The Raven Boys

Richard is Gansey’s first name, which he rarely uses, and he is the novel’s second protagonist. Gansey’s greatest flaw is his inability to understand how others think, especially where money is concerned, and he consistently finds himself regretting his choices because “he never seemed to realize the consequences of his actions until too late” (27). After his near-death experience with the hornets, Gansey has been overcome by an urge to do something more with his life than simply be rich. His search to wake Glendower is his way of leaving his mark on the world, wanting to do something that will fundamentally change things. Gansey also has a bizarre fixation with death, specifically his own. At first, he doesn’t fear it or seem to care if he dies, and he only hopes that he will complete his mission to wake Glendower and make an impact first. As the story progresses, Gansey changes his opinion of death, partly because Blue’s boosting ability puts him closer to Glendower than ever. As a result, he begins to develop feelings for her, which are explored through the rest of the series in relation to her fatal kiss.

The Raven Boys takes place in Virginia, and Adam is a local with an accent that sounds like “hot front-porch swings and cold iced-tea glasses” (85). This represents his laid-back, gentle nature, which is both his best and worst quality. Blue finds this attractive about him because it marks him as different from other Aglionby boys. Instead of being arrogant and annoying, Adam is quiet and reserved, not shoving his status around to impress people. On the flip side, Adam’s gentle nature means he is an easy target for his father’s abuse because he doesn’t fight back or stand up for himself. Adam feels torn between his father and Gansey, as explored in The Delicate Balance of Power. At the end of the book, after Adam moves out of his father’s home, he goes to wake the ley line in a last-ditch attempt to gain the kind of power and influence Gansey has. Instead, Adam ends up sacrificing a part of himself to keep Whelk from gaining the ley line’s power, showing that despite how much someone may change, they are still the same person. Adam isn’t the kind of person who can take power for himself. Rather, he’s the kind of person who follows and balances the scales.

Ronan is the group’s bad boy, and his “buzzed head and thin mouth warned that this species was poisonous” (54). Each boy plays a unique role in their group—with Gansey as leader and Adam as moderator. Ronan is the protector, willing and unafraid to fight to keep the others safe. He also doesn’t care about the consequences that befall him as long as the others remain out of harm’s way. This shows how Ronan cares, even though he tries to make it look like he doesn’t, and covers the self-loathing he feels from guilt surrounding his father’s death. Toward the end of the book, Ronan’s poor grades nearly get him expelled from Aglionby, and this is one of the few times school becomes a direct threat to the group. For the most part, Aglionby is a backdrop to the supernatural challenges facing the group, but Ronan’s situation reminds the reader that the boys and Blue are teenagers with teenage problems and obstacles to what they are trying to achieve.

Whelk was a student at Aglionby. In the early chapters, the others aren’t aware Noah is a ghost, and they chalk up his quirks, such as not eating, to trauma from Noah’s past, which is true, in a way. The discovery of Noah’s corpse in Chapter 29 is a turning point in the story. Until then, the group thought they were barely making headway on the supernatural angle of the ley line or Glendower. With the reveal of Noah’s true nature, the others realize they are closer than they thought, especially since Noah was killed in a prior attempt to wake the ley line. Noah is a far less developed character than the other raven boys, but his presence is key in showing how the extraordinary may hide in plain sight.

Neeve is one of the antagonists and Blue’s aunt. While the rest of Blue’s family keeps their clairvoyant abilities mostly private, Neeve has made a name for herself as a famous psychic. As a result, Neeve has gotten a bigger taste of the power her influence brings her, which contributes to her desire to wake the ley line and obtain even more power. Neeve’s character serves as a warning about corruption and greed. She doesn’t respect the strength her abilities give her, and she is undone by Blue’s family shifting the tools of the trade that she’s harnessed to bring more and darker power to her side, showing how greed destroys us in the end.

Whelk is the Latin professor at Aglionby. Years ago, he attended the school, but his time there was cut short by the exposure of his father’s crimes and the subsequent loss of his family’s wealth. Before this, Whelk searched for the ley line out of curiosity, but afterward, he became obsessed and desperate to awaken Glendower to wish for his status back. Like Neeve, he is motivated by greed, but he is better at hiding it. Only when he learns that Gansey is close to waking Glendower does Whelk revive his search, determined that no one will gain the ley line’s power other than himself.