I've heard about "The Raven Cycle" for years. Whether it was from Tumblr, Instagram, or just general book buzz, it's one of those series that I've been aware of, said I wanted to read, but never really got around to it. I would get reminders every once in a while when someone I followed would post something from this series, but everything changed once The Raven King was released. This series quickly went from something I saw every once in a while to all anybody was talking about. I figured it was finally time for me to jump on the bandwagon, and I am so glad that I did. 
 What made The Raven Boys really enjoyable for me was that its plot was so unexpected, and broke from the typical young adult mold that I'm used to. As I said, I've known about this book for years, but I only had a very vague knowledge of it, all of which boiled down to whoever kisses the main character is supposed to die, and that said main character has sworn off all boys, especially those from the nearby all-boys private school. I had an idea in my head of how this novel was going to go. The main character is going to realize she's destined for something great, she's going to run into the preppy boys who are going to be total jerks but develop a soft side for her, she's going to convince them to join up with her, while falling deep in love with one of them, kissing him and putting his life in danger. This was not how this book panned out at all. First of all, it's the three boys from the elite academy that are obsessed with the supernatural, specifically with awakening King Glendower. Blue comes from a family of psychics but doesn't have "the sight," with her only "gift" being that she amplifies the supernatural. Blue meets up with the raven boys and ends up developing a really sweet friendship with them(view spoiler)[ which doesn't result in a romance or kissing (hide spoiler)]. There's no cringe worthy "insta-attraction" between Blue and any of the guy characters. Instead she slowly becomes a part of their circle and it's just really sweet to read. Another thing I really enjoyed is that this was in third person. SO instead of just hearing Blue's POV on how much of a jerk Gansey is and how much she hates those elite prep boys, we get to see how the boys' lives operate as well. I think I'm just used to the YA fantasy/adventure novels nowadays introducing one main character that everything revolves around, and instead I got a pleasant taste of what happens if the story is told in a less limited fashion. 
 I came because of the hype and I am totally sticking the rest of the series out (although I'm sure it's going to be great the whole time). I can't recommend this book enough, I really enjoyed it, especially the way we got to see how each of these characters operated, their own motivations and beliefs.