The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle)

This book has the lowest rating (by me) so far in this series. Well, relatively speaking of-course, because 4 is still a pretty good rating in my world. And really there is only one reason for the lower rating - according to me, this book goes overboard with its focus on Ronan, to the detriment of everyone else, and also takes a detour from the main plot line.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Ronan. I actually like him - a lot, and this wasn't an irrelevant detour either. It does add to the plot. I just felt that this track did not require a whole book dedicated to it (and only it), and I really wanted more of the others.

Mostly because, it has been a long time that I have felt so invested in fictional characters, and I truly love them all - Blue, Gansey, Noah, Ronan, and even Adam (though he continued breaking small pieces of my heart in this book too). I just would have liked to get to know all of them a little more, which did not happen, and that is my main grouse with this sequel.

The Raven Boys had a multi-faceted narrative, with all of the characters having a (relatively significant) story line, as the main plot unraveled (albeit a little slowly). That was not the case here, which is why, I liked this one a little less than Book #1, but that is not to say that I did not love this one too.

For more reviews and bookish chit chat visit - SHANAYA TALES DOT COM.

I really loved The Dream Thieves! It was a fun, magical and captivating novel.

The Dream Thieves continues Gansey's, Ronan's, Adam's, Noah's and Blue's quest to search for the Raven King. Ronan is learning more about his dreams while some sinister people are looking for something magical in Henrietta too.

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is amazing and beautiful. She draws you in from the very beginning and till the very end. The plot, the twist, the mystery, the intrigue and the characters and were just amazing!!

I really liked seeing more of Maura, Persephone and Calla. And getting to know more Ronan's life and Gansey's family!

It's needless to say that I love The Raven Cycle and am looking forward to see how everything plays out!!

Original Review Link: http://asdreamsaremade.com/2015/10/book-tuesday-the-dream-thieves/

This series. Oh man this series. I just can’t decide how I feel about it! On the one hand it’s really boring and slow moving and on the other I can’t stop reading it!

The story picks up right where The Raven Boys left off. We find out about Ronan and his dream stealing abilities while Adam struggles with what his sacrifice to Cabeswater has done to him. Blue and Gansey struggle with their feelings for one another and not wanting to hurt Adam in the process. All while some new characters are introduced that turn their world completely upside down.

I think, once again, what kept me reading this time around were the characters. Although some of them annoyed me. I LOVED Adam in the last book. Like really loved him. For the majority of this one however, he was particularly moody, distant, and not very nice–not like the Adam we all know and love!

Granted, he was struggling with what Cabeswater had done to him, but I felt that I lost something that made him loveable. He seems to have a bit of a redemption toward the end and I’m curious to see how it affects him in the future.

Gansey. Gansey seemed a bit blah to me in this book. It really wasn’t his story, but he seemed out of his element. Essentially, he was reacting to everything changing around him. His changing feelings for Blue made him seem a bit more human rather than this elusive creature that he’s originally painted out to be. Blue, in contrast, seemed a bit immature in this book. She had a touch of it in the previous one, but I felt it became more pronounced in this one.

Ronan saved the day for me in this one. His storyline was AWESOME. I knew there was more to him than we saw in The Raven Boys and we definitely see it in this one. His relationship with his family is deeply explored and doesn’t leave us wanting. I loved the mysteries behind his father–and NO I won’t say anything to spoil it for you, but oh the feels.

THE GREY MAN. Hands down my new favorite character. LOVED him.

What’s so great about him is we really don’t know all that much about him and even at the end, we find out very little. He’s an enigma that has yet to be solved. Kavinsky made a nice counterpart to Ronan. He was cray-cray, but you can sort of understand why–sort of. Because of this though, you never knew what he was going to do next. Nothing was off the table for him which made his scenes extremely charged.

The ending leaves us with another cliff hanger and I just don’t know what to do with this! I’d like to see what happens next, but I don’t know if I can get through another slow beginning. This series seems to be full of them and just picks up in the last few chapters or so. I think I need a bit of a break and then try and return to it because I really do love these characters. I’m invested in them now, but I just don’t have the time to waste at the moment.

I got lost in this book in both good and bad ways. I listened to it as an audiobook and Will Patton did a great job voicing the characters. It was easy to let his narration bring the relationships and emotions of the tale to life. Maggie Stiefvater has a wondrous way with words, especially in evoking mood. Her lush descriptions and luxurious prose were a joy to listen to. There were moments when I turned the book on just to get lost in the language. The downside was that sometimes I drowned in it. The ocean of adjectives, metaphors, and similes at times obscured the plot. It was easy to get caught up in the “it seemed as though…” and “It was almost as if…” imagery that Stiefvater was fond of painting and lose any sense of solid ground in the storyline. I gave up trying to sort out the plot, especially since we have gotten no closer to figuring out if Blue will kill someone with a kiss or Glendower will be discovered—the lingering questions from the very beginning of book one— issues it seems we are still multiple books away from resolving. I hate being strung along, but despite my loathing for that obvious trickery, I still found myself continuing to listen. It is a rare talent that can evoke such interest purely with precision of language and enjoyable, immersive writing. I was tempted to drop off a star for the annoyances but couldn’t bring myself to do it because Steifvater has delivered some really memorable characters, interesting twists, and downright badass heroes. Its all one can really ask for. And on top of that, she composed her own music and performs a song for her audio listeners at the end. If that’s not worth a gold star I don’t know what is. I’m not sure if I’ll invest in the next book of the series yet, but if so I will likely do it just the Steifvater’s way with words. With enough persistence and money thrown at this series I suppose I may one day get resolution to the plot too. Who knows. At least till then it will all sound very pretty.

As much as I enjoyed Raven Boys, I almost didn't continue the series. Something just didn't click with me. However, someone online told me that Dream Thieves focuses heavily on Ronan (my favorite character) and might involve some illegal drag racing...which definitely sold me.

Dream Thieves continues everything that made Raven Boys so great: incredibly realistic characters, thought-provoking prose, and an intriguing story concept. Throw in a dash of stealing magical items from dreams, a morally Grey villain, and the promised street racing, and Dream Thieves easily became one of my favorite books of all time.

Don't come into this expecting fast-paced plot (though the pace definitely increases from the first book). However, if you enjoy a good story with increasing magic, character depth, and life-or-death stakes, you'll love this book.

My full review can be found on my blog, Reader Rayna, as well as Goodreads.

5/5 stars

Uh. Wow. That book was amazing. From the rich detail of the setting to the dialogue used between characters, to the mystery underlying beneath it all, this book was a sensational sequel to the first.

The characters are continuing to grow, and though we followed them all, Ronan was the main focus of this plot and the gift that he has was one in which was unique and immensely intriguing. Ronan is the toughest of the Raven Boys, the wild card, and when we get to learn about his gift, about his past, about so many aspects of his life and his character, it showed that there are many, many facets to who he is as a character and who he can become, as well.

I really started to appreciate Gansey and Adam more through the eyes of Ronan and Blue, as well as the others, because though there was sometimes bias based on their relationships and whatnot, it also showed them in a raw light that broke them down into their very souls.

The plot of Glendower continues to become more mysterious and more elusive, but the group is getting closer to figuring out the mystery and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

This book broke me, shocked me, made me laugh, smile, gasp (literally), and question so many things. I highly recommend it if you've read the first book. Stellar.

I have read the first book in The Raven Cycle Series about two years ago, and I enjoyed it but didn’t think I had wanted to read the next one, The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. But the characters stayed with me and I kept thinking of them, so the last time I was at a bookstore with a gift card I decided to get the next one. In The Dream Thieves Ronan, Ganesy, Blue and Adam are still looking for Glendower, but the group isn’t working as well together, Adam has been changed by his sacrifice at Cabeswater and the group is still trying to understand Ronan’s secret. But some bad people are on their way into town and the group must try to understand each other to be able to survive the next ordeal. This book was about the group trying to figure each other out while still trying to discover themselves. I was really drawn into these characters more then before and couldn’t put it down. I also really enjoyed the character’s internal development as they figured themselves out and figured out how to cope. I would recommend this book to people who liked tortured characters and magic.

After reading two books of The Raven Cycle, I finally found a word that describes the series (or the books I've read so far) best for me: peculiar.
The author definitely succeeded in making it unique and odd in the strangest of ways, but not ones that would make me dislike it.

Even though I may not claim The Raven Cycle to be my favorite series of the year and I might not give it 5 Stars, there is something about it that makes me want to pick up the next book in the series after finishing the previous one. Maybe curiosity, as to what will happen to the characters, how they'll develop, I'm not sure, but whatever that 'something' is, it keeps me reading the series, and for that I am glad.

I definitely enjoyed this book a little more than the first one. So many secrets are discovered; and while I feel like not a lot happened, a whole lot really did.

The search for Glendower continues but pretty much comes to a screeching halt when Cabeswater has disappeared. We don't get all that much closer to him and actually little of the book even deals with him.

The focus is mainly on Ronan this time around. He's exploring his ability to pull things out of his dreams. Both the good, and the bad. He even brings his nightmares out sometimes and they seem hell bent on killing him. But what surprises him the most is when he finds out he's not the only one with this ability. And it's rather interesting who it turns out to be and why he does what he does. And there's a catch to them taking things from their dreams that Ronan figures out just before it's too late.

Since Adam's sacrifice he has become even more on edge and testy about pretty much everything. He even blows up at Blue and ruins whatever it was between them (though Blue knows it would never be romantic no matter how she sometimes wish it could be). He fights even more with Gansey and is being increasingly difficult to deal with. We do find out that some of this is because he is unbalanced since that night and with help from Perephone finds a little clarity and focus. Still, I don't much care for his character again.

We get to see many new sides to Gansey and even see him with his family at a fundraiser for his mom. It's amazing how well he can hide who he really is and put up the perfect facade in front of certain people. But it's also sad, because he so clearly hates it. He's pulled in so many different directions emotionally as well in this book. On the plus side, he and Blue do get closer even if it was only just one time. And I hate how they want to pretend it never happened all because of Adam...

And Noah? Poor Noah has little face time because with the ley line going all berserk and such he fades in and out of the living world all the time. And he's taken to reenacting his death too, though it's probably a good thing he never remembers.

Also a main part of the story is all these people showing up in their city on the hunt for the Greywaren. Though they have no idea what it is or what it looks like. One such person is the Grey Man...yup, that's what he goes by. He's a scholarly hit man who while definitely being broken still has a heart and a conscience. His heart beats again when he thinks of Blue's mom and against all logic they pretty much end up dating. Him having a conscience ends up being the one thing that saves Ronan. I'm thinking he's going to have interesting parts to play in the future.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Boys, cars, dreams, and Blue, really what more does one have to say! This book is for anyone that loves cars, magic and adventures.

Opening Sentence: “A secret is a strange thing”

The Review:

This is the second book in The Raven Cycle series. What a follow up. This book focuses a little more on Ronan instead of Blue like in the first book. It picks up shortly after the events of book one. What can I say, this book is so good and we begin to get to know Ronan even better, in the first book we learned that his father was murdered, but we really don’t know why he was killed. Right from the start Maggie Stiefvater begins reeling you in. First we learn this is a mystery about where Ronan’s father got his money, and what bars them from going home. Then we learn something about Ronan that is central to this whole book…*spoilers*. Sorry, I always think of River Song and just say spoilers instead of spilling anything.

Ronan’s brother Declan is attacked and thus begins the race to find the greywaren! While the Raven boys are searching for Glendower, it appears that the Grey man and others are searching for the mysterious item called a greywaren. This “item” is central to the story and many questions get answered in the course of the book. What is the greywaren, who killed Ronan’s father, what is Ronan’s secret? Those are just some of the questions answered in The Dream Thieves!

Those aren’t the only things going on; finally Blue admits she has a crush on Gansey — like we all didn’t see that coming after the first book. Sadly though it means she also has to admit that she isn’t feeling Adam at all. But it all spins full circle because we know that Blue can’t kiss him or he will die!!! No, talking about the feels of this book, it isn’t really a romance on any level but the build-up and dance between Blue and Gansey is serious in this book! Sigh, I could go on and on but I won’t. Suffice to say that if you like magic, fantasy, boys, cars and one badass girl then this book should be on your to read list! So get the series and start reading this fantastic fantasy filled with all a person can ask for out of a good book! Great characters, feels, mystery and adventure!

Notable Scenes: “A welsh king from the fifteenth century”

“One hundred white Mitsubishis”

“It’s not going to be you and me”

FTC Advisory: I borrowed a copy from the library, thus was not bribed to give a good review on this book.

This book throws us right back into the amazing world of Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle. We are again in Henrietta with Blue and the Raven Boys. on the search for Glendower.

This book focuses a lot on Ronan and his secrets. He is still learning all that he can do and who he really is. He has to face some of his own fears to do it. I liked learning more about Ronan. It makes his motives a lot easier to understand.

Blue still has questions about her father but they don’t take the forefront. She is worried about Adam, Gansey, Ronan, and Noah. After what happened at the end of The Raven Boys in Cabeswater, Blue is looking for answers. Things seem to be different with her friends.

Adam is changing. He doesn’t know exactly how but he does know it is linked to Cabeswater and all that transpired there. He is changing in ways that make it difficult for all of his friends.

Gansey is still the obsessed Gansey looking for Glendower. He is sure he cannot be far from him and yet there are difficulties. Gansey is trying to figure out what all happened with Adam. He wants to help Adam but Adam’s pride won’t allow that.

Noah is just Noah. With the ley line being somehow disturbed, sometimes he is there and sometimes he is not. There was quite a bit of this book he was absent from.

I enjoyed this installment of the Raven Cycle. I want to know what happens next, if Glendower can be found. I guess that means I have to find the next book. :-)

This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi(http://catholicamanda.com/review-dream-thieves/).

I was super excited to read The Dream Thieves because I absolutely loved the first book! Unfortunately up until I started to read these books I was never a big fan of Maggie Stiefvater. This series, somehow, is the one for me. I love most of the characters, can never predict what's going to happen next, and definitely want more.

The last book left me wanting to know more about the raven boys and I'm glad that more was told about Ronan and even Adam's motivations. I still want more about Noah. I want to know what he was like in the past, because I'm sure that he was much different than how he is now! He's my favorite of the boys, mostly because he manages to be a good balance of extremely cute and mysterious. Gansey has been growing on me a lot. And Blue . . . She's the one that frustrates me. I wish that her role in the books was more than the prophecy of her killing her true love if she kisses him. I mean, all of these boys get cool backstories and motivations and, well, lives . . . And she's left with romance. Blue, they tease you about being a crazy feminist (I'm not even going to go there) but you aren't exactly helping yourself out.

I loved the plot twists in this book, though there were a few involving the mysterious Grey Man that I thought were a little odd, convenient, and forced. I'm still super excited to see what's going to happen in book three (and slightly confused because I thought this was a trilogy and apparently book four is coming out sometime next year). Again, the ones with Ronan were my favorite twists because I wanted to know more about him and there were some developments, and new villains, I never saw coming.

These are the Maggie Stiefvater books I'd recommend as of now. While I still am not a fan of her other work, the magical mayhem in this Raven Cycle is perfect for me.

Much like The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves is character driven, but unlike The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves focuses on one character more than the others. This is my favorite part because Ronan Lynch is my favorite character ever, no question about it. After getting so little from his perspective in the first book and then the promise of an enigmatic turn to the story as a whole, The Dream Thieves more than delivered. Stiefvater's brilliance shines in the way she molds the characters further into shape while tackling their inner struggle alongside their relationship dynamics with one another.

Simply put, The Dream Thieves is all about shifting themes; a study in what makes a person. Gansey's issues with having too much and Adam's issues with having nothing at all and losing what he has to Cabeswater. Ronan's secrets and identity, Noah on the edge of existence, and Blue desperate to be something more. But most of all, the book hinges on a crossroads. From the beginning to the end, each of the characters are faced with an inner struggle that they must come face to face with. Ronan most than the others.

Richard Gansey's slow progress in his hunt for the Raven king continues to unsettle him, but it all takes a backseat in the wake of Ronan's confession. As a result, The Dream Thieves delves deeper into just how much Gansey's friends mean to him and the extent he'd go for them. How he constantly worries while his appearance oozes enviable confidence. And as Adam Parrish teeters on the brink of constantly going the wrong way to define himself, Noah Czerny is barely there. Blue tries to persevere and just be as the women of 300 Fox Way gets involved with a stranger. But it is Ronan who lives with secrets, secrets that Kavinsky seems to be aware of. Oh Kavinsky, what a deviously delicious character. He is corrupted to the bone and it shows, he is what Gansey worries Ronan could turn into some day which Ronan thinks is a legitimate worry.

