The Dream Thieves

This book took me FOREVER to get through. I loved book one so much that I couldn’t wait to start book two but from the start to the finish I never really got into it.
First of all, the five main characters were split up for the entirety of the book! I didn’t like seeing them apart because I loved the chemistry of all of them together, and the individual plots that they were carrying out never interested me either.
I was really irritated with the CONSTANT mention of Joseph Kavinsky in the first half of the book. He played absolutely no role in the entire first half of the book and yet he was brought up regularly so it was obvious that we would eventually be a major character, but not in a subtle way… it was like I was being smacked in the face with the build up. Then, when he came on the scene, I was completely uninterested in his purpose.
I also had very little interest in The Grey Man’s chapters but I’m sure that was a personal preference thing.
I really enjoyed the cute moments between Blue and Adam in the first part of this book and I also am enjoying the slow build up of Blue and Gancy’s relationship, though I’m really disappointed that Maggie gave away that they would end up together in the first book. I wish there was a tension for me of wondering if they would ever find a way to be together.
Basically, I didn’t like hardly any element of this book. The division of the characters, the individual plots, even the writing wasn’t my favorite. It just wasn’t for me. I’m still continuing with the series because of the major hype surrounding it and I hope it’ll be better for me next time!
I do see why this story and writing style would appeal to a lot of people so I have no issue with the hype, it was just a big miss for my taste.

PREDICTION: <spoiler> Ronan is in love with Adam. There were hints dropped all throughout this book and Ronan's affection seemed pretty different for him than it was for the others. </spoiler>

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"What is real?"

Maggie Stiefvater has officially soared to the top of my list of word masters of modern young adult literature. She is a master! Whether you enjoy this story or not, there can be no debate about her ability to paint pictures through words and create nuances in her characters that reverberate through you as you read. This is not a story that is a quick read. Most will not just pick it up one day, breeze through it, and finish it in a night. You just can't. Every word seems important ... significant in some way. Even when you aren't exactly sure how everything fits together you just know that somehow these words you are reading MATTER. So it took a lot longer to finish this one than I am accustomed to take as I read. It wasn't for lack of enjoyment. It was just because I wanted to make sure I was getting it. I needed to internalize every word, every scene, every thought of these wonderfully layered characters. Maggie has a way of conveying an idea about her characters through her words that shows more in one sentence than many authors are able to do in a page. I loved being immersed in this story ... in her words. Masterful!

As for the actual story ... I can hardly explain it in a way that will truly convey what is actually occurring. There were times in this story where I felt as if I was in the middle of the movie Inception. Reality became blurred. Things that seemed real were not. Things that were in dreams became real. How did it fit together? I'm not even sure that that is totally clear by the end of the book. There is still much to learn. This is a complicated story that requires all brain cylinders moving to capture. It is a story that leaves you wanting to take notes at times so that you can revisit it in the future to try and determine the significance of different symbols and scenes. It is complicated enough that there will be some who don't have the patience to wade through everything. There were times when I thought that I might not have the patience to do it. But I pressed on, and I feel like I was rewarded for my diligence. There are so many layers to this story that no single review can give it justice. If you are looking for a unique story that keeps you thinking I highly recommend it.

Now, for some short bullets about things I thought about the story:

Blue: Wonderfully quirky. In a bind that would test the strongest of us, the future promise that her true love will die if she kisses him creates some amazing scenes in this story as she gets closer and closer to these Aglionby boys.

Gansey: Seemingly perfect, but underneath a layered boy with struggles and insecurities. He seems more real to me in this book, less obsessive regarding his quest. One of the best almost-kiss scenes I have ever read.

Adam: All I could think about Adam through this story was, "Bless his heart." So many troubles, too much pride, so few moments of joy. Bless his heart.

Noah: Still a fleeting part of the story most of the time. I can't say much about him except to say that he and Blue have one of the most beautiful/tragic scenes I have read in a novel in a long, long time. So beautifully written. I shed a little tear for poor Noah.

