Tag Archives: The Raven Boys

[REVIEW] The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, Book 1)
Scholastic (US & CA: 18th September 2012; UK & AU: 19th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Prophecies and searching for an ancient dead king who may not be dead – doesn’t really sound like my cup of tea. But it says a lot about Maggie Stiefvater’s massive talents that she can pump out a five-star novel out of a premise that at first doesn’t intrigue. The Wolves of Mercy Falls novels were too romancey and emo, and The Scorpio Races just didn’t work for me at all, but The Raven Boys hits the nail on the head. The unfolding mystery, the layered and complex characters, the banter, the humour – I love it all! It’s the first in a series, so I don’t know if the quality will stay high as the story progresses, but I’m willing to check out future titles. If not, The Raven Boys is a lovely standalone. Awesome.

9 New Deals (Armstrong, Arthur, Farley, Hopkins, Pearce, Picoult, Roth, Stiefvater)

SPACE (a Canadian TV channel) has ordered the new original scripted drama series Bitten. Based on the best-selling Women of the Otherworld novels by Canadian author Kelley Armstrong, thirteen episodes of the one-hour drama have been ordered, with production set to begin in Toronto next spring (autumn Aussie time).

Keri Arthur‘s Fire Born to NAL in a two-book deal (World English). A new series about a phoenix, a fire spirit capable of taking on human form, who is also cursed with the ability to foresee death via her dreams.

Keri Arthur‘s next two books in the Dark Angels series to NAL (World English). Featuring a half-werewolf/half-Aedh.

Christina Farley‘s Gilded (2013) to Amazon Children’s (World). A 16-year-old Korean-American girl with a black belt and a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows discovers an ancient Korean god has been kidnapping the first-born daughters of her family for generations.

Karen Ann Hopkins‘ third book in the Temptation trilogy to Harlequin Teen (World). A series about the dramatic and forbidden love between two teens, one who’s Amish and one who’s not, and the sacrifices they must make in order to be together.

Jackson Pearce‘s fourth companion book in her retold fairytale series, Cold Spell (2013) to Little, Brown (World English). A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen about a girl on a journey to save her childhood friend after he’s captured and held hostage in the unforgiving north.

Jodi Picoult‘s next three books to Ballantine (World, exc. UK), for publication beginning in 2014.

The film adaptation of Veronica Roth‘s Divergent has been set for release on 21st March 2014 in North America.

Maggie Stiefvater‘s The Raven Boys optioned to New Line. Akiva Goldsman is attached to produce.

18th September 2012 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Amy Garvey
Glass Heart (Cold Kiss, Book 2)
HarperCollins Teen (US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Wren can do things that other people can only dream of. Make it snow on a clear, crisp day. Fly through an abandoned tunnel. Bring a paper bird to life. Wren knows her abilities are tinged with danger – knows how easy it is to lose control – but she can’t resist the intoxicating rush. And now that she has Gabriel by her side, someone who knows what she can do – what she has done – she finally feels free to be herself. But as Wren explores the possibilities of her simmering powers, Gabriel starts pushing her away. Telling her to be careful. Telling her to stop. The more he cautions her, the more determined Wren becomes to prove that she can handle things on her own. And by the time she realises that Gabriel may be right, it could be too late to bring him back to her side.

Jay Kristoff
Stormdancer
Macmillan (US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him. But the mission proves less impossible and more deadly than anyone expects. Soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. Although she can hear his thoughts, and saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. Yet trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu form a surprising and powerful bond. Meanwhile, the country verges on collapse. A toxic fuel is choking the land, the machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure, and the Shogun cares for nothing but his own dominion. Authority has always made Yukiko uneasy, but her world changes when she meets Kin, a young man with secrets, and the rebel Kagé cabal. She learns the horrifying extent of the Shogun’s crimes, both against her country and her family. Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu are determined to make the Shogun pay – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Boys
Scholastic (US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

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.

Kat Zhang
What’s Left of Me
HarperCollins (CA: US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else – two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbours shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable – hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

September 2012 Releases

Done with August 2012 Releases? Here are September 2012 Releases. For future titles, check Reading Wishlist.

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4 New Deals (Cummings, Jay, Rowen, Stiefvater)

Sean Cummings‘s Poltergeeks to Angry Robot in a 2-book deal. Poltergeeks is due out October 2012, with the sequel to come in 2013. World English rights, print & electronic. Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her & her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus & a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother & avoid being grounded – again!

Stacey Jay‘s futuristic retelling of Beauty and the Beast to Delacorte (NA) in a 2-book deal.

Michelle Rowen‘s Countdown to Harlequin Teen. Previously published as adult fiction, to be revised & retitled for young adult. A street thief & a convicted murderer must work together against the clock to beat a deadly reality game.

Maggie Stiefvater‘s 4-book The Raven Cycle series, beginning with The Raven Boys, featuring a rich boy at the Aglionby Academy.

8 New Covers (Anderson, Hart, Kane, Kittredge, Littlefield, Norris, Roth, Stiefvater)

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