The Raven Cycle [by Maggie Stiefvater] Geek-Out Thread

RaggedEdge

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It's finally spring and only a month to go until the final book in Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle series is released! THE RAVEN KING, book 4, is due in stores April 26, 2016.

I know there are Raven Cycle fans on this forum and I thought it would be fun to have a thread where we can post news and links and of course our own questions or thoughts on any of the books in the series.

For anyone reading this thread, I think it's fair to say there will be spoilers revealed for the first three books and eventually on the final book, but please no spoilers for Book 4 before people have time to get it and read it. :)

I'll start by posting this link from SoundCloud: the first chapter of THE RAVEN KING from the audio book, read by Will Patton. It totally puts me in the mood for the rest of the book!

And as much as I look forward to everyone's posts here, I may just disappear for a while when the book comes out so it can mesmerize me and break my heart all by itself...
 

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Oooh... now I'm torn! Do I want to listen to the first chapter, knowing it's all I'm gonna get? Will that just be too tantalizing? But I WANT TO HEAR IT!!!

I'm sold on Will Patton's narration of this series. I'm honestly not sure how much I'd have liked the books if I'd read them, but listening to Will Patton read them has been fantastic. I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to hire a middle-aged man to narrate a story about an angsty teenage girl, but whoever it was is a GENIUS. He's perfect for the books, and a big part of my enjoyment of the series.

So, no! I will restrain myself. I won't listen to that chapter because it would hurt too much to know I can't have the rest of it right away.

But the countdown is definitely ON!
 

RaggedEdge

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I commend your restraint. :)

And I agree on his voice being perfect and on being surprised that it works so well for this story. I own all the books and all the audio books. But then again, these books cover a wider spectrum of male angst than female angst, seems to me (if only Calla had her own POV!). I have never looked up Patton to see anything about him and maybe that helps. Is he well known for any acting parts?
 

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I commend your restraint. :)

And I agree on his voice being perfect and on being surprised that it works so well for this story. I own all the books and all the audio books. But then again, these books cover a wider spectrum of male angst than female angst, seems to me (if only Calla had her own POV!). I have never looked up Patton to see anything about him and maybe that helps. Is he well known for any acting parts?

He's been a character actor in a lot of really good movies, but he rarely (never?) stars. I think I first saw him in No Way Out, a Kevin Costner spy thriller from the late eighties/early nineties. But he's been in a lot of movies - you've probably seen him in at least some and said, oh, yeah, that guy.
 

Becca C.

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I have the first book in The Raven Cycle but haven't read it. I was lukewarm on SHIVER, the only Maggie Stiefvater book I've read... should I definitely read TRC like pronto? A lot of people seem to be mental over it!
 

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Captcha, someday I'll have to see him in a movie. But for now I'll just enjoy him as the gravelly-voiced narrator of my favorite pack of friends. ;)


I have the first book in The Raven Cycle but haven't read it. I was lukewarm on SHIVER, the only Maggie Stiefvater book I've read... should I definitely read TRC like pronto? A lot of people seem to be mental over it!

Becca, I was lukewarm on Shiver, too. I've heard other fans of The Raven Cycle say similarly. TRC is so much more than a paranormal romance, it doesn't even belong in that category. It's truly unique. Maggie actually wrote a version of the story at age 19 and said it turned out very messy. Since writing the Shiver trilogy, she's written a lot of excellent short stories and the Printz Honor book, THE SCORPIO RACES. The result is that by the time she started to rewrite TRC, not only had it stewed a long while, but she also brought serious writing chops to it. It has exceptional scope and depth.

Another thing most people seem to agree on: You cannot appreciate the first book, THE RAVEN BOYS, from the jacket copy. It doesn't do it justice in the least. And I'll add that the first chapters can seem a little slow or overly descriptive. I myself found it a bit hard to wade through and didn't always have patience for the POV shifts. But those details are what make it so enjoyable to re-read.
 
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I have the first book in The Raven Cycle but haven't read it. I was lukewarm on SHIVER, the only Maggie Stiefvater book I've read... should I definitely read TRC like pronto? A lot of people seem to be mental over it!

Alternatively, if you listen to audio books AT ALL, this one is truly wonderful in audio.