However, Ronan's shifting self is the most fascinating self to ever exist on page. When awake, he is adamant about being truthful to the point of blunt as secrets thrum inside him. Secrets that come to life in his dreams; the one place they only ever do. He only admits to his secrets in dreams. He only has to realize that he needs to be able to love what he is and who he is in his waking life. Ronan, his secrets, and his desires drive his development as a character forward which is so layered and complex that I can't help but love him the best.

The Dream Thieves is four hundred pages about a character who is finally trusting his friends enough to indulge them in his secrets. As much as The Dream Thieves belongs to Ronan, a small, essential part of it belongs to Adam, too. The eerie ambiance of the first book gives way to a more just-below-the-surface kind of quiet urgency that I already know I will want to experience over and over. The Raven Cycle is a series shrouded in mysteries and with every other book, it delves deeper into some while revealing others. Trust me when I say this book is the best of the series yet.

After reading some reviews and being totally confused about the series I decided to write my own review. This book is the second installment of the Raven Cycle quartet, it also ends with a cliffhanger.
This book is Ronan's story, at the end of the previous book we learned that Ronan can take objects out of his dreams. We find out more about Ronan and his past. It's disappointing that he uses his ability in the most mundane ways. Why not pull Noah out of his dreams instead of birds and cars? We also find out he's not the only one with this ability and also bad guys are looking for him because of his talents.
Some new characters are introduced like Mr. Gray and Greenmantle but they don't really do much to move the story along.
We also get glimpses of Blue and Gansey, and Adam starts to use some of his ability with the ley line.
The first book felt like 30 percent story and 70 percent filler, this book is more like 50/50 filler to story ratio. Although it should be said that the quest for Glendower is completely abandoned in this book so in regards to the main plot of finding Glendower the book may be considered all filler. But Ronan is interesting so it's not a total loss. I don't like how the author glorified substance abuse though, she tried to make it seem like you weren't enjoying life unless you were popping pills and drinking beer. Also after booze filled days of drinking and popping pills with Kavinsky, Ronan who is clearly high gets in his car and drives.
The book is a bit of a let down after we find out Kavinsky's motivation for reaching out to Ronan. I was intrigued with his talk of world building and creating magic, to find out his real motivations were rather commonplace and ordinary was a big let down. No creating new worlds, no magic, and nothing note worthy either.
I got all 3 books from the series from the library and after reading the first 2 books and being disappointed I really could care less about what happens in book 3. I also read some reviews and it sounds like more filler the main thing reviewers say is that nothing happens to drive the story forward, not even a semi-intriguing idea like in this book. I gave this book 3 stars because the whole idea of creating things from your mind was great even though the payoff didn't deliver.

Woah. This was an adventure for sure. So much more action in such a short period of time. I’ve nearly forgotten what happened at the beginning of the book because the last 100 pages were a rollercoaster of action and emotions. There was more individual attention rather than focusing on the group as a whole, and I found that pretty important.

I can’t wait to see how this whole story pans out because so much is going on and ALL of it is relevant. There isn’t much I can say without spoiling everything, unfortunately. I enjoyed this book much more than the first. Maybe because I knew the world more, maybe because there was so much character development and plot movement, I don’t know, but I loved it. I’m trying to tear through these so I don’t get any Raven King spoilers across my dash.

We get to learn more about Ronan and Gansey meeting each other, we see more of Maura, Persephone, and Calla - the best moms ever, and Chainsaw should get her own spinoff series because she’s adorable (maybe my fav character).

So, if you haven’t tried this series yet, or gave up in the first one TRY AGAIN! I promise you it’s worth it! I couldn’t even hint at what happens at the end because it’s so unbelievable and crazy that it would ruin everything. GET ON IT

Originally reviewed at: http://www.shaelit.com/2013/09/review-the-dream-thieves-by-maggie-stiefvater/

The Dream Thieves follows the same basic structure as The Raven Boys. The same spheres circulate, the same themes echo. Adam continues to struggle with his outsider status, one that was heightened by his sacrifice to Cabeswater. Blue continues to fret over her destiny, her relationship with Adam, and her growing attraction to Gansey. And Noah is still Noah. But things change as well. Our access into Ronan’s head is the biggest change, as Ms. Stiefvater slowly humanizes him through the course of the story. We learn from him his thoughts and feelings about the other characters, his conflicted relationships with his brothers, and just how much his caustic attitude and sharp tongue hide what’s going on inside that shaved head of his.

While The Raven Boys might be safely dubbed Gansey’s book or Blue’s book or Adam’s book, The Dream Thieves is all Ronan’s. The majority of the book deals with Ronan and his newly confessed power to pull objects from his dreams, a power that he inherited from his late father. As with anything involving Ronan, the endeavor is one part wonder, four parts danger. Though Ronan can pull fantastic things from his dreams like a box that magically translates languages or Chainsaw, his moody pet raven, he can also inadvertently pull other things, like the monsters that haunt his nightmares.

Ronan’s vicious nightmares aren’t the only source of danger. From outside Henrietta, a ruthless collector named Greenmantle sends a hit man – the Gray Man – to hunt down an object called the Graywaren, a mythical object with the power to pull objects out of dreams. Neither the Gray Man or Greenmantle have any way of knowing that the Graywaren isn’t a what but a who – Ronan. From inside Henrietta, the danger is Kavinsky, a foul-mouthed drag-racing Aglionby boy meant to serve as Ronan’s warped reflection. He is who Ronan might be without Gansey.

Being Ronan’s tale, The Dream Thieves is a darker, cruder story than the magic-filled Raven Boys, but it is still a tale of talking trees, wibbly-wobbly timelines, and a sleeping king. By the end, I had an entire list of things that had stunned me, one that I shared willingly with anyone who asked. Crazy things happen in this book. More than once, I tipped my head and said, “You’re kidding me.”

However, the true magic of Ms. Stiefvater’s books is not in her wild scenarios but in her prose. This woman is the absolute MASTER of adjectives and adverbs. As with the last book, some of the descriptions wore thin with time, but I still devoured every carefully crafted word. (And by every word, I also mean every description of Gansey and Blue, because I’m slowly being won over to the Gansey/Blue ship.) In this book, we visit The Barns, Ronan’s utterly fantastic home, learn more about his brothers Declan and Matthew (for the record, I adore the latter nearly as much as Ronan does), and are treated to a delicious serving of Ronan’s dry wit. Ms. Stiefvater also throws in some Babe and Winnie the Pooh references that made me smile.

That said, while I had some minor issues with this book, I also had a major one in the form of the Gray Man. Seriously, is no one the least bit concerned that [to read the spoiler, check out the original review.] Geez louise. I’m sorry, I’m not supporting that, and the fact that all the other characters seem willing to stretches my suspension of disbelief beyond the breaking point. I also was not a fan of Kavinsky. While I understand his purpose within the narrative, he was crude enough that he spoiled my enjoyment of the story. Some people may not mind his mouth, but I did.

Now that I’ve aired my spleen (you’re dead to me, Gray Man), I strongly urge everyone who enjoyed The Raven Boys to check out this sequel. All the magic, adjectives, and camaraderie you loved in the first book is here, now seasoned with zingy perspective courtesy of our resident bad boy, Ronan Lynch. And if, for some reason, you feel you need one final push, I have but one Ronan-esque bomb to drop: [to read the spoiler, check out the original review.] Happy reading!

Favorite Non-Spoilery Quote:

[Blue] scratched her calf with her bare foot. 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.

Points Added For: Blue and the boys (as always), getting inside Ronan’s head, Matthew, Ronan being nice (it happens!), those crazy monster nightmare creatures, the truth about Prokopenko, the prose.

Points Subtracted For: The whole Gray Man thing, Kavinsky and his nastiness, making me sing Taylor Swift (because Adam and Blue are never ever ever getting back together!).

Good For Fans Of: Ms. Stiefvater’s other books, magical realism, the deep South, small towns, fast cars

Notes For Parents: Numerous homophobic jokes, kissing, underage drug and alcohol use, language, murder.

Note: I received a copy of this title from the published in exchange for an honest review.

Each time I read a Stiefvater novel, my firm belief that her writing is magic is reinforced. She picks the most poetic words to express sentiments, which personally draws me to her works like a bee to honey. She also manages to take hold of multiple stories and characters, and completely tangle them together in a way that still seems artistic. The Dream Thieves might be the second in a series, but it was even more impressive than its predecessor in terms of storytelling, character development and overall appeal.

While The Raven Boys does a commendable job of introducing us to the characters, the lore and the big picture story, The Dream Thieves takes what we already know and expands on the story. The reading experience moves along at a faster pace, with constant action scenes and unexpected twists. It was a much more exciting read than the first, and I definitely sped through the pages a lot faster. If you're looking for epic Stiefvater storytelling, this book is a prime example.

I will admit to being predisposed to liking the book even without cracking it open, mostly because it tells readers more about Ronan. Ronan was the mysterious one in The Raven Boys, and since I love a good mystery, I was intrigued by him. It was such a treat to learn more about his past, his present and his abilities. Though I feel satisfied with what I've learned, I sense that there's more to who Ronan is and that it'll be explored further in the series... and I can't wait.

The Dream Thieves was an incredible follow-up to The Raven Boys, and I'd definitely say that starting this series is even more worth a shot after reading it. Stiefvater's writing might not be for everyone, as she makes use of very lyrical, tangled prose, but it certainly works for me. If you're not daunted by the probability of working hard to understand story elements, and have enough patience to wait to fall in love with the characters, then I'd recommend this series with absolute certainly. Stiefvater is a magician, and she's done it again -- left me in a place where I'm fully satisfied and yet chomping at the bit to find out what happens to Blue and the Raven Boys next.

Why did I want to read this book?

Book 1 in the Raven Cycle fascinated me with its world of amazing characters, with the quest to find the Welsh king, Glendower, with Blue and her psychic family and by the end of it all, I wanted more. So easiest and natural solution? On to book 2, The Dream Thieves.

What worked for me?

Author Maggie Stiefvater has introduced us readers to her world and her unique characters in book 1. And while I feel like I kind of know each of them, I still love getting to know them much better in this second book. There are still facets of their personalities and their lives that have yet to unravel before our eyes and I just love that we get to see layers upon layers with each of these characters.

Book 1 ended with the lay line being restored and many sacrifices have been made to this end. And book 2 showed how these have affected a lot of the relationship dynamics of Blue and the Raven Boys. I also appreciate that we get to hear Ronan’s thoughts in this book since we basically have many scenes from his POV. It was an experience being inside his head, so to speak. He was such a compelling character in book 1 and I love that we get to know him in depth in this book. And boy, his secrets… well, I’ll leave you to discover them as you read this book.

I admit that I struggled a little with Maggie’s writing, especially in the beginning of book 1, not because it was bad, far from it, it’s amazing actually but I had to familiarize myself to her writing style because for me, it’s so unique. And now on book 2, since I’ve acclimatized a bit to her writing already, my reading experience became much more enjoyable and gosh, every page was so worth your reading time.

What did not work for me?

I didn’t find anything that did not appeal to me in this book. Read this. Now. Or until you finish Book 1. :)

My over-all take on it?

This was a great sequel and a great addition to the Raven Cycle series. It had its quiet moments and its fast-paced, my-heart-is-going-to-fall-from-my-chest moments, its really emotionally powerful moments, and I loved every bit of it. You do not want to miss on a great story.

My rating:

4.5 stars

This is the second installment in Maggie's The Raven Cycle quartet, and focuses primarily on Ronan Lynch. Ronan can take things out of his dreams and bring them into his real life, an ability he inherited from his father, Niall. A significant portion of this novel delves into Ronan learning about his dream ability and his family's secrets. I really enjoyed this different perspective into Ronan's life, and the scene where a young Ronan wakes his father is an image that stayed with me long after I finished reading.

"Niall's face was smeared with blood and blue petals. "I was just dreaming of the day you were born," Niall said, "Ronan." He wiped the blood on his forehead to show Ronan that there was no wound beneath it...Ronan was struck with how sure he was that they'd come from his father's mind. He'd never been more sure of anything." (3-4).

The first book in this series, The Raven Boys (reviewed here), provides a much more singular look at Ronan. But in The Dream Thieves, we are treated to the full expanse of Ronan Lynch - his admittedly brief moments of kindness, his sharp wit and sharper smirk, his wild streak and unfailing loyalty. I came to appreciate Ronan so much more in this book, and I enjoyed how Maggie's writing style even began to reflect Ronan's perspective - sentences were sharper, there was a frenetic energy to certain scenes that appropriately portrayed Ronan's anxiety. A friend has expressed that she didn't like this aspect of the writing, but it didn't bother me like it did her, so...personal opinions differ. I also found Ronan's relationship with Kavinsky so intriguing (in a Fatal Attraction kind of way, that is). Because going from "hey bro I dreamt you some more of those bracelets you like" to "hey bro if I can't have you bad s***'s gonna go down" is really NOT OKAY KAVINSKY but you made a brilliant (if confusing) character.

While Ronan is obviously the focus of The Dream Thieves, each of the other characters has important development. Adam, bless his heart, is really having a tough time post-sacrifice. It's hard to be Cabeswater's eyes and hands when Cabeswater...you know, disappears. And the ley lines are having a power shortage because certain people are dreaming too enthusiastically. But the scenes where we see Adam struggle with his anger were heartbreaking, and the scenes where his heart is breaking had me enraged. There were moments were I felt that Adam was on the verge of becoming too pitiful to enjoy his character anymore (aka Gansey's mom's party), but I'm hoping that Adam's re-centering of sorts does a world of good.

"Sometimes Ronan though Adam was so used to the right way being painful that he doubted any path that didn't come with agony." (71) V GOOD OBSERVATION RO.

Speaking of Adam's heart breaking: Blue. I just...I can't with Blue in this book. I know the third book focuses heavily on her, so I'm honestly hoping my opinions change when I read that book. But as it stands, I am not a fan of Blue. Why not just tell Adam about the curse, or even leave out the true love part? The scene between them goes down so badly...and I can't help but think it's largely her fault. I don't want to get too into this because this is where I break down and go into full-on rant mode in my previous attempts at reviewing this book. The Dream Thieves left me unimpressed and unhappy with Blue Sargent. I hate to harp on something negative when I enjoyed a book so much overall, but BLUE WHY DO YOU MAKE POOR CHOICES?

I must say, however, that one of my favorite scenes in this book is one that occurs between Blue and Noah. It's the second half of chapter 31, fellow readers. Yep, that scene. On the first read through I laughed because it's funny and sweet, but as I often do with scenes I enjoy, I read it again. And cried. Because on a second read, it was so sad. Hands-down the saddest kissing scene I've ever read. That's the way I took it, but oh my god y'all.

I genuinely enjoyed this second installment in The Raven Cycle, and gave it 5 stars on my Goodreads page. I loved how visceral this book felt, and there were moments whilst reading when I actually felt scared (hello bird monsters). In certain aspects I think The Dream Thieves surpasses The Raven Boys - it felt more intense, unleashed a wealth of complex plot lines and character development moments. The Dream Thieves stayed with me for days after I finished reading, and I had an hours-long conversation with a friend about all of my theories. I am entirely too invested in this series, and I love it.

I rarely review Stiefvater's or Green's books, because they turn me into a blubbering, fangirling idiot, for the most part, which makes them better writers than I.

We'll call these thoughts.

It is a stereotypical instinct for an artist to react to something that is a negative reaction to something said artist created with, "they just don't understand", which is an ideal--though I'm never proud of it--that I have made myself privy to, for years. I, nor Goodreads, could not tell you how many books I have actually read, but it has taken hundreds of them, at least, for me to learn the truth about books and about writing and about publishing and how they all tie together.

