Release Date: September 17th 2013
Published By: Scholastic
Pages: 439
Goodreads: Add it to your reading list

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Synopsis: Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life.

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

Review:

Once again, Maggie Stiefvater delivers another book filled with beautiful writing, an intricate plot and complex characters. I am always a little wary of reading second books, but Maggie did not disappoint in The Dream Thieves. Although I felt that not a lot happened for the overarching storyline, so much actually happened in this book - and therefore, so much did happen for the overarching storyline (yes, I know that sounds confusing). In no way do I feel this suffered from “second book syndrome”, and it is a true testament to Maggie’s writing ability that I felt my head was spinning from the plot of this second book, but also I don’t feel much closer to ending. Which is great, because that means the next book will be just as interesting.

I don’t know if Maggie will ever stop impressing me, or if I will ever stop being surprised that I am impressed by her writing. Her ability to write in such a lyrical way, coupled with her ability in creating a whole new world, is something to be admired. Maggie has a way of writing something that not only demands visualisation, but also generates feelings. And the other thing I admire about Maggie is that her stories are not predictable - she always comes out with something that you don’t expect. As wonderful and beautiful as the inside of her head must be, it must also be a disturbing place.

Once again, The Dream Thieves, was told through multiple narrators, but to me, this is Ronan’s story. Although somewhat mysterious (and angry) during The Raven Boys, you get to learn a lot more about this hard, detached boy. Don’t get me wrong, you get to know a lot more about the other characters as well, but I felt that the most character development came from Ronan. By the end of The Raven Boys, you learn so much about this dark and cryptic character. We get to learn so much about Ronan, his mysteries and his powers and we also get to discover secrets of his past alongside him. He is still my favourite character in this series.

My other favourite character is Noah. This somewhat “smudgy” character is truly endearing. Although he is dead, I find that he is solid (no pun intended), sweet, loyal and at times, self-conscious. There is one particular scene between him and Blue that I found to be both hilarious and heartbreaking.

Gansey, the leader of our Raven Boys, is one that I started liking more in this sequel. In The Raven Boys, I actually found him to be a little “meh” - he was okay, but I didn’t love him. However, I found myself warming up to him as you got to see more of his softer side, rather than him just being focused on finding Glendower.

And then there is Adam, who I find to be least likeable character out of the boys. I previously found Adam to be filled with too much pride and has a major chip on his shoulder, and I have to say, this book didn’t do anything to endear him to me. Adam, still filled with too much pride, has become more distant and bitter since he woke the Ley Line - and more focused on achieving his goal, rather than realising he is actually taking over Gansey’s dream.

Throughout this book, Blue gets to know Gansey better, and starts to see how he could be the one that she could fall in love with. Their romance is starting to building, in a subtle but definite way, but of course, it is hard to see a happily ever after due to the fact that not only has it been predicted that if Blue kisses her true love, he will die, but also because Blue has already seen that Gansey will die within the next 12 months. I hope Maggie isn’t leading us all to heartbreak with this love story!

The women from Fox Way become more important in the storyline in The Dream Thieves. Their abilities are important for the plot development and pacing, and they become actively involved with Blue’s and the Raven Boy’s journey. They are very interesting characters indeed. There are two big newcomers in this sequel. The first being a character called The Gray Man. Mr Gray seems like the bad guy. But all may not be as it seems with Mr Gray. The second newcomer is Kavinsky - who plays a very important role, not only for Ronan’s storyline, but also for bringing in souped-up cars into the storyline! And while awesome cars not seem important to the plotline, it really is for Maggie fans.

Maggie’s world is once again amazing, but there is more of a darker tone to it. Nightmares, family secrets, dreams thieves, hidden agendas, swearing and even some drug use. Although I say it is a little darker than Maggie’s other books, don’t get me wrong, you still get everything else you expect from her books - amazing characters, strong storyline and intricate details. Oh, and kissing! And pretending! Yes, you finally get some kissing! And some pretending! The kissing and pretending scenes were the sweetest ones out of this series yet.

In The Dream Thieves, Maggie has answered some questions that came from The Raven Boys, but has also moved this storyline along with amazing intricacy. There are so many plot lines weaving in and out of each other, so many mysterious happenings and every character is more complex than first believed. I cannot wait for the next instalment!

Quotes:

“And Ronan was everything that was left: molten eyes and a smile made for war.”

“In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys.”

“It was mint and memories and the past and the future and she felt as if she’d done this before and already she longed to do it again.”

“She wore a dress Ronan thought looked like a lampshade. Whatever sort of lamp it belonged on, Gansey clearly wished he had one.
Ronan wasn’t a fan of lamps.”

“No, you used nouns and verbs together in a pleasing but illogical format.”

“Dying’s a boring side effect.”