The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Blurb On The Back:

If you kiss your true love, he will die.

Every year, Blue stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be-dead walk past. Blue can’t usually see them, but this year is different. When she sees a boy emerge from the dark there are only two explanations as to why she can see his spirit – either he is her true love or she has killed him.

The boy’s name is Gansey and Blue soon discovers that he attends the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from those students. Known as Raven Boys, they only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey in a way she can’t explain.

There’s something magical about Gansey. Something powerful. And as Blue becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s determined to keep him alive …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Maggie Stiefvater’s paranormal romance (the first in a new trilogy) is a beautifully written but oddly slow and un-engaging novel that draws on Welsh legend and has strong themes of loyalty and friendship. Although I’ve enjoyed Stiefvater’s other paranormal romances (despite not being a romance fan), I found it difficult to engage with most of the characters here while the plot unfolded too slowly (and relied heavily on exposition early on). As such, although I probably will read the sequel, I won’t rush to because I don’t find this to be on a par with the author’s other work.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.

Dark Lord – A Fiend In Need by Dirk Lloyd and Jamie Thomson

The Blurb On The Back:

Salutations, wretched minion!

It is I, the Great Dirk, destroyer of worlds and the most gifted writer ever! My loyal servant, Sooz, child of the night, is trapped in the Darklands. The horror! It is vital that I return there before she causes too much trouble …

Buy this book or suffer one of the following:
- an unwanted surgical procedure
- being turned into a zombie servant
- being cursed with the Cantrip of Uncontrollable Flatulence.

The choice is yours. Mwa ha ha!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jamie Thompson’s sequel to DARK LORD is a funny middle-grade book that pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes and deservedly won the 2012 Road Dahl Funny Prize. I hadn’t read the first novel, but you don’t need to in order to enjoy this because the set-up is explained within the opening chapters. Although Thompson sometimes overeggs Dirk’s strong voice and some jokes go on for too long, I enjoyed the way he shows the cruel hypocrisy of the ‘good’ guys and the book ends on a cliff hanger that will ensure I buy both books one and three.