Blue Sargent is the oddball out in a family of psychics. She has an unheard of gift: instead of psychic powers, she has the ability to amplify other people’s psychic powers. Not only that, but it has been predicted for her time and time that she will kill her true love if she kisses him. Blue vows  she will never fall in love, but that begins to change when she witnesses  the spirit of Gansey,  a boy who will die in a year, on the corpse road . There are only two reasons why a non-psychic would see a spirit on the corpse road. Either they’re your true love, or you will kill them. For Blue, she knows both are true.

This brilliant first novel in a four part series written by Maggie Stiefvater is filled of delightful imagery, in-depth characters, and powerful emotions. Even though it is advertised as a romance between Blue and Gansey, the sole focus of the book is friendship. Gansey and Blue do not exhibit any romantic feelings for each other at first sight. Actually, they despise each other at first sight. Their relationship develops slowly and strongly throughout the book, which as a result makes the story far more interesting and comical. Thanks to Blue’s kissing curse, this teen novel forbids any obnoxious kissing scenes. Gansey also has a group of curious friends who refuse to take a backseat in the book. Stiefvater writes alternating perspectives between Adam, Blue, and Gansey, leaving Gansey’s other friends, Noah and Ronan, a mystery until later in the series.

Each character has their own inner struggles and their own traumas to carry around. The book deals with issues such as PTSD, child abuse, and anxiety that burden the life of our dear teen characters. All struggles are incredibly well represented and even relate to readers who have had similar experiences.

This book is loaded to the brim with mind melting discoveries, glorious magic, and lovable characters. It belongs on the same pedestal with timeless classics such as Harry Potter and Narnia, and it’s only just beginning. Be careful, or before you know it, you’ll be swept up in the world of the Raven Boys.