The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, Book 2)

Spoilers if you haven't read The Raven Boys yet! Ten Likes/Dislikes: 1. (+) Ronan, the protagonist - I always thought Ronan was a really well done "bad" boy so to speak. His tortured past, his anger, his violence, his tough attitude, and his tenderness - all of this felt so very palpable, so very real to me in ways that other stereotypical presentations did not. As with Gansey, Ronan presents a facade to everyone else - that he doesn't care, that he doesn't need anyone. But he does. His pain and past are as skillfully explored and textured as the unveiling of his sexuality and the small acts of kindness that he'll perform. His emotional growth is sure-footed and astounding - from near-the-edge to fully fledged hero. If you were not a fan of Ronan in the first novel, you'll be sure to understand and empathize with him in this one. 2. (+) World-building - Have you ever been curious about street racing? I have. On occasion, I hear drivers zooming on the street below, and I'll find drag marks the next day. What happens during those races? Well, Maggie Stiefvater not only makes that environment come alive but also the nightmarish dream environment that Ronan explores and the dreamy magic behind the powers of ley line and Cabeswater. I don't read a lot of magical realism, but Maggie Stiefvater makes me want to believe in magic, believe that magic is real with the world she's slowly building. Plus Stiefvater has introduced even more subtle details to highlight the opportunities that privilege offers - truly yet another wonderful exploration of class. 3. (+) Romance - I don't think there's anyone else who can make me root for a romance that I know is doomed yet can't help but love. Ugh, I know that somewhere along the line, my heart is going to get broken. So there wasn't much romantic action in The Raven Boys. Does that change in The Dream Thieves? A little. And the slow-build? (!!!) I'm frustrated and in love with this portrayal all at once. 4. (+) Character Cast - If I've read your review, you've undoubtedly gotten a comment from me on how the CHARACTERS make this series. How Maggie's made all of them so real by enhancing their character quirks - how Gansey rubs his thumb along his lips, how Adam stays quiet, how Blue scowls, how Ronan curses over and over, how Noah's got that smudge on his face, how Persephone speaks in that quiet little tone, how Calla practices air yoga while mocking the boys, etc. All of these quirks especially show in Will Patton's reading (of The Raven Boys), and I'm sure they'll show again in this audiobook - and that's what also makes the series unique: that it provides enough information for Patton to give accurate and wonderfully realistic depictions of the characters. The only other writer who made characters feel this real (for me) is J.K. Rowling. Even better, this book not only expands on old characters like those in Blue's and Gansey's families (Gansey's primarily to continue the class tension in the first novel.) but also introduces us to some more like those in Ronan's family. 5. (+) Plot - This is Ronan's coming-of-age tale mixed with some of the series plots introduced in The Raven Boys. The main plot is his learning how to control his powers before X and X happens, and in order for that to happen, he's got to learn about himself and his family. The quest for Glendower, the problem of the ley line, and the ominous kiss prophecy for Blue are still there, but they get a lot less focus in this one.... yet in the end, Ronan's plot converges with the series plots in wonderfully unpredictable but beautiful ways. Again there's another open ending that'll leave you puzzled and frustrated but still eager for the next title, still eager to see how Maggie will complicate these plot threads even further. 6. (+) Villains - I was slightly disappointed in the villains of The Raven Boys. They were very real people, but Barrington Whelk was so pathetic, I had a hard time taking him seriously and Neeve was too mysterious for me to understand (her danger). The villains in this book? One of them is so ridiculously charming that I honestly can't compute the violence that he/she commits with his/her personality. Psychopath? Potentially. And yet somehow I'm still rooting for him/her? The other was damaged and used to great effect to highlight Ronan's own character growth. A foil but a dangerous foil. A wacky foil who you'll never be able to predict. 7. (+) Character Growth - The best part about this is that MOST of the characters grow in this novel even though it's primarily centered on Ronan. Adam, you remember what happened to him in the previous book? Well, he'll have to deal with the consequences. Gansey, you remember how Blue compares the vision of him at the beginning to how he seems at the end? Well, his facade is starting to crack. Blue, you remember how she wasn't quite sure of her place until she joined the boys? Well, that's even more evident now. Ronan will obviously have to deal with the problems his power presents... and the other characters? Maybe they don't grow so much as you learn more of their secrets. And my, what complex people they all are. 8. (+) Writing - Oh, how I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing. This woman is so talented. She can go from humorous to sweet to tragic in one scene. And always I shall repeat: no one can create as atmospheric of a mood as she can. Here's an example of the kind of scene she can set: "At that particular moment in time, Richard Campbell Gansey III was ninety-two miles away from his beloved car. He stood in the sun-soaked driveway of the Ganseys' Washington D.C. mansion, wearing a furiously red tie and a suit made of tasteful pinstripe and regal swagger. Beside him stood Adam, his strange and beautiful face pale above the slender dark of his own suit. Tailored by the same clever Italian man who did Gansey's shirts, the suit was Adam's silken armor for the night ahead. It was the most expensive thing he had ever owned, a month's wages translated into worsted wool. The air was humid with teriyaki and Carbernet Sauvignon and premium-grade fuel. Somewhere, a violin sang with vicious victory. It was impossibly hot" (255). 9. (+/-) Pacing - As I've said before, I do find character-driven stories to be paced slightly slower than others, and I think my perception of The Dream Thieves and its pacing was also affected by my preference for the plot in the first book. I just wasn't as captivated and it seemed the pacing was slow in the beginning -- probably for that reason, for that personal preference. 10. (+) The Cover - I still prefer the one for The Raven Boys, but having read The Dream Thieves, this one is so utterly appropriate that I cannot complain. (For those curious -- why I didn't like this one as much as The Raven Boys. This, I believe, is all personal preference. This book is executed wonderfully, but I'm more of a sucker for the tension that drove the beginning of The Raven Boys. And also a sucker for the quest plot vs. the harness-your-power plot.) Maggie Stiefvater has produced a sequel full of her usual charm and wit, beautiful writing and realistic characters--a sequel full of magic that's sure to enchant readers of all ages. Highly recommended. I can't wait to read the next book! PS - For those of you who have read The Dream Thieves, there's a wonderful discussion thread on Wendy Darling's Goodreads review. It made me realize that I'd missed some of the nuances in this story. So much fun to guess what'll happen in the future books.