"As much as I love a story, it’s what it becomes in someone else’s head that drives me to write. Sometimes people ask writers “would you write if you couldn’t get published?” and I’m not sure I would. I think I’d jump ship to another medium where I could tell stories to an audience. I’m a story-teller, not a writer. Performative." -Maggie Stiefvater

A storyteller is a performer; a writer is an artist. They could be the same thing and they could not. Writing is a form of creative expression. When said writing is published, it manifests into what each individual person thinks it means. What they get from it. And that is the beauty of books that are available to us (as in, not still sitting on the author's computer or notepad or whatever): that every book could mean something different to every person, or it could mean the same thing. That is the beauty of art. It is subjective. Because it is so, the product of the writer can invoke an awful thing, or a beautiful thing. The beautiful thing could be simply oh my god Maggie gets me but it is beautiful nonetheless, and I always get the beautiful thing from Stiefvater's work.

"Maybe she'd go for a walk, just her and the switchblade. They were a good pair. Both incapable of opening up without cutting someone." -Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

I highly doubt that Maggie Stiefvater wrote this in whatever year she wrote it with the fact in mind that I was broken by some terrible comments left on an article that I wrote that happened to invoke the awful thing I speak of. I guess it's possible, if, like Maura, she is a psychic (which I think she said she was once?) but I never asked her to read my cards and then put my fate in a book, passing it on as Blue's fate, so. But I related to it. And that is the point. Creating--and sharing--something that, all the people that are lost in something else, can find their souls in. That is performing well as an author, and why I love books. The rare find of thoughts that are our own, written better than we, the readers, can write them. Expressed in a way that we could never express them.

The development and the angst and the pain and the witty dialogue and the love and the discovery and the beauty and the hope and the prose is all there, if that's all you're looking for, but Stiefvater offers so much more in every book she produces, and that's why she's my favorite. I love this woman, and everything she represents, in, and out of fiction.

~4.5/5

[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

"Every day, thousands of confessions are kept from their would-be confessors, none of these people knowing that their never-admitted secrets all boil down to the same three words: I am afraid.” (Hardback, pg. 1)

I am in love with this book. I really enjoyed the first book, but I wasn’t expecting this one to be even better, to such an extent. But my god, I love it. And this makes me so, so excited for the next one.

I absolutely love the characters in this series. So much happened with them in this book, there were a lot of surprises, and I love it. I’m glad that I have no real idea of where the story is going. And that each book has only given me more questions.

Ronan is just surprising me at every turn. A lot happened with him in this book, he was given a lot of attention, and now I’m just intrigued by him. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I have so many questions about him. His whole dream thing is really neat, if also a little destructive. I like his bird, Chainsaw. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens with him next. There's also some possible sexual tension (and fan shipping) that I'm wondering, or hoping, if will be explored later.

Adam I am a little unsure about. I’m not really sure what’s going on with him. I liked what happened with him and Blue in this book. Adam could go in any direction from here, and I think I’m just waiting to see where that it.

I like Gansey a lot. A lot. I’m enjoying seeing him develop, grow. We haven’t actually seen a lot of him, I don’t think. He hasn’t got as much of the spotlight as some of the others. But I like him.

I like Blue a lot, as well. She’s great, and I relate to her in some ways. I like her and her family a whole lot. I also like her and Gansey together quite a lot, and look forward to seeing that develop. We really only saw the beginnings of it in this book, and I look forward to more. And I like how she handled Adam.

I love Blue’s family, the psychics she lives with. Her mother is great. And I was surprised by it, but her mother even has a romance in this book. It was surprising, and I was really wary of him at first, but I honestly love how it all worked out. I wasn’t expecting there to be an actual romance for the adults, but I loved it. I look forward to seeing their relationship grow in the next book. And just getting to know him better, because he's such an interesting character.

I loved everything about this book. The writing is gorgeous and quirky and makes me want to keep reading. Stiefvater writes exactly the way that I want to write. The characters are great, and I’m really enjoying seeing each of them develop and grow into new, sometimes better, people. So much happened in this book, but I won’t spoil anything, so I’m not going to go into detail. I have no idea where the story is going next, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

re-read: May 2016

I still absolutely love this. But I think that I've changed my mind since last time. Underneath, you can see that I state that this book was even better than the previous one. Now, I love The Raven Boys more. Don't get me wrong, still love this one. But I adore The Raven Boys.

First read: December 2013

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, The Raven Boys.
But the Dream Thieves was even better. You could really see all of the characters grow and you got to learn so much more about each of them. I really enjoyed the character development as it is incredibly important in novels, and especially in series.

I only wish I'd waited with reading this one until the next was out.
BECAUSE I NEED IT NOW!

I love the way Maggie Stiefvater writes, there is so much in this book: humor, sadness, excitement, trepidations and much more. The characters are much more fleshed out in this novel. You get to understand Ronan, Gansey and Adam better. The last book ends with Ronan saying he pulled the Raven out of his dream. In Dream Thieves it is all about how Ronan pulls items on out of his dreams and how it is tied to Cabeswater and the ley lines. This book has the feeling of almost like Alice in Wonderland or Matrix.

There are tons of things happening in this book. Blue, Adam and Gansey relationship, Adam and his deal with Cabeswater, Ronan with his dreaming capabilities and his relationship with Kavinsky, Noah flickering in and out with the surging of the ley lines. Oh, there is also a hit man in the mix with the name of Mr. Gray. And, Gansey search for Glendower is still there but it isn't as demanding as the last book.

A lot is still not answered from the first book, and on top of that this book has you asking many more questions as well. Also, it ends in cliff hanger, as does most really good books and now I must wait another year!

This book is terrifying and beautiful, and I can't wait until the final book where everything will hopefully tie together perfectly.

I loved the first book, but somehow I loved this one even more.

Ronan's pov is incredibly addicting. Stiefvater writes him so well that you can feel his intoxicating adrenaline through every word you read. His head is a glorious, thorny place to travel through and I'm incredibly glad she shares it with us.

This book is full of twists and turns and things you don't see coming and a world made broader than originally thought possible. There's insane depths to these characters and things easily missed at face value. There's so much going on and pieces that fall together with the more pages you turn and its just. so very well done.

My favorite thing about Stiefvater is that she never does what you expect. She goes the unorthodox route and it's amazing.

Cannot wait to finish this series.

*Copy via Netgalley*

First off …

Wayyyy better than the first! I swear when you read a book, any book, by Stiefvater I can promise there will never ever be a dull moment in an scene with her books. Her characters are just ughhh (in a good way!) they were just as quirky and real as they were in the first book and they only made me love the author so much more! There was something so unique about The Raven Boys which of course made me eager for this sequel.

As always her stories grab my attention and tend to pull me under. The beginning started out strong and with a POW! - while most sequels are naturally quite dull but umm Stiefvater you don’t like to be dull do you? OF COURSE NOT.

The Dream Thieves kept me on the edge of my seat, daring itself to try and let me down.

Ok quick story:
I actually met Maggie over the summer and ordered a signed copy of The Dream Thieves that was also to have a doodled raven inside drawn by Maggie herself and well how could I pass that up? I ordered the copy after I requested a copy from Net Galley thinking there was no way in hell I was going to get approved because I believe in myself that much.

Anyways.

A couple weeks after the release (and after meeting her) my copy had yet to come in and I felt like crying. However I went onto Net Galley looking for a mourning book to request (not counting the other 3 books I was already reading) and quench my book thirst … Lo and behold there it was sitting in my dashboard of approved book just mocking me like “Thank God, where the hell have you been?”

“How in the hell did you get here,” I asked the book.

Yes I really asked.

I never not an email saying I was approved and I was pissed. I was pissed that that book was sitting in my dashboard lonely and waiting for me to read it while I was sulking about not receiving my physical signed-doodled copy yet and there the e-copy was. But you know I got over it quickly and out down the other three books I had started to finally read The Dream Thieves.

Story over.

The characters are always the best of Stiefvater’s work - Blue was one of my favorites. She is easy to like, goes with the flow, including her family of psychics and overall a kick ass chick.

The Raven Boys themselves though are what we get to see more of than we did in the first book. They each are completely different from one another that you would expect for Ronan to finally wanna kick some ass and then choose Adam but no you don’t! Because they are all so different it makes them want to be friends. Get it?

Ok I worded that weird but you know what I mean.

Surprisingly this read flew by and I couldn’t believe how fast I had finished. I guess this shows you how great the author can be right?

Although I must admit the series can be a bit confusing at times (unless its really not and I am the only one that has to re read it because I cannot seem to decipher Maggie’s awesomeness correctly).

*SPOILER*

My only problem with the whole book was the romance. I expected love in the air, awkward dates, and maybe the occasional make out … from Adam and Blue …

Not from Blue’s mother.

Oh you Maggie. Oh you. Getting’ twisty twisty on us aren’t you.

Overall I give this a whopping 5 freakin’ stars and I must say it outdid the first novel. I applaud you dear author Maggie and eagerly wait for the next installment! Thank you thank you Net Galley and the publisher for giving me a copy to read and review I loved it!

Thanks for reading and happy reading!
I am open for book recommendations.
- Alyssia

If you’ve read The Raven Boys, you’ll know that I don’t need to go into detail about just how fabulously mindblowing Dream Thieves is. While reading The Raven Boys, I could never have imagined how Stiefvater would be able to improve on that. But oh me of little faith. She did, and she did it splendidly!

The writing, as expected, is as imaginative and whimsical as it is in the first book. Maybe even better. OK, definitely better. Then again, from this incredibly talented author I would expect nothing less. Character growth is off the charts and if you think you knew the boys quite well from the previous novel, you have a few surprises coming your way for sure. I loved how this book revolved around the three Raven boys (Gansey, Ronan, and Adam) more, and less around Blue. I’m not sure how I feel about her anymore, that’s probably why I’m happy she doesn’t feature as much in this story as in the first.

The idea of dream thieves tickled my imagination and, to be honest, I loved the concept of dreams literally coming true. Except for the night horrors, that is.

My recommendation is that (if you haven’t yet) you should read The Raven Boys first. It is, after all, the first book in this series and although I guess Dream Thieves can be read on its own, you’ll miss out on too much back story to be able to fully appreciate the extraordinariness of this sequel.

The first thing I did after finishing The Raven Boys? I made a trip to the nearest bookstore to pick up The Dream Thieves, of course! The Raven Cycle is a very special series, one that I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to read. And importantly, The Dream Thieves lived up to my (very high) expectations for a sequel to that fantastic read.

Reasons to Read:

1. A seamless sequel:

The Dream Thieves is a great example of a perfect transition from the first book to its sequel. The transition here was so fluid, it truly felt like a continuation of the same story. The Raven Boys was a very strong start to a series and The Dream Thieves simply builds on that foundation. The plot, world, and the characters are further developed and as a result, the reader is completely immersed in the story.

2. Particular attention is paid to Ronan:

Ronan Lynch was introduced as one of the Raven Boys in the first book, but he was more of a background character. The Dream Thieves pays a significant amount of attention to both Ronan's back story and his present struggles. I appreciated the fact that characters aside from Blue and Gansey are given the attention they deserve and treated like people rather than plot devices and Ronan is a perfect example of this in The Dream Thieves.

3. One of the most romantic scenes ever:

Romance isn't a must-have for me in a book, but I appreciate a great love story as much as any other reader! The love story in The Raven Cycle hasn't been at all what I expected prior to starting the series, but I'm so pleased with it. For readers who love gradual, swoon-worthy love stories with ever-mounting tension The Dream Thieves captures this story flawlessly.

Admittedly, there were a couple subplots which I had a harder time trying to fit into the overall story (such as The Gray Man and Kavinsky) which felt somewhat out of place and forced compared to the remainder of the book. That being said, this was fairly minor for me and didn't detract from my overall reading experience.

I love the magic in this series, and I was absolutely blown away by how great of a sequel The Dream Thieves is compared to The Raven Boys as an introduction to The Raven Cycle. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is magical in and of itself, but the world she created here is incredibly intoxicating!

Hardcover personally purchased.

Honestly, there is something really special about a Maggie Stiefvater book. And The Raven Boys series is extraordinary. Hauntingly extraordinary.

Blue Sargent still has the prediction she has heard all of her life looming over her head: she will kill the her true love when they kiss. I can’t imagine having that knowledge. I don’t know how she does not feel it constantly weighing her down. She fits in so well with the raven boys and I love her quirkiness.

Gansey is the epitome of an all-american boy at first glance, but there is so much more to him. He is caring and constantly thinking of his friends. He grew up in a very affluent family, but at least to me, he does not act like it. He is incredible in so many ways and he’s tied with Ronan as my favorite raven boy.

Ronan opened my eyes in this installment. I had written him off as a sulky boy in the first book, but he’s so much more. He’s very introverted and keeps to himself. I can imagine how hard it must be for his friends to read his emotions. I love his mysteriousness and his dreams. I cannot wait to read more about him.

The first word that comes to my mind when I think of Adam is stubborn. I absolutely hate what he has had to go through and I understand his need to go through it by himself but he needs to know he has friends that would do anything for him without a price.

And Noah is just Noah. I love him!

The plot is addicting. How Gansey came across Glendower and the progress they’ve made is so cool and how I wish I lived in their world. The writing is gorgeous. Hauntingly beautiful. There is something about her writing that has me so in awe. The romance(s?) is quite heartbreaking. I will not say much about it but it is really special. And it just breaks my heart so many times when reading.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is an absolute beautiful title and I cannot wait for it. I’ll be rushing to the store on October 28th to get it!

Rating: 5/5 Tar Heels!

The second book picks up where we left off with the group’s search for the Welsh king Glendower, but the search goes awry when the paranormal ley line loses power and mayhem ensues when a secret becomes much bigger than the one who holds it.

I keep telling people that these books do something to me. And I don’t have the right words to explain what it is about these particular books that have me in such misery and rapture. The impractical side of me wishes desperately to find her own magic, so she can find a way into these pages or find a way to take the world found in them and bring them to life. The practical part of me is telling me to calm down and enjoy the magic as any reader does when met with something special, but I don’t feel like listening to her right now. I almost feel incapable of writing this review because I feel all at once anxious and desiccated and euphoric.

Have you ever read a book where it’s hard to distinguish one character from another? No one has a clear, decisive identity and as a result the characters seem to bleed into each other? The Dream Thieves does not suffer from this problem. Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Blue are all distinct from each other with their own desires, secrets and motivations. They are dynamic and compelling, making you read yet another chapter even if you have to get up early the next morning. Even minor characters like Kavinsky and the Gray Man offer more in their limited appearances than many main characters in other books. In fact I wouldn’t mind reading a book featuring the Gray Man (Are you listening Maggie Stiefvater?).

I’m convinced Maggie Stiefvater is a Greywaren herself and dreamt up a book that would completely undo its readers, and thus brought this one out to beguile us all.

Read The Raven Boys and then The Dream Thieves. Fall in love with these characters and enjoy the wretched jubilation that follows.

3.5 stars

Dear Readers,
I mentioned in this week’s Sunday post that I spent three days last week with no power due to freezing rain knocking down 300+ trees in Forsyth County alone. Obviously, there wasn’t much to do except read a book by flashlight. I finished The Dream Thieves pretty fast, but I have to admit I don’t remember much about it and when I had a difficult time reading it. Perhaps it was a much too complex book to read when one is being treated for an MS relapses with 20 50mg steroid tablets a day. Suffice to say, not much complicated brain function goes on when being medically overdosed on roids. I did manage to read and finish the book, but I didn’t manage to enjoy it as much as I wanted to. Maybe one day I’ll take the time to re-read, but for now I think I’ll just move on to the next book in The Raven Cycle series.

xoxo,
One Curvy Blogger

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After first book The Raven Boys absolutely enchanted me last year (becoming my favorite Stiefvater novel), of course I wanted to read its sequel. The only problem was not quite being able to remember everything that happened. I remember finishing it on my couch before a Manchester United game started and then clutching it to me because it was a hard copy but specific plot details? Not important enough for my stupid brain to remember!

Still I pretty easily slid back into the world. I certainly remembered Blue and the prophesy about her true love dying after receiving a kiss from her as well as her family of psychics. I definitely remembered the Raven Boys, Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah though I had forgotten something important about Noah even as the text eventually reminded me of that. I knew about their quest for Glendower and the steps they had taken up to that point while I wondered what was to come next.

