Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys is a novel that explores destiny, character bonds, and power and class struggles. The story follows Blue Sargent and the Raven Boys: Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah, and the struggles they face on their supernatural search to wake a sleeping Welsh king.
The image-dominant design features symbolism of the story in the form of tarot cards. The Page of Cups and Death card represent the “sealed fate” of Blue and Gansey, the two main characters of the book, while The Magician and the Two of Swords represent Adam. The back of the tarot cards includes imagery of a ley line and iris flowers which are key components in the story. In addition, the cards are positioned in a way to convey the sensation of continuous falling. The background is a dark maroon silk texture reminiscent of a table cover one may find at a psychic reading, conveying the eerie and supernatural atmosphere of the story.
