Audiobook Review: The Raven Boys

Title: The Raven Boys

Series: Raven Cycle

Author: Maggie Stiefvater 

Genre: YA Paranormal

Source: Purchased audiobook from Audible.com
More information from Goodreads

I am a HUGE fan of author Maggie Stiefvater's work. She is an amazing story teller and is a wordsmith like no other. I totally get lost in the worlds she creates. Stiefvater's The Raven Boys certainly lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Honestly, when I was listening to the audiobook, I thought to myself, this is the kind of book that makes me feel smarter for having 'read' or listened to in my case. I think that is quite the feat. Raven Boys topic and theme could have easily went hokey/lame or childish. But while the main characters were still young (in high school) they seemed mature and worldly but also wistful in their quest.

I think one of my favorite characters of Raven Boys is Gansey, aka President Cell Phone. And what I like about Gansey is well, besides everything (the car, the spoiled rich boy but doesn't try to flaunt it, the way he always says the wrong thing with the best intentions, so forth), is his zealously for the quest that has become his life's work. I admire how he took a life threatening experience and used it to fuel a passion for MORE out of life.

Of course, I liked the whole cast of rich characters. In fact, I liked the characters so much the story could have been about anything and it would have been good. I like how Adam felt so real. I liked the "other worldliness" Noah and the angry, carelessness of Rowan. I like how Blue wanted to be different but she was usually just predictable. I enjoyed the whole crazy crew that lives at Blue's house.

The only thing that I found to be disappointing was the end. I know it's a series but it left on an odd note and I'm not quite sure I understood what it all meant. I'm REALLY looking forward to Raven Boys 2 because I NEED to know what was meant and what's going to happen.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I was all prepared to go all 5 stars on Raven Boys but that ending really ticked me off. The more I've thought about that though, that possibly shows just how good of a book this was...think about it. I was so invested I wanted to know everything, I wanted to be shown all the cards to use a reference that could be Raven Boys related. I just ticked Raven Boys ended before divulging all it's secrets.

MrCaptKirk's thoughts on Raven Boys: I like it because it kept you guessing and you never really knew what was going to happen. The ending was not what I had expected. 

His rating: I'd say 4 or maybe 4.5.  I just really liked that it kept you guessing.

Clayton, Me & author Maggie Stiefvater at a book signing in 2011.

Day 03 – Your favorite series

30 Day Book Meme for December 2012

Day 3 is "your favorite series." I really enjoy reading series because you kind of always know what you want to read next or have a new book to be excited about coming out. So I've read quite a few series. Some of favorites include: 

From my childhood:

The Baby Sitters Club was my favorite. I probably read more than a 100 of these!

More recently:

I'm a huge Charlaine Harris fan (see CH post), especially her Sookie Stackhouse books! I also like her Harper Connelly, Lily Bard, and Aurora Teagarden series too!

I really like Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices (see my post here) AND her Mortal Instruments series!

Image from http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/7938275-the-hunger-games-trilogy-boxset

I also really enjoyed The Hunger Game series by Suzanne Collins.  The series is based in the future in a dystopian society where each year a male and female or tributes are sent to compete in a 'to the death' competition. 

I'm also a fan of: 

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater.

BUT

Still my favorite all time series is going to have to be:

For me...many of the questions in this meme and in life can be answered by Twilight! Ha, I know right!? But it's so true!

Book photos from Goodreads.

Day 01 – The best book you read this year

30 Day Book Meme for December 2012

I'm going to try my best to keep up with this 30 Day Book Meme for December. If you go to the host website, you'll see all the great post ideas for the month. I think it'll be a good way to recap the books I've read the books I've read this year and in the past. I hope you'll take part as well. Leave me a link to your posts in the comments, I'd love to see your bookish thoughts!

Day 1 is "the best book you read this year." Well, I've read a quite a few books this year and this was the year I began blogging so this is a great place to start this 30 day meme.

I really enjoyed: 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Absolutely True Diary of Part by Sherman Alexie

and many other books I read this year...

...BUT...

I think my very favorite of the year was

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Such an EPIC story! It's sooo good, I laughed, I cried, 

I want more out of my life because of this book.

The Scorpio Races: Audiobook & November Cakes

Book Description from Amazon:

Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.
Some riders live.
Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.

My thoughts:

This is one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. The English accents threw me off a bit in the beginning but it all worked well together and added to the experience of the story. I became truly emerged in the story. By the last CD, in my car on my way home from work, my heart was beating like crazy right long with the riders in the race. Maybe I loved this book because I have always wanted a horse but never had the opportunity and this was a way to live vicariously. (But then again, aren't all books a way to live vicariously?)

I nearly teared up a couple of times while driving and when I finally got home and listened to the last five minutes or so I was bawling in earnest. (Now, mind you, it really doesn't take much to make me cry. But still, I believe what I was doing could be considered weeping.) Crying not from sadness, except for sadness the book was over, but from powerful, raw emotion of the well crafted story. Maggie Stievater has this way with words that is just...magical. It is smart, witty, emotion and thought provoking. I've read other books she has published (The Wolves of Mercy Falls series: Shiver, Linger, and Forever and her Faerie series Lament and Ballad) and they are all good too. But The Scorpio Races is the best to date, I think. At the end of the audiobook there is an author's notes section where Maggie explains how her idea of water horses evolved and gave further insight into the story. Super cool fact: Maggie wrote and played the music heard on the audio production of Scorpio Races and is an accomplished bagpipe player.

I would certainly recommend this book, audio or otherwise. There is a love story it is stuble and it sneaks up on you and it's all the better for it. Amazon says the age range is 14 and up and that seems to be approprate in my opinion.

For a bit of creativity:

In The Scorpio Races there are several mentions of November Cakes. These are special cakes that they only get around race time. Just from hearing the description, I thought of super awesome cinnamon rolls. I did some looking around and on the author's website she has a recipe for November Cakes so I had to try them. I just need to hang onto Thisby a little while longer!

Here's the link to Maggie's Recipe. 

Pic of my (attempt of) November Cake:

(Note: When I made my version, we accidentally used the wrong recipe. The one Maggie says DO NOT use. Yeah, that's what me and hubs did. Oh well. They still tasted pretty good. Next time we make November Cakes we will use the right recipe!)

What A Great Bookish Day!

Yesterday morning a co-worker asked me about a book because I "always have great book recommendations." This kinda set my day for a great bookish day! I finished the book I was reading and the audio book I was listening to in my car, Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, respectively. Both of which were very good and look for reviews and what not coming soon to a blog near you (aka this one)! 

And once I got home I found my first Advanced Reading Copy in the mail!!! Which, by the way, when I had emailed the publisher about it I got a polite email back saying they didn't have anymore copies. I can't wait to read and review this book. (Its The Third Covenant Novel.) And I kinda feel like I'm really part of the book blog "club" now! 

Needless to say, I was super excited to see it! And now you can see it too!!!

Look at that! ARC of Deity

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

and some book swag!

THANKS Spencer Hill Press!!

You guys ROCK!