I'm much more patient with audio books. They can meander and go into vivid details of scenes and settings, and I enjoy that. Stiefvater's beautiful language helped me suffer through the total lack of movement in the plot of The Raven Boys.
I loved the Wolves of Mercy Falls series -- and so I expected The Raven Boys to be beautifully written, with lots of lovely adjectives and interesting metaphors -- and it was. But I swear, until the last third of the book NOTHING happens.
We are introduced to the characters, the story is set up, and then the plot just wallows for pages and pages (or disks and disks). You can read a good summary of the plot here, so I won't go into detail. I had read about a big plot twist, so I was looking forward to getting to that point. It didn't happen until the seventh disk (of 10) and by then I just really didn't care. There was tension and excitement at the end, and although a bit confusing, that was my favorite part.
Will Patton does a great job with the narration. He gives each of the four boys distinct voices and characterizations to make it easy to tell them apart. The boys haven't finished their quest, so there is more to this series, but I fail to feel any curiosity or emotional attachment to the characters or story, so I'll not be continuing.
Published by Scholastic Press, 2012 (Scholastic Audio Books)
Copy obtained free from Sync YA Literature!
416 pages
Rating: 2/5
Aw, too bad. I did enjoy this book, but only after I finished it. I can understand about the plot being a bit boring, it didn't kick in until the end. The majority of this book was set up but I didn't mind too much. Great review!
ReplyDeleteAlise @ Readers in Wonderland
I totally agree with you on this book, not a lot happens and it was overall disappointing. I get annoyed too when a book doesn't have a strong resolution, and really feels like the set-up for the next book. I'm the opposite to you though in that I need an audiobook to be more interesting then a physical book because while listening my mind can wander more.
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