I always expect sequels to fall short of the first book, but The Dream Thieves actually surpassed The Raven Boys, which I thought was just okay. Maybe it’s because the main conflicts and subplots from the last book finally come to a head in this book, or maybe it’s because we finally get in on some of the juiciest secrets of Henrietta (particularly the Lynch family). Or maybe it’s because the romance that Stiefvater so cruelly dangled in front of us in the first book (Blue’s true love will die if she kisses him, blah blah blah) actually goes somewhere instead of just unresolved tension between Blue and poor Adam. I’m not saying anything changes, but hey, I can feel the chemistry crackling between Blue and Gansey like electricity. Also, [SPOILER] Blue and Gansey share the cutest not-quite-kiss since Chuck and Ned in Pushing Daisies. God, it was heartbreaking. But anyway. In The Dream Thieves, we discover why the ley line keeps flickering in and out, who the Grey Man is and the location of the Greywaren, the reason Ronan’s mother is basically comatose, and how it is that Kavinsky can afford to keep crashing his Mitsubishi(s) in drag races. But what really draws me to The Raven Cycle, more than the wise-cracking characters and compelling mythology, is Stiefvater’s gorgeous prose. Even The Raven Boys, which I didn’t think was the greatest ever, was a pleasure to read simply because of its descriptions and imagery. Stiefvater can take a simple sentence about a kiss and tweak it just enough to leave you breathless: “The appetizers were delicious, not because of the kitchen but because all food eaten in anticipation of a kiss is delicious.” Stiefvater has also mastered the shift from character to character, to the point where even her characters’ inner monologues sound different. Adam’s is wry and sometimes bitter: “And just like that, the Gansey who Adam had befriended–the Gansey he would do anything for–vanished, and in his place was the heir born with a silk umbilical cord wrapped around his blue-blooded neck.” Ugh, her sentences. They make me swoon. (One last one, I promise.) “Streetlights fenced the asphalt, slashing reflections over the atomic orange hood.” My writing major is showing. Beautiful writing aside, The Dream Thieves‘s twin antagonists–The Grey Man and Joseph Kavinsky–heightened the book’s urgency and kept me from putting it down. The Grey Man, who actually turns out to be a pretty decent guy (for a hitman) with a crooked sense of humor, [SPOILER] falls for Maura Sargent in possibly one of the book’s most adorable plot twists. The best thing is, he’s not flirting with her just to get on Blue’s nerves. He actually genuinely likes Maura, and even though she knows he’s a hitman she treats him the same as if he’d been an insurance salesman. And then there’s Kavinsky. Crude and thrill-seeking, Kavinsky feeds on Ronan’s reckless anger. He constantly teases Ronan about his relationship with Gansey, and he may or may not be gay himself. [GIANT SPOILER] Ronan being gay actually made my life, though. The reveal was subtle and perfect in every way. Kavinsky’s destructive tendencies and sadistic nature make him the perfect foil for the Grey Man, and for Ronan, my precious sun and stars, who’s not nearly as vicious as everyone assumes. All in all, The Dream Thieves skyrocketed past The Raven Boys in terms of quality and enjoyability. It’s more fast-paced, delves deeper into the ley line mystery and the secrets in Ronan’s past, and finally breaks out the beginnings of the romance we were promised in Book 1. If you had any doubts on whether The Raven Cycle is worth continuing, let this review erase them: Book 2 is much better than Book 1, and hopefully Book 3 will surpass them both. Check out this review and more on my book blog here: https://ellectricbookreviews.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/review-of-maggie-stiefvaters-the-dream-thieves-the-raven-cycle-book-2/

