Parent reviews for The Raven Boys:The Raven Cycle, Book 1

The Raven Cycle series is worth reading starting with Raven Boys. It is among my all-time favorites. Ever chapter was good and the characters developed beautifully. At its core, this book is about friendship at the familial level. These characters are all very different but love each other very deeply. There is a lot of mystery that extends throughout the series. Who is the true love? Will they find the old welsh king? How does the one Raven boy die?

I really loved this series of books. Maggie Stiefvater is an amazing story teller. It takes a while for the story to get going, but it’s worth the wait. I enjoyed the characters so much that I didn’t want it to end. There is strong cursing in this book, especially from Ronan. There is also some violence and drinking. I don’t recommend it for all teenagers. My daughter was 12 when she read the series. She is a very mature girl. She loved it! Really, I had to buy her mint leaves for months. You’ll see why. Adults that like fantasy should read this series too.

This novel is dark, deals a lot with paranormal, and was very difficult to get into. The first 200 pages or so were very slow. There is a lot of swearing, consumerism and domestic abuse. An abusive father beats his son, brothers fist fighting, etc. Sex is kept to a minimum. There is also quite a bit of swearing.