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For as long as Blue Sargent can remember, she has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death.

She has never believed in true love and never thought the warnings would be a problem until she becomes entangled in the strange lives of Aglionby Academy students, and sees the soon-to-be-dead spirit of Gansey, a rich student of the local private school.

Despite her strict policy of staying away from Aglionby boys, also known as Raven Boys, Blue finds herself drawn to Gansey and the strange quest he’s on that encompasses three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

The Raven Boys are on a quest in search of a sleeping Welsh king, and Blue’s life soon becomes caught up in a strange and sinister world and all the mysteries that come with it.

“The Raven Cycle” series by Maggie Stiefvater consists of four installments: “The Raven Boys,” “The Dream Thieves,” “Blue Lily, Lily Blue” and “The Raven King.”

A series packed full of mysteries, murder and the paranormal, “The Raven Cycle” has something for everyone.

The series plot is very driven and original, a lush and fresh storyline that immediately stands out amongst other novels. It introduces a quest to find a sleeping Welsh king in a small town in Virginia where a lot of peculiar things happen that draw together many forces that are good, evil and everything in-between.

The characters are the most memorable thing about this series.

Characters drive the story, and if they weren’t relatable and interesting, where would the story be? Stiefvater has created a wonderful cast of characters bound to stay with the reader long after finishing the final novel. The friendship and development of relationships between Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah have a nice slow burn that really drives the story and makes it more pleasurable and entertaining.

Seeing this unique group of friends go on this long journey together and grow into wiser, stronger individuals are really enchanting to experience, and this group of friends is unlike any other.

Each character is driven by a different goal and sports a different lifestyle and personality. It is really riveting to see how these different teenagers come together to form an unbreakable bond.

It is also refreshing to be able to see the important roles of the adults in the main characters’ lives. It is common in young adult literature that the parents or guardians of main characters take a backseat or simply fade away from the story.

However, the adults and parents in “The Raven Cycle” play just as important roles as the teenagers do. It was very nice to see the relationships between parents and their children and how they contributed to the overall plot.

All in all, “The Raven Cycle” quartet by Maggie Stiefvater has become a new favorite and is bound to haunt the minds of those who read it. It offers a fresh new story of magic and mystery with a cast of memorable and unique characters that will tempt readers into revisiting the series again and again.It is also a series that will cause one to ponder the power of dreams and the wonder of travel and journey.