This sequel definitely gave me some similar feelings to the first book as I became immersed in the world and tried to follow everything that is happening. But in the first book, it all seemed to come together in a beautiful magical way whereas this felt dull. I'm not the biggest fan of Ronan and he is the main focus so that didn't help. I felt like The Raven Boys, though definitely focused on Gansey, also gave a lot of time and attention to the other characters. This book didn't. It was mostly Ronan and his dream thieving as hinted by the cover and title with Noah barely showing up, Adam continuing to have the most ginormous chip on his shoulder about his poverty, Gansey's obsession with Glendower being put on a backburner, and Blue bristling at not being included like one of the boys: those are their basic stories and it was not near as expansive and enchanting as in The Raven Boys. Meanwhile like I said, Ronan's story was added to; I will only be able to tolerate this if Adam gets similar treatment in book three or four because Ronan is my least favorite and I find him irksome.

Overall: I liked it but I was disappointed. I had hoped this second book would increase my love of the series but instead I felt a little bit like I was marking time and missing more than a few plot points despite my close reading. I still intend to try the third book when it comes but I'm less excited about it.

The Raven Boys was magical and beautiful and such a wonderful read. It's why I was terrified to read this book. What if this book ruined everything? And yet, I started reading it the second I got my hands on it and was able to put my fears to rest.

They're still on the hunt for Glendower, though he's taken a bit of a back seat in this book. But they're still searching for him and he's still part of the overall storyline. The focus this time is Ronan and his dreams and his life. We learn about Ronan's past and what happened to his father and what happened to his family. And WOW. I did not see that coming.

I loved Ronan in the first book and I love him even more at the end of this book. I feel that his character has the most depth, and I do hope that at the end of the last book Ronan will get his happy ending.

What seems to happen a lot in YA is when a book isn't intended to focus on relationships but actually winds up focusing on relationships. That can be really annoying when the premise of the book sounded so wonderful. So far The Raven Cycle has managed to avoid that. There is focus on relationship and there is focus on the story and they are weaved together in such a wonderful mixture.

The friendship between Ronan and Noah is like the most adorable thing ever. I'm actually starting to feel something for the Gansey/Blue relationship. Blue and Noah have a fantastic friendship too. And in the first book I found that I preferred the relationship of the boys with themselves than that of Blue with the boys, but I found that she really has become one of the group. Or rather, she's more of the group now than she was in the first book. I'm still unsure of how I feel about Adam. His relationship with the group is strained too.

And that kiss! Bittersweet. So beautiful. So heartbreaking.

Still magical. Still beautiful. And honestly, this book has kind of restored my faith in YA (especially sequels).

Wow! This book! I needed a few days before I wrote my review because seriously... THIS BLEW MY MIND AWAY! When I finished it I was so confused, and excited and speechless. Maggie Stiefvater, she's just amazing. We have yet another book full of magic, possibilities, dreams... And they all seem so real. Maggie once again presented a world where everything is possible, you just have to believe it can be real. Her magic feels real.

On The Dream Thieves, the quest for Glendower is still going and it is more intense and confusing since now the ley line is awake. But Blue and her Raven Boys are now facing new threats. They don't know it for sure, but there are other people interested on the ley line and everything that comes along with it. Every single possibility it represents. We have the characters we all know and love, like the Raven Boys and Blue and her family. They're all important, but we also have a few more characters added to the story. And from these new characters, a new ally might appear (well, that's what I think).

If you've read the first book, you know this series is full of points of view. In this one we add Ronan's and a few other's POV to the mix. With Ronan... You first meet him as the intense and problematic part of the group. On this book, you understand where his anger comes from. The story behind his dad's death. How he feels towards some people (people who I won't mention, but let me tell you... I KNEW IT). He's discovering who and what he is, what he's capable of. Also, who's like him or appears to be like him, and the part they play with the ley line.

Then we have Adam. Adam, the responsible for waking up the ley line. The one who's changing and doesn't understand why and what's happening to him. He's so angry all the time. I don't really like him. I didn't like him on the first book and I didn't like him on this one. He's too resentful and I hate how he makes Gansey feel. Like he's to blame for everything. I understand, his life hasn't been easy, he wants more for him, but there are ways to do it. Getting help is not a bad thing.

Blue and Gansey... There wasn't enough of these two Maggie! Come on. I know this story is not about the romance, it is a part of it, but not all. But come on! This is torture. That scene, THAT SCENE! Oh my God! It was amazing, beautiful, romantic and devastating all at the same time. I need more. Their romance grows slowly. It's not the typical love story. But it's beautiful. Both of them start to realize how much they can rely on each other. How much they actually matter to each other. This was unbelievable.

And talking about torture. Dear God woman! What was that last scene? Jesus.

The ley line is more than what they all thought at first. It is powerful and unpredictable and full of magic. Every time there's some interaction with it, like some one waking it up, or finding it again or whatever... The ley line is going to respond. If it's going to give them something, the ley line has to take something back.

I can't wait to read the next book. I'm already dying to have it.

Congratulations Maggie Stiefvater for another great book

The Raven Boys, along with Blue, are still on the hunt for the magical dead king. However, things are much more complicated. The ley lines are awaken but messed up, and Cabeswater is suddenly noticeably absent. Danger is stalking them, and worse, Ronan is haunted by his dreams. Even Noah is having trouble remaining visible. Can Ronan master his dreams and help Gansey find the elusive dead king? Will Blue kill her true love with a kiss?
What I Liked:
*Once again, the magic was back with Ms. Stiefvater's writing. I was captivated and in awe of her masterful brilliance with words. It is hard to describe the beauty of Maggie Stiefvater's work as my words can't begin to compare to her mastery. Ms. Stiefvater has the ability to take words and use them in a way that makes you feel. She tickles your senses with her words, and you are able to hear, smell, and practically touch things in her books. There are those who use words in a utilitarian way to tell a story, and then there are the few who grab words and bend them to capture your imagination and infiltrate your dreams. Ms. Stiefvater is one of those authors who has an amazing gift for story telling. If you have not read anything by Maggie Stiefvater, you are missing out. Her work is outstanding, stunningly detailed and exceptional, and she is without a doubt one of my favorite authors.
*This book is completely character driven. I was once again reunited with the quartet known as the Raven Boys. This time, the story digs a little deeper and peels back the layers, and I was able to learn more about what made each boy tick. While the first book was more Gansey and Blue's story, this one is Ronan and Adam's story. Ronan takes center stage and he is incredibly complex. At first introduction, he was not the most likable of the Raven Boys. He is sharp tongued, irreverent, harsh, brazen and rebellious, a total bad boy. However, underneath the tough exterior there is a kind heart and unwavering loyalty. Ronan has a softer side that is completely unexpected. It flares through in an anonymous kindness to another Raven Boy. It is also evident in the way he looks after his younger brother. There is so much more to Ronan than I ever thought possible, especially when it comes to his amazing secret. Ronan has the ability to steal stuff from his dreams, but his gift is also the stuff of nightmares. It was fascinating to get to know Ronan. *I was surprised at how much I grew to love this bad boy. Adam was so endearing to me in the last book, but this time, I saw another side of Adam that was a bit more harsh. Adam is struggling with all of his personal demons. There were times when I was not pleased with his actions and I couldn't understand why he refused help, other than the fact that he is incredibly stubborn. It is most impressive how Ms. Stiefvater is able to sculpt characters with flaws and still make them likable.
*This time around, there are two villains. The mysterious hit man, The Gray Man and the bold, defiant, destructive and reckless Joseph Kavinisky. I was surprised to find that my initial impressions of both of these characters changed dramatically during the read. The Gray Man actually shows signs of redemption, and I was able to understand why he behaved the way he did once I glimpsed his troubled past. He went from someone I despised to someone I respected by the end. Kavinisky was a character that made me laugh. He is brazen, foul mouthed, disrespectful and flat out funny. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking him. Just as with her Raven Boys, Steifvater exposes the faults of the villains along with the likable qualities making them realistic and complex.
*The overall storyline remains incredibly detailed and complicated. This is a book and a series that must be read slowly and absorbed as there are so many story lines that interweave. This is a series that builds upon each book. You must be patient and appreciate the mastery of this work. Don't go in expecting to breeze through and have a complete understanding. While some things become more clear in this outing, there are still so many secrets and unanswered questions that itch at my mind. I can't even imagine how the story is going to progress because Steifvater always has plenty of twists and surprises up her sleeve. No doubt it will be an amazing finish.
*I listened to the audio version of this book read by the brilliant Will Patton. Patton does an incredible job with narration. All of his voices, including the female characters, are well done and believable. I never struggle with his rendition of females. His voice for Kavinsky was my favorite. I loved the audio version, but due to the complexity of the story line, I feel like I need to go back and read it as I am such a visual learner. If you struggle taking in complex reads and you aren't an auditory person, you may be best served reading this. However, the audio version is top notch and I highly recommend it!
And The Not So Much:
*I have grown accustomed to Stiefvater's method of storytelling. Her pace is slow, often times laborious as she takes her time to flesh out and detail her characters and her storyline. Her books are pieces to the overall picture. You can never get a clear idea of where her story is going with one book. You have to read all of the books in the series to have the full vision. This is not a series that you can pick up and read out of order, or you will be horribly lost. Even after reading this, I am still floundering wondering where the finale will take me.
*The romance is still almost non existent. In the first book, we are introduced to the hapless, non psychic Blue. She comes from a family of psychics but has no psychic abilities of her own, other than she seems to be able to amplify the talents of her psychic family. Blue has been told her whole life that she will kiss and kill her true love. Thus, Blue is afraid to allow herself to fall in love. In The Raven Boys, a small love triangle was developed. Blue seemed to have feelings for both Adam and Gansey, but there is nothing concrete. This time, Blue is caught between the boys, but she eventually makes a decision. Then the romance fizzles. This is not a big issue for me because I know Steifvater will deliver in the end. For those of you who are looking for a romance driven story, this will be a disappointment as there is really not a romance as of yet.
*I struggled a bit with Blue's mother in this one. I had a hard time with her relationship with the Gray Man. I didn't understand why she would develop feelings for him other than out of pity?
The ending tied up the main story arcs in this book regarding Ronan and his abilities, but the main plot of finding the missing king is almost abandoned in favor of Ronan and his issues. Finally, at the end there was a shocking, jaw dropping revelation that left me aching to know more. It will be a long wait between books. In all honesty, due to the complexity of this series, it is almost best to wait and read all three books back to back in order to absorb everything.
*I don't like this series being labeled as Young Adult. Not because there is anything inappropriate, but more because this an intelligent and complex read. It exceeds far beyond most of the YA titles out there. It is incredibly sophisticated and detailed. I am sad that many adults will miss out on this exquisite work because it is in the Young Adult genre. This is a smart book that people of all ages can enjoy. For those of you who don't read Young Adult books, this is a series that is far beyond the typical YA books out there. I highly recommend picking this up and ignoring the label.

The Dream Thieves is a stunning sequel and in fact, a book that is even better than its predecessor. Ms. Steifvater once again found the magic that is her trademark and she captured me with her mastery of words. She is an author who is talented beyond measure, one more people need to be reading. If you are looking for an amazing, complex, fascinating, character driven series, look no further, get The Raven Cycle Series now!
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I was better prepared this time. I had a feeling the beginning would feel a little disjointed but then everything would suddenly come out and it would be wonderful. I was ready. And The Dream Thieves did not disappoint.

Things are different for the group now. Their roles aren't as defined and no one really knows what that means for their quest or their friendships. Tensions are rising, secrets are coming out, and the truth is getting muddled. Blue is still in a sort-of relationship with Adam, but her feelings about Gansey are getting confusing. Ronan has demons to face and a secret that could get him in trouble. Gansey is empowered by the successes of their quest, but unprepared for the failures. All of this is only made more important by the arrival of people searching for the same thing the raven boys and Blue are looking for.

Something I am really enjoying about this series is the slow build. Not everything has to happen right away. Things take their time unfolding, letting the idea grow before coming to fruition. Blue and Adam are a friendship, but maybe more, but Blue won't let herself fall for any boy, even though Adam tries. Blue and Gansey are building a friendship build on trust and respect, even as things start to get confusing for them. Even Blue and Ronan are finding a groove in their relationship. Things aren't perfect, of course, but it all feels real. Nothing is forced in these relationships and that's refreshing to read.

I feel like The Dream Thieves is more of Adam and Ronan's stories. Adam is trying to find a way to be equal in the group and Ronan is trying to find a way to deal with the truth.

Adam has always felt like less than because he doesn't come from money like the other boys. He's had to work for everything, he's had to think about how his actions affect others, and he's had to make choices for himself that he didn't want to. It's left him feeling unequal in the circle of friends. In The Dream Thieves, he finds what makes him equal.

Ronan has carried a secret with him and now it's threatening his way of life. He doesn't understand what he is or how he affects the world. He's blown off this secret any way he can, until it finally gets free and he must face it. He has to find a way to accept what he is and learn how to control himself. His struggle was fascinating to read and it really explains a lot about his character.

The Dream Thieves is a superb follow-up to The Raven Boys that only deepens the mystery. It will have you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath. Things are only just beginning and the wait for the next novel feels so incredibly long. There's so much story left to tell.

I loved the second installment of the Raven Cycle. it was more centered on Ronan and I was not mad at all. he was such a mystery in the first book and didn't seem to quite "fit" with the rest of the boys. "more raven the the other raven boys" basically described him. but this book she'd some much needed light on Ronan which I loved! I devoured all things Ronan and loved it. we also learned more about the ladies of 300 Fox Way and it was awesome as well. I love all these characters and feel like they are real and my friends as well. what can I say, I'm a fan

If you've read my review for The Raven Boys, you know that my biggest problem with it was that I didn't feel much of a connection to the boys -- you know, the main characters? So, I was somewhat nervous about digging into book two, even though that prologue was so delicious I was basically drooling in anticipation. I am happy to report that The Dream Thieves delivered on so many levels.

Once again, Maggie's writing just wrapped itself around my heart. I know she likes to do the slow build thing, and I've always enjoyed the deliberate eloquence of her prose, but I didn't expect it to have such an effect on me this time (silly me!).

"Only @mstiefvater could make me tear up, reading about a street race. I don't even know how, but her words just slay me. #TheDreamThieves" (my tweet while reading this book)

That's right, folks: an author has successfully gotten me to not only care about a street race scene, but to actually feel emotional while reading it! In the chapter before that one, Gansey and Adam were at a fancy party, and a similar thing happened. Not only did I care about what was happening in a roomful of stuffy rich people, but my heart was actually clutching at the bromance between two characters I previously disliked!

By the end of book one, I have to admit that I wasn't sure where things were going to lead, and I was wondering how the heck the story would be able to continue for three more books. About a third of the way through The Dream Thieves, however, I just nodded to myself and said, "Ah, yes, Maggie. I see."

There is so much depth to this story, and the arcs for everyone are just now beginning to take wing (heh-heh, puns). The magic is so much more vast and full than I realized before. The threads connecting the Raven Boys, Blue and all her psychic relatives, and the new characters introduced in this book, are getting thicker and even more entwined, and I loved it all.

Now that Adam is coming into his own, I can understand and appreciate him more; and even though I still don't particularly like him, I can tell his arc will be quite satisfying by the end. Gansey has become a bit more real for me now, and I have grown to enjoy the tenderness with which he holds each person in his heart. Ronan is magnificent, even though he can make some annoyingly bad decisions, but for some reason he's my favorite (maybe Chainsaw has something to do with it). Noah wasn't as present in this book, but I loved each time he made an appearance; I'm still wondering how much we'll see of him in the future.

I grew to like Blue more in this book, too, even though I did find her animosity toward Orla slightly perplexing (although I did tend to agree with Blue most of the time). I adore all of the psychic women, and I am so glad they had significant parts in this book as well. The romance building between Maura and Mr. Gray (who was also quite brilliant) is amusing and exciting. Oh, and Kavinsky? Major a-hole. But quite a fascinating role he plays!

Bottom line? I enjoyed The Dream Thieves more than I expected to, and now I am eagerly anticipating the next book. If you haven't read this book (or this series) yet, I definitely recommend it.

Picture this: You are sitting, blindfolded at a table. You are starving, but you don’t quite realize it. You’ve gone past the point of no return in your hunger. You are a bird at an empty birdfeeder and you’ve forgotten how to fly away.

But someone has suddenly placed a plate of food in front of you. The blindfold itches and chafes and leaves you claustrophobic with only the aroma of the food. You want to see the food, but you can’t and you’re too hungry, but you still don’t know it. Someone whispers, “eat…” but when you pick up your fork, you pause. Do you even need a fork? Or do you need a spoon? What is this on the plate? It smells enticing, but not mouth-watering.