This was such a good book, and continuation of this series! I cannot wait to read more of this series not any more from Maggie as she is such an amazing author! This book and the others in this series hit so close to home with how real the characters are, and make you wondering if magic is actually real... I’m absolutely in love with this series and these characters. Would highly recommend this book and this series to anyone.

Not going to lie, this book is WEIRD. Stiefvater brings her talent for metaphors and weirdness to another level in this one, and I can't wait to read it again at some point (I suspect soon) to pick up even more things that I might have missed.

I stand by my original claim that The Dream Thieves is my favourite book in this series so far, although I change my reasoning. I previously put my love for this book down entirely to the characters - it is, after all, a highly character driven story. But the reality is that what makes this book so incredible is an amalgamation of things. Conceptually, it's extraordinary. A boy who can pull things out of his dreams; a Graywaren; a dream thief. From the very first page we know he has three secrets, and this leads to the overarching themes of truth and lies, love and loss. Ronan Lynch has experienced all of these things in one way or another. The language used is intoxicating. With the race scene, for example, I felt entirely immersed into the danger and the thrill of the race. And that's what all writing should do - overwhelm your senses, dragging you into the story. This is something that Maggie Stiefvater knows how to do very well. Every word needs to be fully acknowledged to see the beauty of them placed side by side, and I picked up on so many new things after reading this the second time around at a slower pace. The characters are so beautifully tragic. Ronan is bursting with secrets that are destroying him, Adam is doing everything to change the path predestined for him, and Gansey is hunting desperately to unravel the mystery that will finally give his life meaning. There's just something so human about how broken these boys are which makes their story so enthralling. Everything about The Dream Thieves screams excitement and adventure. The characters, the antagonists, the story, the mythology - I'm in love with it all. Diversity Note: features a gay protagonist. Warnings: mentions of past child abuse, blood, suicide, death

It’s not a hardcover but they sell it with the same price as one, not perfect condition but acceptable.. don’t recommend buying it from here.

Me gustó qué en este libro se profundizara más a los personajes y sus relaciones, la narrativa nunca decepciona y deja pie para más historia, me encanto la trama de este segundo libro y llegar a conocer más a los personajes.