As I said above, I'm not sure I would have had the patience for some of the - hmmm. I don't know, lyricism that seems as if it's right on the edge of twee-ness? Does that make any sense? Like, I feel as if sometimes maybe the writing is a bit self-indulgent in its dreaminess? Maybe? And I'm not usually a reader who enjoys that sort of thing. So I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much if I didn't have the great narration guiding me through it.

Huh. I don't usually re-listen to audiobooks, but in honour of the new release, maybe I'll relisten to these!
 

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I absolutely love Maggie Stiefvater and all her books.... but I'm a little critical whether this is the right place to discuss it?! After all, this is the writing/professional talk corner of Absolute Write, a place to discuss the YA literature market and things that go hand-in-hand with that. If you want to discuss why TRC is the series that generated a large fandom when MS has had several series before which had fans but not this sort of following, I'd be all over that discussion.

However a "Geek Out Thread" would be better in the Bookclub section of Absolute Write, no?
 

RaggedEdge

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I absolutely love Maggie Stiefvater and all her books.... but I'm a little critical whether this is the right place to discuss it?! After all, this is the writing/professional talk corner of Absolute Write, a place to discuss the YA literature market and things that go hand-in-hand with that. If you want to discuss why TRC is the series that generated a large fandom when MS has had several series before which had fans but not this sort of following, I'd be all over that discussion.

However a "Geek Out Thread" would be better in the Bookclub section of Absolute Write, no?

dancing-drama, you may be right. I forgot that subforum existed on AW. I'll see what the moderators think.
 

LadyA

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Found this randomly, and am here to geek out with you all! (If anyone's moved across with the thread to the Bookclub subforum, that is)

I have such high hopes for The Raven King, especially after all the good industry reviews Maggie's been having. I'll admit, I'm mainly in it for Pynch, and seeing how/if Gansey dies (no no nooooo). I have a feeling Owen Glendower is going to be some big metaphor and either they don't find him or he turns out to be not what they were expecting, etc - but they realize it was all about the journey that has made them into men (or something like that).

I'm really hoping Adam in particularly has a happy ending - not just because I am partial to tall blond guys (my first crush and kiss was one)! Maggie said her saddest/favourite scene to write was Adam's last scene, and said she listened to WINTER by Nieves the whole time writing it, and that song is SO SAD.


I have the first book in The Raven Cycle but haven't read it. I was lukewarm on SHIVER, the only Maggie Stiefvater book I've read... should I definitely read TRC like pronto? A lot of people seem to be mental over it!

Becca, I was lukewarm on Shiver, too. I've heard other fans of The Raven Cycle say similarly. TRC is so much more than a paranormal romance, it doesn't even belong in that category. It's truly unique. Maggie actually wrote a version of the story at age 19 and said it turned out very messy. Since writing the Shiver trilogy, she's written a lot of excellent short stories and the Printz Honor book, THE SCORPIO RACES. The result is that by the time she started to rewrite TRC, not only had it stewed a long while, but she also brought serious writing chops to it. It has exceptional scope and depth.

Another thing most people seem to agree on: You cannot appreciate the first book, THE RAVEN BOYS, from the jacket copy. It doesn't do it justice in the least. And I'll add that the first chapters can seem a little slow or overly descriptive. I myself found it a bit hard to wade through and didn't always have patience for the POV shifts. But those details are what make it so enjoyable to re-read.

*sheepishly raises hand* I'm in the minority for this one. I adored the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, particularly SHIVER. Grace and Sam's instalove (and Grace's creepy wolf fetish) were problematic, I definitely see that, but I forgive them because I just loved the rest of it. Sam Roth in particular. But also the beautiful writing and the way the wolves and their lives were thought out.
 

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Hi LadyA. Thanks for joining in! Interesting thoughts. I'm in it for ALL the relationships. ;) As for the Owen Glendower storyline, I don't think the quest will be metaphorical. But I do think this (I've hidden the following for those who don't want to read potentially spoilery suppositions!): The fact that "time is cyclical" will be a key. All that stuff about the tapestry from centuries ago looking just like Blue has to mean something. And several other clues... And somehow that will play into Gansey's death. The whole thing started with her seeing his spirit at the church yard when she shouldn't have been able to see anyone makes me think there's an issue with his death and she'll play a part in its outcome. (You heard it here first, folks!) :tongue


And as for SHIVER, I agree the writing was good in all of it. I'm just a little too old to appreciate werewolf stories, I think. Although I did really enjoy the followup novel, SINNER.