Like a blind person feeling for sight, you tentatively touch the food and realize it’s some sort of sandwich. You’re surprised and disappointed, like the curse of Christmas stockings. Sandwiches are safe and that word alone is safe. Nothing exciting, but nothing boring—just safe.

Wait. As you bring the sandwich closer—the foreplay of the bite right at your lips—you can smell something. Not just something, but something more. It’s not just safe, it’s…

Exquisite. As your mouth closes around the first taste, your senses can’t contain anything but the food, your mouth, and that word—exquisite. Like any first, the first taste has no standard, no limitation, nothing holding it back, because it is the standard, it is the limitation. But this first taste goes beyond any you’ve ever had. You can’t even describe it because it can’t be contained within the simple ingredients of bread and condiments (and obviously you still can’t see it).

And it’s not just this bite—it’s every bite. Your senses can’t decide if it’s satisfied or still hungry. Every bite is the paradigm of content, and yet you’re still shamelessly greedy for more. However, the greediness is held in check by the exquisite taste. This is an experience that simply cannot be rushed.

Before you realize it, you have eaten the last bite. It was as unexpected as the first bite, yet you find it is the precise moment of content. You are neither too full nor still hungry. You know you will be hungry again in the future, but you are satisfied for now. A perfect meal, infinite for a moment.

…

Most of you are probably scratching your head about what you just read (and maybe even craving a sandwich too?), so let me explain before you conclude that I have likely gone off to the deep end. This just about sums up my experience with probably is THE best YA book(s) I have read since The Hunger Games. I will go into more detail, but basically I have been feeling a little poetic lately and decided to have some extra fun with this book review.

**PLEASE NOTE. I AM REVIEWING THE SECOND BOOK IN A TRILOGY, THEREFORE THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK. **

And now, on to business! –drum roll-

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater (roughly pronounced STEVE-OTTER, if you’re curious)

And here are my points of criticism:

1. The character development goes ABOVE & BEYOND

I love how there isn’t really a main character. You think the main character is Blue or even Gansey, but Stiefvater makes all the characters important. You can relate to all of them in their own uniquely individual way. Even Orla, who is barely a part of the story. While making all the characters important may be overwhelming, it adds so much depth and breadth to the story. You see ALL the perspectives.

** On a side note, this is partly why I love the show LOST so much. Lots of characters, lots of perspective, lots of awesomeness.

With this much importance placed on developing ALL the characters, Stiefvater has created unbelievably realistic people. I mean we REALLY know them. There is an intense amount of detail for each one that leaves just enough for the imagination. These characters may not be realistic in our world, but they are very real in this world. In addition, having a multitude of main characters also means less time is wasted over melodramatic inner dialogues. I can only imagine how much more romantic pining and whatnot that we would hear from Blue/Adam/Gansey if there wasn’t Ronan, The Grey Man, etc. to balance them out. It’s a very refreshing technique, because so many YA books focus so much on the whiney romantic gushy stuff.

2. The plot is absolutely unpredictable

I do love being a part of a dramatic audience, but it gets dull if know how it’s supposed to end before it ends. This is not the case with The Dream Thieves. This is hard to explain without giving away major spoilers, but the reader only know what the characters know in this book, not what the author knows. And the authors that can defy any and all guesses I come up with about their plot—those are the authors I want to read. Stiefvater is one of those authors.

At the same time—and this is probably my only complaint—it is almost too unpredictable, a little too random at times. There isn’t any sort of quest-focus, but yet there still is. It’s just that we’re in the nitty gritty part of the journey and sometimes that makes it feel like we occasionally lose sight of the ultimate goal—Glendower. Part of that is why this story is so epic though (think about the nitty gritty of the LOTR quest), so it’s just a small complaint.

3. The love-triangle doesn’t make me cringe.

It’s perfectly set up, because we know SOMETHING is supposed to happen with Gansey, but we get to see a journey to those feelings. And it also makes Adam more appealing as her first love/crush/relationship/whatever. Furthermore, most other YA love triangles are unreasonable, because you KNOW the heroine is going to end up with THAT GUY, aka the Edward Cullen. Yet, Stiefvater presents this love triangle in completely normal perspective. The emotions of kids/young adults flux and change like the weather on a normal Texas day. Other authors have been successful at this too, but Stiefvater somehow makes it feel more real. One of my favorite aspects about this trilogy so far is how NORMAL Stiefvater makes everything seem, even though we are dealing with things FAR FAR FAR from normal. She has managed to perfect a very real world with a very unreal story. Like the sandwich, it’s simply indescribable until you’ve read it.

3. OMG THE WRITING OMG

Maybe it’s because I’m older and more mature. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer. Maybe it was because it was an audio book and how the narrator performed it (FANTASTIC. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC)… But the writing was just PHENOMENAL. It made perfect sense and yet it didn’t. And that’s how I feel like the human brain works (or mine at least). I never felt like I got bogged down in details or inner monologues or anything. Everything was addressed adequately in detail and beautifully. Her writing completely inspires me.

4. It does not fall prey to the sophomore slump.

Maybe this is because the major drama hasn’t been resolved yet. The love hasn’t been solved. Glendower hasn’t been found. Yet these feel like standalone books because something has been resolved. It’s not like a lot of other YA books where the romance is solved in the first book and then the author has to scramble to make up problems for the rest of the trilogy. Like they say, leading up to the kiss is the best part. Foreplay is the best part folks!

**Audio book side note: Did I hear hints of Inception’s theme music in the music at the end? Even if not, it fit perfectly with the Dream Thieves idea. Love it.

Overall, I didn’t think I would like this series this much. Ironically, I had the exact same thought about The Hunger Games. I didn’t even know I had been hungry for a truly artistic YA book until I had read The Dream Thieves. Apparently, I have been satisfied with eating the Subway equivalent of YA books for a long time. But now I have tasted really beautiful writing and realized I have been starving for a while now. It was completely unexpected and absolutely exquisite. I completely, whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Even if you’re not a huge fan of YA lit or fantasy books, I think you would enjoy this one. I think it’s even better as an audio book, but I will leave that to your discretion.

The Dream Thieves was amazing. I don't really know how to describe my feelings for it. There was happiness. But for the most part there was pain, at least for me. And a little bit of heartbreak as well. There were funny moments, sweet moments and awful moments. The Dream Thieves had it all. Loved it.

Been waiting to read this book for so long. Almost a year since I first read book one, The Raven Boys, and been months since the ARCs started coming out. I've been insanely jealous of those ever since April and I suppose that is why I haven't read much, because I have been waiting for The Dream Thieves to arrive :)

I read a print ARC of this gorgeous book. Which I got from the US publisher, Scholastic, and was first sent to my friend Gillian in the US. Who then sent it to me. <3 She's awesome. Thank you Gillian. And thank you Scholastic for letting me read and review The Dream Thieves. It was very much worth the wait.

I started this book yesterday afternoon, thinking I wouldn't be able to finish it that day. But I did. Read until midnight and I just wish the book was even longer. The writing is perfect, like with the two other books by Maggie that I have read. I just loved the way everything was written. How the characters talk and think and how things are described. Not too much and not too little. I do not think I will spoil anything in my review, as I will mostly talk a bit about the characters. So there will be no spoilers :)

I can't deal with how awesome this book was. There is a lot of more Ronan in this, and I loved it so much. Ronan is an amazing character and I loved that we got to know some more things about him. Also loved reading from his point of view. I do not think he's all bad. He's pretty sweet I loved this small thing we got to know about him near the end. Different and awesome. Also very much in love with his raven, Chainsaw. She's adorable. I hate his brother Declan, though. I still think he's awful and selfish.

But we also get to know Ronan's younger brother, Matthew. At least we get to know him a little bit. And he seems very sweet and I enjoyed reading about him. We see some more of Declan too. Yeah, still don't like him. We also get to know of this forbidden place for Ronan and his brothers, and it broke my heart yet it was so interesting to read about that I couldn't help but love it. We learn things about his father as well, some things I did not approve of. But I do think he would have been amazing to read about.

Although the book is mostly told from Ronan's point of view it is not just about Ronan. There is so much Gansey in this book. Yet not enough. He is still my favorite character, though. He's sweet and kind and always there. He's the bestest friend. Think he would be the bestest boyfriend too, hint hint :) But anyway. Gansey is amazing and I feel so sorry for him at times. Sobs. Yet he does have some awesome friends, even so. And I adore his family. Loved that we got to see them a little bit more this time.

There are so many amazing scenes between Gansey and Blue. Funny ones. A few sweet ones. Even jealous ones, I believe. They are just adorable and I will forever be shipping them. Just, don't die Gansey. Pretty please. There need to be a way around Blue's curse and Gansey's upcoming death. Glendower could help, I think. We also see more of Blue. Yet not enough. But oh, how I adore her. She's amazing. Such an awesome main character girl. And I adore her family. All of them. So sweet and funny.

We get to see her family more in this book, and we get to see a romance between Maura and the Gray Man. Which I just adored so much. It was sweet and awesome. Although the Gray Man broke my heart. Loved reading about him and from his point of view. He's a bit dangerous, though. Yet I liked him a lot. He's a very interesting character. There is another new boy as well. Kavinsky. He has a lot to do with Ronan. I really hated him. Truly. But he was an interesting character, and I enjoyed reading about him.

There is so much to talk about. But I won't talk about it all. There is a lot of plot in this book, yet I sort of wished the search for Glendower had gotten farther ahead. But I do suppose that will happen in book three and four :) We learn more about Ronan's dreams. Which is awesome and creepy and scary. Loved reading about it. And oh, Noah. I loved reading about Noah. He's still so sweet and dead and sobs. There is this really cute scene between him and Blue that was awesome and yet it broke my heart so much.

Okay. I guess I should mention Adam as well. I did not like him in this book. At all. He was sort of cute in the beginning of book one, but oh, how I dislike him. I don't like how he is with Gansey. He hurts him so much and it is just not fair. He never says he's sorry. He did something to Blue as well, and he never apologized. Not okay Adam! Not okay at all. He changed in this book. Not for the better. At least not for me. Although by the ending he seems better. Still, I do not like him much at all. I did want to, though.

The Dream Thieves is an amazing sequel to yet another amazing book. It was well worth the long wait I had to go through to get it. Though now I must wait another year for book three.. which I might not manage. But still, so excited. Hope there will be a title and cover reveal soon. <3 This book does not end with a cliffhanger. Well, okay, it does, but not such a bad one. I was happy with the ending. For the most part, if you look away from that heartbreaking scene a little while before. Still, amazing.

I feel like sharing a teaser from The Dream Thieves. I'm not sure if it can be called spoilery, since Gansey sort of think the same in book one. Be aware, though, that I'm not sharing the whole quote, because I don't agree with what Gansey think after :D He is truly selfless, though he do wishes to be loved more. Which is just breaking my heart. I want them all to need Gansey for once. Really, truly hoping for more Gansey love in book three. Though there were some in this book, and it was good.

~

Gansey ran over memory until he no longer felt the thrill of hearing Glendower's name whispered in his ear, and then instead gave himself over to feeling sorry for himself, that he should have so many friends and yet feel so very alone. He felt it fell to him to comfort them, but never the other way around.
~ page 133

*I received this book as an eARC from Scholastic on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

"The appetizers were delicious, not because of the kitchen, but because all food eaten in anticipation of a kiss is delicious."

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book. I think it was because I knew all the characters already and didn't have to go through that awkward "dating" process every reader has when starting a book series. Also, this book is Ronan centered, and he is my favorite of the boys. This series has a large cast of characters and they all gained more depth in this book, even the clairvoyants. I liked that some of the characters that didn't interact in the first we got to see paired up in this book. I liked the dynamic of Adam and Persephone.

Stiefvater is an excellent writer. This book was so well written. It is written like a multibook series instead of completed tales told consecutively. There are a lot of hints and allusions that I'm sure I haven't got yet. Looking back at the first book, there were many hints to the second book that I didn't catch. Her writing is very imaginative. Throughout the book I was second guessing characters and their motives very often. I thought Kavinsky was such an interesting characters and it was interesting to see where it went.

I had never heard of air conditioning called "air-co" before.

I'm still not a fan of the many perspectives within one chapter, from paragraph to paragraph. It made me feel like I never completely knew everything that was happening.

I definitely want more! I hope I remember all the characters by the time the third book comes out. I give this book a 4/5. If you didn't enjoy the start of The Raven Boys, but liked it towards the end I think you will enjoy this just like I did.

Magic is real. Or so The Dream Thieves would lead you to believe.

If there's one thing Stiefvater excels in, it's writing a story that makes the magic in it feel completely possible---one where dreams are real, ley lines are woken and sleeping kings can be found.

And this is why I love this series. Because there's whimsy surrounding everything in it, even if it is a little dark. With each turn of the page, we're driven deeper into the quest that ensnares Blue and her Aglionby boys. The story Stiefvater tells is one that's wrought with emotion and depth. She weaves this complex net of backstory with so many unexpected twists and turns. There's not a predictable moment in sight. Even the things you think you know are coming, still come as a surprise. She is masterful at creating atmosphere. Every page is rich with intricate detail and the deeper you go down the rabbit hole, the more entangled you become. I am trapped in this world in Henrietta and I never want to leave.

But as much as I love the world Stiefvater built, I love the characters even more. Each one is tragically beautiful in their own way. They are truly one-of-a-kind, and not in the trying too hard to be one-of-a-kind either. They are naturally, effortlessly unique which just adds to the haunting atmosphere. Even Henrietta is a character in and of itself. Blue is quirky. Gansey, the old soul. Adam, the troubled nice boy. Noah is a little less smudgey and a whole lot more. And then there's Ronan. The dream thief. I love angry, onry Ronan and am pleased that we get to see exactly why he is the way he is. We're also introduced to a slew of new folks in The Dream Thieves, Mr. Gray being my favourite among them. He's calculating and clinical and never loses his sense of self, despite the revelations that come to him. There are so many reasons to love each and every one of these characters, including the horrifically intriguing Kavinsky. Like Blue with her Raven Boys, with each passing page, I fall a little bit more in love with them.

Where I'd say The Raven Boys was in large part a legendary journey, The Dream Thieves is much more a book of discovery. We discover who and what Ronan is. We discover the changes that have occurred to the group at large after waking the ley line. We discover new parts of and people in Henrietta. We discover a whole new world, a world of nightmares. We discover what first kisses feel like and we discover what dreams are really made of. Everything in Henrietta has irrevocably changed since Book #1 and I can't wait to see where the journey takes us. Even though there are still so many unanswered questions by the end of this book, there's one thing I am absolutely certain of:

Magic is real.

Food for Thought: I didn't think it was possible but The Dream Thieves far surpassed my already high expectations. I don't hesitate when I say it's even better than its predecessor, The Raven Boys. The Dream Thieves is a magical yet beautifully tragic story woven together with a thread of engaging characters and hauntingly beautiful prose. You peel back the layers to find surprsing depth and detail. It's one of those rare stories that captures your heart and your spirit all while avoiding a lot of popular YA clichés. I highly recommend checking out the audio version if you can---Will Patton's brilliant narration only enhances the brilliance of this imaginative, wonderful world that Stiefvater created.

The Dream Thieves is darker and in your face with the awful things in store for our young friends. But somehow you just know they will find a way to manage.

Sometimes, some rare times, a secret stays undiscovered because it is something too big for the mind to hold. It is too strange, too vast, too terrifying to contemplate. – pg 1 / pg 435

With a brisker pace as compared to The Raven Boys I found I enjoyed The Dream Thieves much more. There was no end of things going on and events to keep you rushing from page to page. Adam is suffering from the ramifications of waking the ley line, Ronan is able to pull things from his dreams, Gansey is trying to keep it together, and Noah can’t seem to keep himself together – while all the while Blue is still finding her place among them and wrestling with her feelings.

What I love most about this series are these characters. They feel so absolutely real to me. Their faults and hangups are part of what make them so great. So what, Ronan is a prick and says some of the most insensitive things and Adam is a muley stubborn headed bit of an arse – but they both have their good qualities as well. My one sad point here about this ragtag group is that the perspective shifts to all of them except Noah. What the heck is up with that? I want to read from Noah’s perspective.

