hard to wade through why the book was even written.
I have been told, repeatedly, that the next book is better, or worse. That the books after that are genius or a mess. So many different things. Yet, I think, for my part I’m done.
But hey, if you are a fan of the books, have you seen these awesome dust jackets you can buy?
Natalie Monroe
I felt the exact same way. The pacing is so slow and I couldn’t bring myself to give a fuck about anyone.
Vane J.
I agree 100% with this. I found this book so painfully slow. The writing was beautiful and I thought the character development was good, but god, it was so so boring. Glad to her there’s someone else who agrees with me.
Carina Olsen
I’m still heartbroken that you did not like this book Kat 🙁 SNIFFS. Because I love it like crazy, lol. But I do understand why you had issues with it 🙂 Though I did not. Ack. But aaanyway. I do think your review is gorgeous 😀 And I love reading your thoughts about this book. Even though I don’t agree with most of it, hah 🙂 I’m so sorry that you were disappointed by it :\ I really wanted you to love it too.
Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Books
I totally thought I wasn’t going to like this book either when I started reading it and it had that sllloooowwww start. I was beyond ready for something to happen, but when stuff started happening, I started liking. There have still been things about this series that have bugged me, but for the most part I think it’s really unique. It’s definitely not for everybody though. I liked reading your review because I like seeing the other side of things 🙂
Rosie
There was a lot of faffing now I come to think about it. I did love the book, I couldn’t put it down, but now you mention it there was a lot of faffing about when getting to the point.
La Coccinelle @ The Ladybug Reads...
I liked this book when I read it. I didn’t really mind the slow pace, although I was a little annoyed by the fact that it looked like we’d have to read the whole series before getting any sort of answers about whether Gansey would or wouldn’t bite the dust.
And then I read the second book, and realized that I remembered next to nothing about the first book, so I was completely lost for most of it. On top of that, the second book focuses on Ronan, who I thought was little more than a walking stereotype (I still don’t much like him, even if I do “get him” a little more now).
I haven’t decided if I’ll continue with the series. I mean, I want to know how it all eventually turns out… but I’m afraid I’ll start reading Blue Lily, Lily Blue and be completely lost again!
Steph Sinclair
I tried the audiobook a while back, but I disliked the narrator so much that I quit 30 mins in. I may try the print because a friend gave me a copy. I’m curious to see if I’ll feel the same way as you.
Ryan McCarthy
Now I know to lower my expectations a little if I get around to reading this. As far as Maggie Stiefvater goes, I’ve read The Scorpio Races, which I liked quite a bit. I’m interested to see if I would feel the same way as you if I read this.
Sarah
Oh dang, this is on my TBR for the next few weeks. I’ve got high hopes for it because I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. Maybe its slow because its a series and the plot is meant to be dragged out across the four (?) books? Sometimes I think authors get caught up in the series craze and the individual books leave something t be desired.
I’m kind of glad I only bought the first book in case I don’t like it as well.
Beth @ Fuelled by Fiction
Haha, great review. I totally see your point. I’m currently about halfway through the third book and I am actually totally in love with this series. I can see why you didn’t like the pacing, but, gotta say, it totally worked for me. I liked feeling like things were unfolding for me at the same rate they were for the characters. The next two books are more plotty. I’m more of a character reader and really love the five of them 😛