Ronan: Ronan and his dreams take a starring role in this story. I really love Ronan's character ... not because he is so good, but because he is so nuanced. He can be scary and grumpy. He can seem uncaring and hard. And yet he is full of so much caring and love at times. He really is a good, good person, but he has so much churning inside him. I could psychologically study him for days.

Blue's family: I ADORE these ladies!!!

Mr. Gray: What an amazingly written bad guy. I started the book scared to death of him and his capabilities. I ended the book sympathizing with him and rooting for him to succeed. My favorite kind of bad guy.

One of many lines in the book that I enjoyed immensely:

There was that heavy silence that sometimes happens when a hit man enters the room.

I don't know why I liked that line so much. It just made me chuckle for its quirkiness, especially because of where it occurs in the scene where it appears.

As with The Raven Boys, I ended this book completely confused about the last line. What in the world was that all about? I hate finishing a book confused. I feel like I should know what it means. Yet I don't. Erg! But I have great faith in Maggie that I will soon be brought into the light so that I can understand the newest developments. I can already tell that this series will be one that I will want to immediately re-read once I finish it so that I can catch all of the hidden meaning in actions and scenes once everything comes together in the end. I can't wait to have it all play out. Give this series a try if you are looking for amazing writing that will make you think deeper and richer. Four stars!

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

The Raven Cycle is a tip of the tongue puzzle, at once familiar and alien and ever fascinating. In THE RAVEN BOYS, Stiefvater gave us not just one heroine, not just one hero, but a world where it seemed every character carried their own seeds of greatness. In THE DREAM THIEVES, that world spirals ever deeper to explore the villains in the cast. Beneath the emptiness and destruction lie boys that want to be loved, that want to be powerful, that just want and want and want as they burn up the world. And through that crucible of need some peel away the impurities, emerging battered and smaller but unmistakably heroic. Some, but not all.

The magic of Maggie Stiefvater's writing is difficult to describe, but indelible to experience. She made me weep for the bad boys, the murderers and drag racers, and showed the darker side of her heroes. In short, I fell in love with just about everybody, including the characters I didn't want to like, the ones I didn't want to forgive. And all of that love was good, as THE DREAM THIEVES still refuses to buckle under and become a "typical romance". It's not so much that there's a love triangle as... everyone is loveable. And life is messy. Also, there's magic and some people are going to die. Or have died. See how hard this is to capture? Just know that on every page Stiefvater wrote a sentence that made me smile, made me go back and read it again. And as much as I wanted to pick a favorite, to focus in on one story or one character and judge everyone else by that yardstick, Stiefvater stubbornly made me adore them all.

I struggled at the start of THE RAVEN BOYS because it refused to settle in and follow my expectations. I went into THE DREAM THIEVES knowing that this series would never be predictable, and I enjoyed the second book all the more for that open mind. The Raven Cycle shares more DNA with Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint than the usual paranormal YA. The world inside THE DREAM THIEVES feels bigger than what's around us. Stiefvater combines the details of real life with leavening magic to produce a mesmerizing, ever-expanding wealth of moments, each one I want to live inside and experience first hand. I put down this book and felt bereft that I didn't have the next one to reach for, exiled from Henrietta for another year.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.

This book was amazing. I read it in one delicious gulp. Maggie Stiefvater is one of those authors who has a way with language and crafting beautifully intertwining subplots. After The Scorpio Races, I knew she was one to watch, but with the series she has cemented herself onto my list of must read authors, regardless of genre.

Maggie Stiefvater's first book in the Raven Cycle series was really breathtaking; four boys on an adventure to find a dead welsh king. I hadn't thought it was possible for a book to get any better than The Raven Boys, but a year latter and I stand corrected because this book is just flipping 10 times more fantastic and compelling than the first! We learn more about Ronan in The Dream Thieves and really come to appreciate his characters complexity (yes, he really does have a soft spot hidden under layers of sharp edges and profanities). There ist that much development in term of finding Glendower, but that's okay since this second book works much more on developing character arcs, which I think is far more important. I mean really what I'm trying to say here is, BUY THE BOOK it really is worth it!