The character observations in The Dream Thieves absolutely delight me. This one was one of my particular favorites where Blue is sizing up Mr. Gray.

Second of all, he was polite in a way that was unlike anything Blue had encountered before. Gansey was polite in a way that squashed the other party smaller. Adam was polite to reassure. And this man was polite in a keen, questioning sort of way. He was polite like tentacles were polite, testing the surface carefully, checking to see how it reacted to his presence. – pg 204

There is still that prediction looming over Blue’s head that her true love will die if she kisses him. But Noah at least helps her put it into perspective somewhat. It is also my favorite scene in the entire book and the part immediately following this gave me the best belly laugh ever – then continued on to break my heart. THAT is good writing folks, if the author can move you from utter delight to ….I dwell in darkness.

“Like, if you kiss your true love, he’ll die,” he said, “or is it when you kiss your true love, he’ll die? One’s your fault. The other one, you just happen to be there when it happens. Like, when you kiss him, POW, he gets hit by a bear. Totally not your fault. You shouldn’t feel bad about that. It’s not your bear.” – pg 242

I did not know where things were going and thankfully didn’t have the ending guessed by the halfway point. The Dream Thieves is an excellent second showing with the promise of better yet to come.

This is one my most anticipated sequels for this year. The Raven Boys has amazing character and a complex plot, that kept me turning pages and left me desperately wanting to know more. The Dream Thieves, is a fantastic sequel and well worth the wait. This is a hard one to not spoil for this book or the first, but I am going to try my best not to.

These are such intriguing characters, each has something that makes them likable. They have flaws, and aren't perfect, they make mistakes, making them realistic. Blue is still inquizatively spunky as always, and Adam has some things that he is going through, and is distancing himself not only from Blue but the rest of the boys too. Gansey is sweet and I liked him before, seeing more of that caring side, made it even easier to love his character. But I have to say that Ronan was the shining star for me. It was eerie to be in his mind but completely captivating. There is so much more to him, than that brooding "bad boy" we got before. We do get to have more interaction with Maura and Persephone, which was a great addition.

The plot is just as intricate as The Raven Boys and moves at a pace that is just what the story, giving details and hints at many things. I took my time and read this, because of the complexity of it, I didn't want to miss a thing. In the first installment, it centered more on the ley lines in Henrietta and Blue but this time around, we get Ronan's story with his ability to dream and bring things back with him. This is a secret that he has kept even from the boys he is so close to taking the story to a darker place than before. The dream world is scary, with night terrors, a mystery girl, and deaths. We get multiple POV's, Ronan's, Blue and Adam. and a new on, the Gray Man, a new villain that has come into play, he has a back story that was interesting to learn about, and is searching for Glendower and Graywaren also. There is a hint of romance, but as much as the prophecy of Blue's "true loves kiss will kill" played in TRB, it only got mentioned a couple of times, and not a lot of emphasis, so the burning question of who her true love really is, is still in question. The friendship between Blue and the boys is still strong, but is in for some changes.

The Dream Thieves had conclusion to some unanswered question, and the ending set up for new questions to be explored. Stiefvater has done it again, it is an incredible series, it has well developed characters, and a plot that is enthralling. I definitely recommend this series.

I had pretty high expectations for this book, since I really enjoyed The Raven Boys last year. And ohmygoodness guys, I was not disappointed at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure Maggie exceeded all of my expectations and then some. Because this book is fantastic, and all I want to do is gush and fangirl all over the internet about it. Seriously. It was that good.

Like The Raven Boy, The Dream Thieves is full of twists and turns and intricate details that cause everything to come together in the end. Well, most everything - there are still two more books to go so there are definitely some unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries. But all of the reveals done in this book are done so well that I didn't see a lot of them coming. A couple were more obvious if you play Nancy Drew and pick up on all of the little details and suggestions... but others aren't so obvious. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I never wanted to put the book down (even though I had to to do things like eat and sleep).

I really enjoyed that this book doesn't so much center around finding Glendower and Blue trying to figure out Gansey's death (although those things are certainly still there), but instead has a new plot with a similar theme - secrets. But now we're flung headfirst into Ronan's world and his secrets, and it is just as dark and mysterious and scary as you would imagine, but there's still light and love somewhere beneath the surface. It's just beautifully done and fantastically written. And one of the big character reveals about Ronan is just so well done; it's delicate, but not, and it's implied throughout the whole book looking back on certain events and observations but could be easily missed.

All of the characters seem so radically different from how they were throughout The Raven Boys. Finding Cabeswater changed something in all of them, and it's really reflective throughout this book. I loved watching them change and grow even more, and I loved the glimpses into their pasts. The dynamic in the group changes so much, but I almost think it's for the better. And I'm so glad Blue is friends with these boys now, because they all fit so well together. I also really liked the new characters - they're complicated in and of themselves, and it just adds so much more depth to everyone else's story. They help grow the main group, as well as themselves, and it's actually really interesting.

I really don't know what else to say without giving away too much. If you can, avoid spoilers for this book at all costs! It's so much more powerful if you find things out for yourself. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone who has read The Raven Boys. This book definitely does not have second-book-syndrome, and I think it's even better than the first one. I would also recommend this to anyone who is looking for a contemporary fantasy book - something set in the world we know, with a little bit of magic thrown in. And I would recommend this series to pretty much everyone I know who just enjoys reading YA books. A 5/5!

I've always been a really big Maggie Stiefvater fan. I have loved everything she's written so last year when I got to read The Raven Boys which was the first novel of The Raven Cycle I was very excited to get started. I do remember that The Raven Boys had been a read that I had a good time reading, but that I did have a few difficulties with since it did feel very slow paced. Getting to read The Dream Thieves I couldn't wait to get started because for one thing I would get to read more about Ronan who (from what I remembered) was one of the more interesting boys from the Aglionby Academy.

In The Dream Thieves we learn about Ronan's ability to take things from his dreams and bring them into the waking world. Continuing the search for the dead king Glendower, the raven boys and Blue find themselves delving deeper into a world full of mystery, secrets and magic. Between Blue, Adam and Gansey is the fact that if Blue ever kisses her true love they'll die--and according to everything Blue has seen, heard and knows Gansey fits the bill. But Blue won't let herself believe that Gansey is her true love and she knows deep in her heart that Adam is the better boy to be with...

Then there's Ronan and the matter of the secrets surrounding him and his father's uncanny ability to steal things from their dreams. But Ronan's ability is beginning to spin out of control and with it has come the arrival of new threats. One of them being a charming and eerie man in grey, another being a fellow Aglionby student and a total pain in the butt. When things begin to spin out of control, the raven boys and Blue find that their search for Glendower may lead them to things they never expected and shocking revelations.

Personally I enjoyed The Dream Thieves a lot more than I did The Raven Boys. Mainly because I felt that unlike The Raven Boys there weren't as many unnecessary introductions to characters, backstories and the like. The Dream Thieves continues right where The Raven Boys left off and keeps up the same pace throughout the story. I liked the change in atmosphere that came with this sequel as well as getting to see into Ronan's head whereas most of The Raven Boys was strictly Blue and Gansey and a few other characters.

In The Dream Thieves we do get to see through the eyes of Blue, Gansey, Ronan and a few other raven boys. We also get to see chapters written in the POV (point of view) from a few secondary characters and antagonists. Characters who didn't get many appearances in The Raven Boys come back in The Dream Thieves and get more chapters including them which I really liked. Plus there's the Gray Man, a creepy new character who was probably one of my favorite parts of the novel. He was a mysterious, suave stranger who raises some Hell throughout The Dream Thieves.

The one thing that I was a bit disappointed about was the lack of romance in The Dream Thieves. I did expect that apart from the raven boys proceeding to search for Glendower, Blue, Adam and Gansey would get some time to expand their romance. I was also hoping that maybe some of the other raven boys or secondary characters would get some romance in especially since Stiefvater writes romance so well. Personally I found the romance aspect of this read lacking which did have me majorly sad since the description I read for The Dream Thieves made it sound like there would be way more romance than there was in The Raven Boys.

I would recommend this series to readers who are big fans of the supernatural, readers who are looking for a new exciting and original read and to fans of Maggie Stiefvater who are definitely going to eat these novels right up.

I'll admit I've been putting off this review. Before you start to get upset, it's for good reasons, not bad. Sometimes you read books that you love and can gush about for days on end. They hold a special place in your heart and you'll never forget reading them for the first time. The Dream Thieves is like that--sort of. While I do want everyone in the world to read these books because they're that good, I also want to hold these books close to my chest where no one else can touch them and never let them go. I want to sink into the pages and relive each moment over and over again. Reading this book was intensely personal and it was an experience I wasn't quite ready to share. It takes something special to unlock those kinds of feelings and I think it's absolutely Maggie's best book so far.

Even as Ronan's story is his own, it's inherently linked to the search for Glendower. Following the waking of the ley lines, the power is surging, causing problems for Cabeswater and for Blue and her Raven Boys. Even as they draw closer to Glendower, complications and those seeking power stand in their way.

Y'all don't know this about me, but I'm not generally one to mark passages in books. Many times there just aren't things that I feel the need to remember--or there's one. I counted, and I marked eighteen. As much as I love Maggie Stiefvater's other books and series, this series fits her writing to perfection. There's something otherworldly in her prose and everything about Cabeswater and the people in it feel not of this world. And even above the prose, the nuance with which she develops these characters is masterful. Every revelation about a character has been slowly worked into the story that it doesn't even feel like a revelation; rather, it feels like something you always knew, but you just weren't aware of it.

This book is at once magical and grounded, thrilling and meditative, romantic and dark. It shows the power of dreams--both good and bad--and the pain of longing for an impossibility. Just as I said The Raven Boys was my favorite book of the year thus far, it's sequel has unseated it from that distinction. I can't imagine reading a more powerful or spellbinding book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as the ley line was woken up once again, things started to change almost immediately. Blue and "her Raven boys" started feeling the effects and seeing the consequences of their efforts. The missing piece of the Cabeswater puzzle is the center of this book and, of course, Gansey isn't the only one looking. Most interesting, though, is the person that is sent to look for it and how he gets tangled up in Blue's family. The house full of female psychics was probably my favorite thing about The Raven Boys and while they aren't in the book quite as much, their influence certainly is. I was also really pleased that I got to meet Gansey's family, which provided a new side to him that we didn't see as much in book one. In fact, I think we got to see more of everyone, but from a different angle, which would explain my feeling that all of the characters grew in their own way.

The writing in this book was just beautiful. Things that would normally be bland were made rich and colorful through the descriptive writing. This also made the interactions between the these boys even more interesting. Whereas the first book gave me a sense of the action of the search for the ley line and Cabeswater, The Dream Thieves seemed to focus more on relationships. Adam's world is being held together by sheer will, Gansey longs for someone he feels he can't have, and Ronan.....well Ronan has perhaps the heaviest burden. I can't say that I really felt drawn to Ronan in the first book, although he obviously has a lot to do with what is going on. However, in The Dream Thieves, I felt like I really got to know him and empathize with his burdens; his fear, his sense of responsibility to his family, and his feelings about his parents all form this sort of storm cloud that follows him wherever he goes. Some of what we find in Ronan's dreams was truly terrifying and really creative in its horror. In fact, the he way that each character is changed by the events in book one was really well done. Gansey and Adam's friendships hits some big rocks, for reasons that I won't spoil here, and Blue's confusing feelings combined with what she learned on the corpse road made for some extremely painful and extremely romantic interactions.

If you haven't yet picked up this series, I highly recommend it. Not only is the story complex and well executed, but the writing is some of the most beautiful that I've read in a long time.

The Story:
The sequel The Dream Thieves takes all the rich and lavish world building of The Raven Boys and adds in some new surprises and additional characters. I actually think that this book is my favorite of Stiefvater's so far.

As with The Raven Boys the pacing is slow yet still intoxicating and gripping. Stiefvater doesn't rush her story buildup or character development but lets us immerse ourselves and become fully invested page by page. This book is rooted in a world so familiar to ours yet it wasn't difficult to imagine and believe that the extraordinary things happening to and around our characters. This magical atmosphere honestly created a dream feel to the book that I absolutely love.

The Characters:
Stiefvater gives us much deeper insight into each of her characters. I loved reading about Ronan's past and seeing the world through his view point. It was heartbreaking to see the walls he's built to shield himself and his emotions. I was always fond of his character but in The Dream Thieves I was able to visualize him so clearly and really get attached to him. This book felt like a devotion to him and the impact his dreams are having on his waking life.

Gansey is an easy favorite from the beginning of the series. We get to see him in his childhood home and interacting in the experiences he was raised in. It was enlightening to see him putting on the airs of high society. His relationship and understanding with Blue deepened and was so enjoyable (if not devastating) to read.

Blue continues to be outstanding and beautifully unique. The threat of her kiss being the demise of her true love wasn't nearly as focused in this book but wasn't forgotten either. I felt how tragic this was for her possibly even further in this book than the first.

I was impressed with how Stiefvater crafted the relationships of all the characters as a group, individually and with one another. I can't think of another book where the character's dialog and interactions felt so real. Each personality is completely unique and you truly feel that you know them after reading their stories.

Final Thoughts:
Overall Maggie Stiefvater is brilliant at creating characters that are well rounded and broken in the most beautiful way. Her stories are creative and her writing seamless. Though most of her books are slowly paced they are worth the buildup and continue to exceed my expectations.

The Dream Thieves goes much deeper than my brain wanted to process a few times. I confess it's true.

The trouble (and succeeding delight) was that there are a lot of pieces left dangling well into the 4th quarter of the story. Sharing some of these questions will smack of spoilers for the first book. That's my warning.

The Grey Man is downright scary. There was nothing about him that made me like him even after he visited Fox Way and got some sort of green light with sprinkles on top from the fairy godmother(s). I wanted them to treat him like... the lightbulb changer. I doubted their abilities, even.

Meanwhile the story takes a deep dive into Ronan's (primarily) distasteful character. The fleeting moments of humanity took a long time to win me (enthusiastically) over.

Meanwhile... Adam is squeezed even tighter and begins to lose his grip on sanity before I understood what happened in the first book. It was like... catching myself on a slippery slope, only to find that I was hanging on by an itty bitty fern that pulled up by the roots, leaving me slipping down into WHA-?! For me, Adam was the source of the most impossible tangle of unfinished threads. Threads that very neatly re-arrange themselves into a complicated tapestry by the end. (My reaction? "No. Way. She pulled it off.")

Plus... Blue/Jane becomes more human and more lovely simultaneously. Gansey reveals his vulnerable side, finally deferring to the possibilities hinted at in book #1.

The Ending... was more satisfying than I would have imagined possible at the beginning of the 4th quarter. One of the best culminations I've read, I think. There's fire and death, for starters. Explosions. Lightning. Gunfire. But more importantly, there's acceptance and understanding and a huge sigh of relief.

Even the epilogue cannot disturb my warm fuzzy feelings of all being (momentarily) right in the world. I think I'm happiest about Persephone. I needed her to prove her worth and now I'm ready to take on whatever else Stiefvater's got up her sleeve for this crew.

They're my friends now!

4 Stars - More tangled plot than fast pace, even more believable characters, lots of automotive fun.

After I read The Raven Boys, I immediately started reading this book. I was so ready to see what happened with Adam since he sacrificed himself to wake the ley line and curious to see where his "relationship" with Blue would go. (Especially since I'm rooting for Gansey.)

The book started off pretty well for me. It definitely focused more on Ronan and the fact that he can withdraw things from his dreams. I loved finding out more about Ronan and his back story, since he is my favorite. It was really interesting to find out why he is the way he is, and why Gansey feels the need to protect him so much. This book however did NOT make my feelings for Declan change. I still can't stand that guy.

I was excited to see Noah was still a good part of the book since we found out in the last one that he was actually dead the entire time. He ends up being a pretty good "voice of reason" for Blue and Ronan. I love how protective Ronan has been over Noah in the first book and in this one. Noah is there for Ronan when he needs people the most. His dreams start to cause some really strange and scary events in his life that he has to figure out.

There were plenty of new shady characters that come into this book. One that turned out to win me over was Mr. Gray. He is a hit man who comes to town in search of something that he doesn't even know for sure what it is and finds himself a part of Maura's life, and caught in the middle of the group of Raven Boys and some of the predicaments they have found themselves in.

