The Raven Boys.
May. 13th, 2022 14:43![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eldabeSo, I knew The Raven Boys as some sort of YA series that like, was Popular On The Tumblrs. Based on vague internet osmosis, I had this idea of it being fantasy, and it had a canon gay boy couple. But no one in my circles was reading it and I've been, hmmm, less and less interested in YA as a genre ever recently, so it wasn't a temptation. There are lots of fandoms out there I don't want to explore, that's nothing new (or bad.)
But some point in the last few years, I read this essay by the author, Maggie Stiefvater, about how ebook downloading was literally ruining her income. Wait, wait, I can find it. HERE!
Ok, great, I read that essay. It went slightly viral on the tumblrs I was following. It had an influence on me, and I saw it reblogged again sometime in the last covid haze year.
And I thought. Hmmm. I don't generally* pirate books. In fact, during Covid, I had finally figured out my local city library ebook system, and I was inhaling ebooks, mostly KJ Charles romances, because the library near me is closed for construction and I'm trying really hard to budget. Libraries are still a way to support authors.
And even though I have been so-so interested in YA, I was interested in Maggie Stiefvater. She sounds clever and smart and passionate and I also knew she was one of those authors who quit social media (or at least tumblr) for her mental health. And you know, I'm trying to be off social media right now** so I was like, let's try out her series.
And the POINT of this post, the point is that OH NO I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND I AM NOT IN THIS FANDOM AND NOR ARE ANY OF MY FRIENDS. So I guess I'll have to post about it here?
I'm actually listening to the audiobooks, which is great.
The audiobooks have so much about accents and the reader is really doing an excellent job embracing that. I don't know, if I was reading, if I would have put together upper-class Virginia accent, because media has, uh, certain Biases about Southern accents, but the second I heard the Will Patton speaking for Gansy I was like OH I KNOW THIS ONE. And so I get some connotations that would have been lost on me.
Really audiobooks mean I can listen while I commute, which has been essential because commuting is exhausting.
So because I had this vague idea that this series has a Canon Gay Couple (a thing that would be known in teh fandom spaces where I got all my osmosis knowledge) I've been idly wondering who it would be.
At first, I thought Adam and Gansby because there's a LOT of there there. But well, first Adam was dating Blue and now it looks like we're going to get Blue and Gansby (which is hilarious because she hated him at the beginning, she KNOWS he is going to die, and it so obviously prophesied that I thought they would avoid it but NO.)
And then Ronin, who seemed too prickly to be in a relationship with anyone, made sure Adam could afford the raise in school feels at the beginning of book two and I'm like. OH.
And at the end of book two we basically get canon confirmation that Ronin is gay, and Adam's relationship with Blue has fallen apart and I'm like WHY IS THERE NO ONE I CAN EAT POPCORN AND YELL ABOUT THIS WITH.
My fault, reading a book by myself.
ALSO I think I figured out that all the prophesies that happened in the tree in book one are going to happen. Adam is going to kill Gansby and also Blue is going to kiss him. Presumably Gansby will be fine, but OH BOY I had this giant revelation and wanted to yell about it with someone but once again! No one to yell about these books with. So I'll yell here, where at least I can get the thoughts out haha.
One disadvantage to audiobooks is the actions scenes. The end of book two had a lot of action and some of it was kind of, hmm, blurry? A little hard to track in audio format. But I figured out what happened well enough.
And Stiefvater apparently composed and and co-performed and co-arranged all the original music and you can't get that in a book! So on balance, worth it. On to book three, which has my favorite title.
____
*I'm not perfect. I've pirated some books that I already own, and a few I haven't. But not for years and years. Partly because of this essay, to be fair.
**MIXED SUCCESS.
But some point in the last few years, I read this essay by the author, Maggie Stiefvater, about how ebook downloading was literally ruining her income. Wait, wait, I can find it. HERE!
Ok, great, I read that essay. It went slightly viral on the tumblrs I was following. It had an influence on me, and I saw it reblogged again sometime in the last covid haze year.
And I thought. Hmmm. I don't generally* pirate books. In fact, during Covid, I had finally figured out my local city library ebook system, and I was inhaling ebooks, mostly KJ Charles romances, because the library near me is closed for construction and I'm trying really hard to budget. Libraries are still a way to support authors.
And even though I have been so-so interested in YA, I was interested in Maggie Stiefvater. She sounds clever and smart and passionate and I also knew she was one of those authors who quit social media (or at least tumblr) for her mental health. And you know, I'm trying to be off social media right now** so I was like, let's try out her series.
And the POINT of this post, the point is that OH NO I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND I AM NOT IN THIS FANDOM AND NOR ARE ANY OF MY FRIENDS. So I guess I'll have to post about it here?
I'm actually listening to the audiobooks, which is great.
The audiobooks have so much about accents and the reader is really doing an excellent job embracing that. I don't know, if I was reading, if I would have put together upper-class Virginia accent, because media has, uh, certain Biases about Southern accents, but the second I heard the Will Patton speaking for Gansy I was like OH I KNOW THIS ONE. And so I get some connotations that would have been lost on me.
Really audiobooks mean I can listen while I commute, which has been essential because commuting is exhausting.
So because I had this vague idea that this series has a Canon Gay Couple (a thing that would be known in teh fandom spaces where I got all my osmosis knowledge) I've been idly wondering who it would be.
At first, I thought Adam and Gansby because there's a LOT of there there. But well, first Adam was dating Blue and now it looks like we're going to get Blue and Gansby (which is hilarious because she hated him at the beginning, she KNOWS he is going to die, and it so obviously prophesied that I thought they would avoid it but NO.)
And then Ronin, who seemed too prickly to be in a relationship with anyone, made sure Adam could afford the raise in school feels at the beginning of book two and I'm like. OH.
And at the end of book two we basically get canon confirmation that Ronin is gay, and Adam's relationship with Blue has fallen apart and I'm like WHY IS THERE NO ONE I CAN EAT POPCORN AND YELL ABOUT THIS WITH.
My fault, reading a book by myself.
ALSO I think I figured out that all the prophesies that happened in the tree in book one are going to happen. Adam is going to kill Gansby and also Blue is going to kiss him. Presumably Gansby will be fine, but OH BOY I had this giant revelation and wanted to yell about it with someone but once again! No one to yell about these books with. So I'll yell here, where at least I can get the thoughts out haha.
One disadvantage to audiobooks is the actions scenes. The end of book two had a lot of action and some of it was kind of, hmm, blurry? A little hard to track in audio format. But I figured out what happened well enough.
And Stiefvater apparently composed and and co-performed and co-arranged all the original music and you can't get that in a book! So on balance, worth it. On to book three, which has my favorite title.
____
*I'm not perfect. I've pirated some books that I already own, and a few I haven't. But not for years and years. Partly because of this essay, to be fair.
**MIXED SUCCESS.