I really enjoyed this book! It feels like the first book was more of an introduction and here is where the first story really takes place. I really appreciate Ronan as a character and I love seeing his development outside of every other characters eyes.

Stiefvater's characters leap off the page, simultaneously human and larger than life. She allows the story to carry her characterization, unfolding the details naturally rather than insulting the reader by getting out her baby spoon and shoveling in a pre-bottled standard mash of dreamy blue eyes, bad boy tattoos, and "wall around the heart" teen angst. I can't wait for the next book.

The raven boys was wonderful-this is better. The characters old and new are beautifully designed and so full of life. Several minor characters from the first book are more fleshed out , making them less like dream people and more like flesh and blood.

I really enjoyed this book and have also enjoyed the two previous books in the series. I recommend reading them first. I waited until right before the third book released in the trilogy just to learn that this trilogy will have a fourth book. o_0

This second installment treats audiences to a deeper look into all of the characters from book one, especially the ever brooding and mysterious Ronan. The dynamics of the group are dynamite and the magic is just real enough to make the reader feel like it is happening around them all the time. You will truly become immersed in the world Maggie has created. Guaranteed to get your blood pumping!

Personally I wanted more Blue and Gansey moments. In her other books she was so descriptive and free with the love between her characters but in this book You were only given small subtle hints :( I hope in the third book she gives them more dialogue with each other!!

Wow! How could any human possibly think of so many fine tuned details that flow so perfectly together? Hats off to you Maggie Stiefvater... I am in shock with how much I loved this book! Well done.

There are so many secrets and unspoken things that allow the twist and turns of the plot. The story started a little slow for me but did pick up and I enjoyed it, I can not wait for the third book to come out in the fall.

Stiefvater conducts her characters well through story themes that have been done similarly, but she keeps it interesting. She brings in some Wiccan, Druidic, paranormal and psychic twists that are fresher than a lot of other plots I've read. I am engaged and continue to read her work.

Omg dream thieves is an amazing book amazing sequel to raven boys it had me on the edge of my seat my heart racing heart pounding and didn't want to put it down. Warning it has a cliff hanger that will make you scream and go into withdraws until you can read the next book. Amazing book and must read

This book is so trippy. Stiefvater totally sucks you in but leaves you unsatisfied and wanting more, which is of course her intention. I can't wait for the next book. I would have given another star, but was a little frustrated with the pacing at points.

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is leaps beyond many YA authors I've read and this book does not disappoint. More supernatural awesomness, a focus on interesting characters, and just the right hint of romance - to enhance, not drown the plot - made this a compelling read and a very nice follow up to The Raven Boys.

I just finished reading this book and I can assure you that it's just as good as the first. Lots of Latin - check. Lots of agony and despair - check. Fascinating character development and backstory - check. Astonishing revelations - check. Things developing in a way that is completely unexpected but frustratingly AMAZING with possibility - check. Now excuse me while I go back and read it again.

The most outstanding book I've ever read. The first book was great, and this book blows me away. Maddie's method to building a character, environment, and plot are addicting. She manages to create very real characters, with very real reactions to whats happening around them consistently. This isn't the run of the mill YA romantic paranormal book, this is a one in a million, 'holy crap I'm choosing to re-read this for the forth time, because I'm addicted to this magic' book.

liked the 1st one better, this one was still very good. I just wanna know what happens! onto Blue Lily, Lily Blue! WHAT WILL I EVER DO WHEN THAT ONE ENDS?! I don't wanna wait for the 4th book... any saying of when that will come out? <3 thanks!

I love this series of ya novels, the characters are lovable, well developed and interesting, they care about each other and are willing to risk their own comfort to protect their friends, the loyalty is commendable in today's world,love this author, enjoyed the shiver, linger,fever novels but the raven cycle series is even better