Adam has his own troubles in this book that stem from his home life in The Raven Boys and the fact that he sacrificed himself the way that he did. I enjoyed seeing the way things went with him and how he came to figure out what he should do for himself throughout the story.

While Adam is figuring his stuff out, I do see Gansey and Blue getting a little closer. This book is still not overshadowed with romance but I did like some of the scenes with Gansey and Blue and seeing that spark that you just couldn't miss in The Raven Boys come more into play.

My one issue with this book was the fact that I felt like finding Glendower (which was one of the main story line in book 1) was pretty much put on the back burner. I don't feel like this book got anywhere new with it really. I'm pretty sure that it was set up this way because Ronan's gift is an intricate part of how to get to Glendower, but I feel like that part of the story was brought up several times but it just never went anywhere. I did find myself getting a little bored in the middle part of the book. It did pick back up though and it sure wasn't enough to make me put it down. I will be patiently waiting for book 3 in hopes of seeing where Blue and Gansey go with their relationship, or lack there of. I'm also ready to see if they ever find Glendower.

I really thought we would get more answers in THE DREAM THIEVES but instead we got a whole new, fascinating story line.
Ronan takes center stage in this installment and we really understand what makes him tick. He is harsh and prickly, but he is utterly loveable in the small act of kindness he does for those close to him.
There is a lot of Faery Lore introduced in this book and even a bad guy/love interest (Totally weird but it worked.)called the Grayman.

My heart broke even more for Adam. Give this kid a break! He needs a Happily Ever After.

Gansey is still presidential, but we get a peak into his brain and heart a little more and I am softening to the idea of him being Blue's true love.

Blue, I liked a little less in this book. She was just a little too cavalier with Adam's heart.

My only real complaint and 1 star demerit is the plot devices that we learn the first thing in book 1: Blue will kiss her true love and he will die. Her true love is Gansey and he will die within the year.
Okay. We know this. Blue knows this. But she goes with Adam, knowing this. Then we have this "first kiss" carrot dangled through two books.

Still, excellent writing, character building and plot thickening. I look forward to reading the 3rd act.

Review from an ARC.

Just a flat out awesome book.
I loved The Raven Boys and I was so worried The Dream Thieves wouldn't be as great. Worry not readers!
The Dream Thieves is arguably even better then the first book.

Spoiler free review

The Dream Thieves is exciting, original, and each and everyone of the characters are awesome.

Stiefvater is such an amazing writer. Just the way she writes is beautiful and refreshing and original. I could go on and on about how awesome the writing is.

Now that I've read The Dream Thieves, I know that The Raven Boys was just laying out the characters.
We learn so much more about them in this book and I really feel like they are some of the most real, relatable characters I've ever read about.

I honestly feel the same way about all the characters as I did at the end of book one. I still don't hate a single one of them! If anything, I love them more.

Blue is, without a doubt, the best female character I have ever read about in YA. No drama, no making poor decisions, no "love" at first sight, no pining over a boy, whining about her life and looks, no flat out stupidity. Blue is a real girl. She's funny, smart, and incredibly relatable. No crap from her.
She's the kind of girl I want to read about. If more female characters were like Blue, there would be a lot less crappy books out there.

I truly loved all four boys. Normally, I pick just one that I like and I couldn't care less about the others, but oh no! Not with these four! I loved each one of them individually and then put them together? You got yourself one amazing book. Just the dynamic of their relationships were so wonderful. And they didn't pine over a girl, they didn't brood, they didn't say how they weren't good for anyone. They, just like Blue, were real people. And I cared! I cared so much I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about them and their problems. I would spontaneously smile just thinking about something that they said, that I'd read days before.

And I love how we got in know a little bit more about Blue's family.
I loved how Stiefvater added two new characters. And not just filler characters. Characters that mean something and are interesting and cool.

The only thing that is a tiny bit negative is I thought it became a little confusing and complex toward the end. Sometimes I didn't really know what was going on.

At the end! Holy crap! I cannot wait for book three.

Overall, The Dream Thieves is a worthy sequel to The Raven Boys. I completely loved it.

Prepare to feel feels, my friends. I'd be hard-pressed to tell you something that I didn't enjoy about The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, but I can certainly pick favorite aspects.

The Dream Thieves was as fascinating as The Raven Boys as the characters and relationships in the series continue to evolve. The characters and their relationships MAKE this series for me.

We see SO MUCH of Ronan in The Dream Thieves and- I'll confess he wasn't my favorite in The Raven Boys. I found him interesting, absolutely, but- I just never go for the bad boy, you know? Here, we start to really get him. Learn more about his past. What drives him. There is a core to Ronan that is terrifyingly fragile. It feels like the wrong step could break him. When his dreams start to LITERALLY come true, it is no fairy tale. It's both terrifying and fascinating.

Said wrong steps are constantly being taken around the forever-angry Adam. There is NO PLEASING Adam. He drove me absolutely insane, determined to always see insult where there was often good intent. Especially when it was delivered by Gansey.

Ahhhh, Gansey. Still a bit obtuse and deliberately heavy-handed in his friends's lives, but I LOVE Gansey (and his top-siders make me swoon). In some ways, he feels like such an old soul. World-weary. But in others, it's as though he's naive to the ways of man. I swooned over Gansey.

And BLUE! I continue to love how gloriously snarky Blue is, but like the others, her snark masks a fragility. Blue is afraid of falling in love- afraid of what it will mean. I spent a lot of time ruminating on that. She's destined to kill her true love if she kisses him. Feeling responsible for a death would be terrible, but feeling you could have prevented the death of the person you love if you had just STAYED AWAY? The idea is mind-boggling. I love how cautious she is with the boys because of it. It drives me to conflicting feelings because I half want to be like: "NOW KISS!" But I'm afraid of what will happen if I get what I want.

Oh, oh and Noah? Oh, Noah makes me HURT inside for all that he should have had, stolen away from him.

Maggie Stiefvater's prose continues to be layered and hypnotic, with dead-on dialogue and humor where it should be. The relationships between all of the characters from Aglionby to those of the psychics Blue lives with are really interesting, with inherent conflicts in those relationships crashing to a head as the hunt along the ley line grows fiercer.

It all adds up to a book that I very thoroughly enjoyed and a series that I can hardly wait for the next book of.

- See more at: [...]

Everything changed for Blue, Gansey, Ronan and Adam before they ever found Cabeswater. Things changed for Noah long before that.

Now that the ley lines have awakened even more changes are coming to the small town of Henrietta. There will certainly be more moments of wonder; maybe even things coming close to magic. But darker things are also being drawn to the power of the lines.

Ronan always knew that his family was different. He always knew that his dreams were different. Ronan always knew that, in some fundamental ways, he was different.

It wasn't, after all, everyone who had a pet raven named Chainsaw. Nor was it everyone who acquired such a pet from his own dreams.

As Gansey's search for Glendower and Cabeswater continues it soon becomes clear that Ronan's dreams are at the center of their latest puzzle. But with so many people searching and grasping for pieces of Cabeswater, it's unclear how much will have to be lost before the next piece of the puzzle will be found in The Dream Thieves (2013) by Maggie Stiefvater.
The Dream Thieves is the second book in Stiefvater's Raven Boys quartet. This book picks up closely after the conclusion of book one, The Raven Boys. While both books are delightful on their own, it's unlikely readers new to the series will be able to catch up without reading the first installment.

This book focuses much more on Ronan even as Stiefvater continues to delve into the mysteries surrounding Glendower and Gansey's search. Blue and Gansey have their moments, of course, but it was a pleasant surprise to have the book focus so much on Ronan. (Even more of a surprise to realize how very likable he is as a character.)

Stiefvater's writing is top-notch as this series continues. The focus on Ronan's dreams and a new secondary character takes the story in a new direction while Stiefvater's beautiful prose and familiar characters continue to deliver everything readers will remember with fondness from The Raven Boys.

The Dream Thieves is a perfect blend of skillful storytelling and suspense as tension builds until the final confrontations in the story. Being the second book in a series of four, there are (of course) several questions left by the end of the story including a very surprising ending. That said, Stiefvater delivers everything fans will hope for and expect from her in this novel along with a story that is certain to resonate with readers.

Possible Pairings: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst, The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton, Clarity by Kim Harrington, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Dream Hunter by Elizabeth Knox, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin, The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

*This book was acquired for review from the publisher at BEA 2013*

I love Blue's Raven Boys more than ever. Stiefvater has once again managed to pull off something completely unique and unlike anything out there is the genre right now. Her writing style once again flow smoothly and nicely and before you know it you are completely wrapped up in Blue and the Raven Boys and you don't want to escape Henrietta and all it's mysterious charm.

Ronan and Noah and all their antics had me cracking up numerous times. I so love that Noah is once again a really big part of this story, it wouldn't be the same without him.

Gansey is just, well Gansey, and terrific as always. Adam is... Adam is different. Angy and so very confused. But then again after the ending of The Raven Boys, they all are but of course, he is probably the most changed, the most affected by all that happened in Cabeswater. I am not sure whether I loved him more or less because of it. Parts of him, his life, his struggles and his feeling of unworthiness still broke my heart but other parts, other parts made me want to give him a good shake.

We get so much more background info on the elusive bad boy of the bunch Ronan and I can say without a doubt, I love him more for it. He is an interesting character and without going into too much detail, one of my favorites and not just because of his dreams and what he can do but because of the broken lost little boy that he is. The one that wants love and to be loved, even if he doesn't know it yet. The boy inside of him that is all goodness.

In fact, this book sort of changes the whole group. We see sides of them all that we never saw in The Raven Boys, the good and the bad and the very very dark.

Once again one of my most favorite parts of this whole series is the boys, their friendship, their loyalty, their regard for one another and how they stick together no matter what. You couldn't have thrown a more diverse, odd bunch together and created such a great bond of friendship like Stiefvater has managed to do and make it completely believable and real and add in Blue and her role in the group and this story truly is everything you could ask for.

With new leads to Glendower, The Gray Man, Kavinsky, the Greywaren and other things, this story takes on a whole new life with a whole new meaning for them all. So many new adventured await them, love, death, heartache, discoveries..so many possibilities and I want to be there for them all.

Stiefvater once again blew me away with the intrigue and mystery she presents in not only the Raven Boys and Blue (and her family of psychics) but in the tale of Cabeswater and Glendower. A tale so riveting and enchanting that it sucks you right into the story and refuses to let go until the last page has been turned.

I received The Dream Thieves in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Definitely 4 1/2 Stars... but not quite 5....

This book needs to come with a disclaimer. Nothing major, just a simple warning explaining that if it's been a year since you've read The Raven Boys, you need to pick it up again before you read The Dream Thieves. Honestly, you can thank me later. Maggie Stiefvater packs a lot into these 448 pages and not a one is wasted on back story. Well, maybe a little, but not enough to keep me up to speed. *sigh*

As for the story as a whole, it was pure Maggie Stiefvater magic. Even though the main focus in this book was Ronan, the other characters were still a major part of the story. Gansey, Blue and Adam were ever present, but The Dream Thieves kept Ronan front and center as far as the flow of the story went. And for the record, getting inside Ronan's head was more than a little scary. Readers just thought they knew Ronan in the first book. Even Ronan didn't totally understand who he was at the beginning of the story and even though some things were resolved, there is still a lot more to learn and uncover about all the characters.

Along with all the seriousness and darkness that was written into The Dream Thieves there was also a fair amount of humor and the characters were as witty and smart as I remember them being in The Raven Boys. That's a good thing because both the characters and the readers needed a break from all the darkness. Among some of the funniest moments were at Blue's house. I love that eccentric group. They are full of surprises.

There are plenty of glimpses into the established characters and there are some new characters introduced. There were a few mysteries solved and a couple more thrown in... basically, it's no wonder there wasn't much back story provided. There wasn't time! This book was packed full of just about everything, including a pretty intense cliff hanger. Yikes!

I can't really explain why, but I think I liked The Raven Boys more than The Dream Thieves. They're both very good books and I'm really enjoying the series. I think it all goes back to the time span between the books. Again, it's not a complaint, just a very helpful warning. If you are going to pick up The Dream Thieves, which I absolutely recommend that you do, take the time to at least skim over The Raven Boys first.

The Dream Thieves is the story of a boy with the ability to make his dreams a reality, of a continued quest to uncover the lost Welsh King and the realization that time may be running out.

I loved The Raven Boys, however I found the ending to be far too abrupt and introduced a fascinating storyline that just didn't give me enough. It felt like a pilot episode and left me eager for more but also left me disappointed. The Dream Thieves definitely solved that and then some. When I started this book I noticed a lack of a refresher and I struggled to recall particular details from The Raven Boys. I actually found a fabulous recap written by Maggie Stiefvater herself (here - [...] - if you're interested) but oddly enough I ultimately didn't need it. While TDT is a continuation and second installment of a series it felt separate and completely new from the storyline that was previously established.

What I loved most about this story was it took an even bigger leap into the fantasy and magical aspects whereas The Raven Boys merely trod the line. While fantasy is not my go-to genre, this type of fantasy is done in such a conventional way that blends well with the contemporary background the story is set in; it doesn't ever seem clunky and out of place. It's such a wonderfully inventive type of magic too. The ability to draw items from your dreams and have them become a reality? I love it.

One thing which was done differently in TDT was that so much focus was placed on Ronan and Adam that the other characters became secondary characters and were oftentimes unessential. Blue's mother Maura and her fellow psychics had more of a place in the story than Blue herself and Noah was practically nonexistent (except for one incredibly unforgettable scene *sniff*). While I missed the shared distribution of characters, I did enjoy this in depth look into Ronan and finding out what makes him tick. Two new adversarial characters share a bit of the spotlight though: a fellow Aglionby student, Joseph Kavinsky, a ticking time bomb that is unknowingly effecting their search for Cabeswater and The Grey Man who is searching for the same thing.

With a double dose of fantasy in a contemporary world and a hint of romance and eternal friendship, The Dream Thieves is an exciting follow-up to a spectacular series. It is a gorgeously written story with such a fresh and unique feel to it and of course sets the scene perfectly for the next book which I am already anticipating.

I absolutely adored The Raven Boys. It was so easy to fall into and just read. I did not have the same luck with this. It took me awhile to get into it, but once I did it was really good! There was more to the story this time around instead of the focus being on Glendower. We also get introduced to new characters, one of which I truly hope sticks around!

I still loved most of the characters. It was nice learning more about them as well, especially Ronan. There is so much more to him than first meets the eye. Blue wasn't featured as much so it is hard to say if she grew at all. There were moments where she did seem more aware of her circumstances and stepped up as well. Gansey showed more emotions in this one which was nice as well. He seemed almost a bit one note in the first so it was cool seeing more sides of him. At first Adam seemed to be unaffected, but slowly there was more revealed about what happened to him in the first story. I still think Noah is my favorite. While you don't learn too much more about him in this story, he was still a welcome addition. What happened with him and Blue was heart breaking!

The newer characters were Kavinsky and the Gray Man. I did not like Kavinsky. He seemed to be very randomly included in the story as well. I found his purpose against Ronan to be a nice twist and not expected. The Gray Man was very interesting. For being a hit man, he was easily welcomed into the home of the psychics. I really hope he sticks around because I really liked how he grew as a character and went from the presumed bad guy to a good(ish) guy. Overall, character wise, there were some great developments for some, but not very visible developments for others.

I loved the new skills/magic introduced in this one. They provided an interesting concept and addition to the hunt for Glendower. Is anyone going to still come after Ronan? Is Adam's vision still going to come true? What is the extent of his power? Will Blue kiss Gansey and will that prophecy come true? While everything was pretty neatly wrapped up in this story, there are still so many questions I can't wait to be answered!

*Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof so they may not match the finished copy.*

I figured I might as well go ahead and write this review while my stomach is still all twisted and jumpy from finishing it last night and being unable to settle down for hours afterward. Truthfully? I was so caught up I had to go pull my copy of The Raven Boys down off the shelf and reread my favorite bits to help me come down off the high of the second book. Honestly. I'm as bad as Ronan coming out of one of his dreams. Only I don't have a Gansey or a Noah to help harness me back to reality. So. You all will be my Gansey and my Noah, yes? Because I need you after the whirling dervish that was this book had its way with my emotions. It's not that I don't know what I'm getting into when I immerse myself in Maggie's latest book. It's that I'm utterly unable (and entirely uninterested) in distancing myself from these boys and this girl I love. And so when the gloves inevitably come off and the humor eases deceptively into anguish, I am left huddled in a fog of anxiety and murderous affection that lingers for days. Cue all you Ganseys and Noahs out there. Clearly, I could use that grounding right about now.