Additional TRC thoughts today:

There's a read-along for the first three books taking place now. It's explained in more depth on this Tumblr post. Twitter hashtag: #ReadTRC. I haven't examined it enough to know whether anyone is welcome to participate in the Twitter hashtag without doing anything with Tumblr first. (I DO do Twitter as @EMGwriter but not Tumblr because TIME and also *confusing* but I do check in on Maggie's brain over there now and then. Always worth the trip!)

So, is anyone re-reading the earlier books or planning to??? I've read each 2-3 times and reread BLLB not that long ago so I may not.

I'm both wanting to discuss all my thoughts and wanting to keep them all precious inside. Anyone else feel that way?
 
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Netz

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I'm currently re-reading the first three and have pre-ordered the last. I finished the 2nd book earlier today and hope to have finished the 3rd book by the time the pre-order arrives later this week. :)
 

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I'm currently re-reading the first three and have pre-ordered the last. I finished the 2nd book earlier today and hope to have finished the 3rd book by the time the pre-order arrives later this week. :)

Hi Netz! :) So you're immersed huh? Lucky you!

Will anyone have their copy in their hot little hands tomorrow? I won't. I don't expect to anyway. I'm having it shipped by an independent bookstore. But no problem. I've waited this long! :D (I kinda don't want to ever get to the end anyway.)
 

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Hi RaggedEdge! :)

Apparently my order is 'preparing for dispatch', with an ETA of 4-6 May. :eek: Hope it doesn't take that long to arrive!

4-6 of May? Gak! I really don't know when mine is due, come to think of it. If it's going to take that long, I would be seriously tempted to buy the kindle version. It's tempting anyway... to have the folks of Henrietta always there to visit, wherever I go... :heart:
 

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Aw, looks like I'll have to wait before I can join in the discussion here. Just checked my order and they're estimating it'll dispatch on 30th April. Hello, I pre-ordered this back in February - it's not as if they didn't have advance notice to get it ready to send on the release date!! (This might call for one of these: :rant: Lol!)
 

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I'm listening to my copy already! Ha! It's... well, I'm only a couple chapters in, but it's good so far!
 

RaggedEdge

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:snoopy: I got my book today!!! :snoopy:

Fountain Bookstore out of Virginia did a great job.

Netz, I agree about the covers. These have been my favorite covers of any YA books (not counting the American HP, which I love, too). This cover is more gorgeous than I expected, which is saying something! I tried to guess what the spine color would be, as the other books all differ (#1 is blue, #2 is red, #3 is green, and I guessed #4 would be black, but it's not).

However, I am NOT reading it today. I was sooo busy all day and I can feel illness creeping in so I must get a good night's sleep. I may not even crack it open until Friday evening, when I can finally sit in quiet peace and read until the wee hours if I like. I hate trying to read books this good in the five minutes I'm in the school car line or 20-minute bursts between to-do's. Nuh-uh. Not doing that with this one.

***

For those who wish they could remember the previous books but don't want to take the time to reread, here's a fun website that does recaps:

Recaptains: The Raven Cycle

The first book is at the bottom, 2nd book in the middle, and 3rd book at the top.

Last night, in honor of release day and because I was haunted by the idea that Gansey was out there suffering, I listened to the prologue again at SoundCloud. Ahh. I can't wait to hear the whole audio. I believe that the music in the audio books are Maggie's compositions, and I think she plays the instruments too (or at least as part of an ensemble sometimes) - not that there's a lot of music in them.

Those of you still waiting, I hope the wait is shorter than you expect!
 
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Netz

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Ooh, I've had an update to say my book has been dispatched - and it's out for delivery today. Now I just have to finish BL,LB (240 pages left).

The Recaptains website is so handy for jogging your memory before you start the next book in a series, and I love that Maggie Stiefvater gave the recap for her three RC books. Worth reading even if you remember what happens in the books!

A quick question for those who've read the books multiple times. Did I imagine it, or was it mentioned in the first (?) book that Blue is 16, yet in book 3 she appears to have had her 18th birthday? I thought these books were supposed to span just one year from St Mark's Eve.
 

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Yay! Can't wait to hear it's arrived safe and sound.

Yeah, I didn't remember until after I posted that Maggie wrote the recaps! It's been at least a year since I last read one. But that makes them extra fun. And makes me wish I could write my ms's synopsis in such a way. :tongue I need to go read the latest on on BLLB.
 
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