Mild spoilers for The Raven Boys follow.

Ronan has suspected a number of awful things for some time now. And whether he's aware of it or not, he's about to put several of those suspicions to the test. Up close and personal style. After Adam's unexpected and controversial activation of the ley line, things have been thorny between the boys and Blue. Yet the indefatigable Gansey soldiers on. And where Gansey goes, so goes Ronan. Or at least it's always been that way. Ever since Ronan moved into Monmouth Manufacturing and found a cause and a brother worth fighting for. But with the search for Glendower faltering up against the inexplicable whims of the ancient forest of Cabeswater, the onus of the quest shifts to Ronan's tattooed shoulders as he explores his strange new ability to form and snatch things from his dreams, bringing them back whole and perfect to the thick heat of Henrietta and Gansey's discerning eye. And while Ronan is tearing his way through the mists of a dream world he does not understand, Adam Parrish is stumbling along his own dark path. Unclear as to the status of his friendship with Blue and absolutely firm on his refusal to accept any help from Gansey, Adam's isolation increases even as his friends work to keep a hold on him. And underneath it all is Gansey's tireless thirst for the sleeping king and Blue's unchangeable fortune of true love and certain death.

"Ronan Lynch lived with every sort of secret."

There is such a beautiful symmetry to this novel. And I don't mean just the lovely prologue and epilogue (though they are lovely and I do mean them). I also mean Ronan's and Adam's parallel journeys that nearly sent me into a state of collapse. I mean the space between Blue and Gansey growing thicker and more choked. And, most of all, I mean the unparalleled words. Maggie's writing always leaves me eyeing the other books on my nightstand askance. I'm afraid they'll peek inside the pages and see what they have to live up to. This time around, these particular words were used to sometimes devastating but always beautiful effect as they drove Ronan, Adam, Gansey, Blue, even Noah to the edge of their capacities. There were many painful and beautiful side effects, not the least of which was one truly spectacular kissing scene (not the one you're thinking of) and (perhaps more importantly) the development of my feelings for Gansey. Heretofore the boy has remained stubbornly distant in my mind, despite his open demeanor and infectious grin. To say nothing of his downright pivotal role in the whole cycle. As Ronan rather astutely notes:

***

There were many versions of Gansey, but this one had been rare since the introduction of Adam's taming presence. It was also Ronan's favorite. It was the opposite of Gansey's most public face, which was pure control enclosed in a paper-thin wrapper of academia. But this version of Gansey was Gansey the boy. This was the Gansey who bought the Camaro, the Gansey who asked Ronan to teach him to fight, the Gansey who contained every wild spark so that it wouldn't show up in other versions. Was it the shield beneath the lake that had unleashed it? Orla's orange bikini? The bashed-up remains of his rebuilt Henrietta and the fake IDs they'd returned to? Ronan didn't really care. All that mattered was that something had struck the match, and Gansey was burning.

***

I love this. I love that Gansey is finally burning. But more than that I love that it was Ronan's keen eye that allowed me to finally see Gansey. Because Ronan loves Gansey, I do, too. It was so deliciously dangerous being inside Ronan's head for the duration of this dark, dark book. Of course, this also made his pain mine. I gathered a few of my own suspicions regarding this most jagged of young men and the secrets he lives with. And I really don't know how I'm going to soldier on with these raven boys through all the nebulous, sharp-toothed things I fear are coming. But what I do know is that I will be there with them all at the end. As I remarked to my husband last night and to a friend of mine this morning, THE DREAM THIEVES holds an eye-opening quantity of pain and gut-wrenching tension for just the second book in a quartet. Make no mistake, I am not complaining. But it does give a girl pause. At this rate, I will need the time in between installments to gear up for the second half. But as always in the intervening time, these precious few will never be far from my thoughts. Especially Adam. But then you probably knew that. If you're looking for a story worth living and breathing, THE DREAM THIEVES will take you there.

**Potential Spoilers**

I received a free ARC from the publisher for an honest review.
Where do I start? I read this right after I read The Raven Boys (Raven Boys 1), if you read my review on that one you'd know I was blown away by it.
The Dream Thieves picks up right where the previous one left off, Blue, Gansey, Ronan and Adam have opened the Ley Line & Cabeswater. This installment is much darker, grittier and at times painfully damaged (in a good way)
Ronan is haunted by his dreams, inside them he can bring things from the dream world into his reality. All seem harmless until he realizes he can bring the night terrors too. Adam is now unraveling, not quite knowing what is means to have been the sacrifice tp Cabeswater.
Gansey is still on his mission to find Glendower, the Welsh king he believes to be buried along the lay line & Blue, well Blue is trying to quell her growing feelings for Gansey while trying to keep it together with Adam, she still cannot kiss her true love, for then they will die.
There is a stranger in town, a deadly stranger looking for the Greywaren. He has demons of his own chasing him too. There is also someone else taking from the dream world, slowly killing it.
When the gang decides it's time to go back to Cabeswater everything has changed and Adam and Ronan must work out what the changes within themselves mean before everything is destroyed.
This installment was a little harder to get into, it's richly dark and extremely thought provoking. I LOVED IT. Once it found it's momentum it soared higher than Chainsaw could dream of. The flaws in each character, the broken, damaged & fragile natures each show are written better than any prose. My oh my, I think I stopped breathing several times reading this, I contemplated keeping oxygen near by just in case.
Maggie Stiefvater has created another winner, I'm hooked! If you've read Raven boys this is a must, if you haven't get on it, this one releases September 17th 2013.
Holding breath (with oxygen) for the 3rd installment

I've read this three times, so I figured it was time to leave a review! First off, the writing style- may I just say, BEAUTIFULLY done. As part of the target audience for YA fiction, I've read quite a lot of YA fiction, and a good majority of it is good ideas done terribly (in the words of Mr. Gray). However, Steifvater doesn't write to us as if we are teenagers whose reading level requires simple sentences and plain language that obstruct the story's vividness or complexity. Rather, she manages to captivate readers and encourage us to fall in love with reading, because it grips us in a way that a screen never could.
Secondly- the characters. Oh, the CHARACTERS! They're human, simply put. I feel as if I could meet Adam walking down the street. I could run into Blue at school tomorrow. I could catch Gansey at Starbucks, or I may accidentally knock into Ronan near a redlight. Unlike most YA heroes and heroines, these characters felt real to me. They have flaws but aren't consumed by them, they fight and hide and love and hope like real people do, they have actual consequences and authority and really have to do things for themselves. They're not 16 and saving the world, which really was a nice break for me.
Finally, the story lines. No spoilers, but WOW. I laughed out loud at passages weeks, months, later. I drew the book close to my chest in need of hugging a brokenhearted character. I wanted to cry but was left unable to by mere shock. Each plot line hooks you until the very end, when the final words leave you reeling. Some of the inferences get a little lost, and it can be a very difficult story to understand, but if you love to read, this book is definitely for you.
Looking for a unique YA book? Pick up this series. No need to thank me.
(Also, it gets bonus points for having an awesome bird named Chainsaw and an adorable ghost named Noah.)

I didn't think it would be possible - but the second book in the Raven Cycle was even better than the first. Stiefvater's solid characterizations, world building, and especially mythology continue to be solid and spot on. This book just has so much going for it.

What really stood out for me in the Dream Thieves:

- The characters continue to grow and change.
- Easy choices are neither taken nor given. And there's no lazy deus ex machina plot machinations.
- No instalove. This isn't a soppy YA romance.
- Great side characters!! There are no straight bad guys or straight good guys. Just everything in between
- The adults are neither stupid nor useless. Nor are they roadblocks or obstacles to create tension.
- Surprises!! I never know what to expect. If Noah's status was a revelation in the first book, you're going to be very surprised at Ronan's in the second.
- The alternating POVs actually work. Stiefvater doesn't use them as lazy writing in order to reveal plot machinations. Rather, they are used to give us better access to the characters and understanding their motivations.
- Our protagonist is neither snarky and stupidly rebellious nor wishy washy needing to be saved. She's real. The guys aren't knights in white armor always having to save the girl. Rather, she's the one who ends up saving them often - or hurting them.
- The dialogue!! is.just.amazingly.good. This is one of the funniest novels I have read in a long time - the insults traded by all the characters and also a new side character are priceless.

I tried to come up with any detractions in this book and couldn't think of any. It really was that good - engrossing, full of depth, multi dimensional, and wholly original.

Received as an ARC from the publisher.

I'd only heard good things about The Raven Boys and when it was the Nook Daily Find for just a few dollars last spring, I jumped on it - and promptly fell in love with those boys. But not just them - all the characters in the book. From the vastly different personalities of the boys, to individualist Blue, to the quirky bunch of psychics that inhabit Blue's house - they were all wonderful and it was such a joy to read about them again.

One of the things I loved about this book was how the secrets were gradually revealed throughout the story, giving the reader a sense of mystery and anticipation. I was also captivated by The Gray Man, possibly the best hit man character I've ever read. You gotta love a hit man with a wicked sense of humor, right?

Ronan Lynch was the primary focus of this book, although the other characters definitely weren't left out. He's such a complex character and I enjoyed learning more about him in this second book of the series. As in many YA books, the spotlight could have been on the Gansey/Blue/Adam triangle, but thankfully, it wasn't. There are so many other things happening in this story and romance was not high of the list of priorities - and that was so refreshing.

This book is darker than the first, but that's not to say there weren't some lighter moments as well. I laughed out loud more than once. The relationship dynamics between Blue, her mother, Calla, and Persephone were comical at times, as well as those of the Lynch brothers.

The author's writing style is outstanding and she has created truly memorable characters. Naturally, the book ended with a cliffhanger, so I'll be waiting in line for the third installment of The Raven Cycle.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I think I might have liked this one a little bit better than the first novel in this series. Maybe because it's what I knew to expect based on the first novel: a slightly slower pace, wonderful descriptions, etc...

This book picks up a couple of months after Adam has woken the ley lines around Cabeswater.
Adam is still reeling from his decision and what the consequences are.
Ronan's dreams are starting to intrude more on his daily life as he tries to further explore his ability.
Blue is still trying to figure out whether or not she would rather explore being with Adam or Gansey.
Gansey is getting impatient about how long it is taking to locate Glendower.
There is a hitman in town trying to locate a mysterious object that allows you to take things out of your dreams and he's not the only one.
The ley line has been cutting in and out or rather surging along with the electricity in the area.
Noah, who died in the first book is able to be visible and hang around more with the ley line activated, as long as it's not surging.

I really liked this book. The slower pacing or maybe it was just me indulging in the story for as long as possible, but it took me about 5 days to read the book. I did feel there could have been a little more romance in the story, but I can see why the author probably decided not to get too much into it. This book feels like we are following more of Ronan's story on this part of the journey.

I think that if you like the first novel in this series, you will definitely like this one too.

This book... just mind-blowingly awesome.

Better than "The Raven Boys", this book is a non-stop twisted, amazing, creepy, action-packed ride. Maggie Stiefvater can write. Damn, girl.

How does one describe a book that combines a hit man, a boy on a quest to find a dead king, a mostly corporeal ghost, a girl who can't kiss anyone and who is a conduit for magic, and a boy pulls nightmarish creatures out his dreams? How? And how on earth did the author manage to weave all of these elements together and make a cohesive story? HOW? It felt inspired and effortless, though I can't even imagine the amount of time it must have taken the author to conceptualize and organize all of these pieces of the story.

This series is so complex and layered that it could continue on indefinitely and I don't know if I'd ever get sick of reading about it. The characters are outstandingly three-dimensional and interesting. They feel like real people, straddling the line between good and evil, righteous and corrupt, making mistakes and making amends. This author's characters are amazingly well conceived.

Maggie Stiefvater is writing the best paranormal YA stuff out there right now, and I'm so excited to be a part of it. I hope I don't have to wait too long before the third books comes out because I want to dive right back into this world so badly right now- just submerge myself in greatness. Fantastic stuff, here.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I've been debating how to approach this review for awhile. I want to gush about it, but I fear that everything I want to gush about would spoil the small, wonderful surprises of THE DREAM THIEVES.

The characterization in this series continues to be almost perfect. If there's a flaw, it's that previously barely mentioned characters are super important. Blue's growing affection for Gansey is so well done, as is her growing to desire to kiss and be kissed despite her knowledge of the consequences. Her family of psychic women becomes more important, including a strange romance for her mother. Adam, who now has some power of his own, is growing ever more resentful of Gansey's money and privilege. Noah keeps disappearing, a worrying development. But THE DREAM THIEVES is really Ronan's story.

Ronan is a tough guy to like, but I tend to like him because the story openly admits that fact. In THE DREAM THIEVES, he faces his antagonist/foil, the drugged up and wild Kavinsky. Ronan has secrets, and Kavinsky thinks he knows what those secrets are, but he's often ever so slightly wrong. Meanwhile, there's also more focus on Ronan and Gansey's relationship, the two of them siblings by choice. It's terrific.

The plot of THE DREAM THIEVES meanders, and very little of it seems to have anything to do with the hunt for Glendower. At the same time, everything feels like it has to do with Glendower. Maggie Stiefvater is excellent at creating a portentous atmosphere and making every other thing that happens seem like it could be symbolic of things to come. I can't wait to see how this series plays out.

Okay, I did it. I think I made it through this review without any spoilers.

Ronan is perhaps the most mysterious of the Raven boys that Blue Sargent has befriended since St. Mark's Eve. He is plagued by memories of his family, now torn apart and unable to return to their childhood home, and of the strange and magical dreams he's been having all of his life. When a dangerous stranger comes to Henrietta, it becomes evident that Ronan's dreams are connected to the discovery of the ley line and the search for the Welsh king in shocking, life-altering ways.

Like with The Raven Boys, Maggie Stiefvater begins The Dream Thieves with a prologue that will completely capture readers' attention and will ensure they are quickly invested in this peculiar, magical story. The plot is surprising and meandering, even in a setting where nearly anything is possible and characters and events are connected in mysterious ways. Stiefvater's language is arresting and enthralling, and will keeps readers engaged throughout the twisty plots and more puzzling mysteries. This second installment is very much Ronan's book as he figures out the mystery of his dreams and the implications they have for his friends, family, and the missing king, but Blue's family continues to steal the spotlight with their mysteries, talents, and humor. Stiefvater concludes The Dream Thieves with yet another mystery that will leave readers wondering and dreaming for hours, and desperate to know where Blue and the Raven boys will end up next.

Cover Comments: I really like the colors in this cover, and how it features Ronan, who looks like he has a lot going on inside of him--so symbolic to the story!

This is a long book and, like the first, it takes awhile to get going but then it's pretty amazing. Maggie Stiefvater is an amazing writer. She creates complex and likable characters who live in a beautiful, richly detailed world. She has a wonderful poetic way with words, and I look forward to the last 2 books in this series.

Some of the many quotes I love:

"The ringtone was an Iglu & Hartly song that the gray man knew but couldn't condone."

"Maybe the potential you bring out in other people is your something more."

"If you never saw the stars, candles were enough."

"For a brief moment, he imagined life as Gansey must live it. The car keys in his pocket. The brand new shoes on his feet. The careless glance at the monthly bills. They couldn't hurt Gansey. Nothing could hurt him; people who said money couldn't buy everything hadn't seen anyone as rich as the Aglionby boys. They were untouchable, immune to life's troubles. Only death couldn't be swiped away by a credit card."

"Sometimes, Ronan thought Adam was so used to the right way being painful that he doubted any path that didn't come with agony."

"All the whimsy of Dollar City was ruined."

"Blue was a fanciful but sensible thing, like a platypus, or one of those sandwiches that had been cut into circles for a fancy tea party."

Okay, I have to stop. Those are only some of the lines I loved in the first 1/3 of the book!! If you liked The Raven Boys, this is a must read. It takes awhile to build, but hang in there, because it's so worth it.

FINALLY FINISHED THIS!!! It took me MONTHS for various reasons but I wanted to finish this for a long time. Since it took me so long I don't have much memory of the first half but what I do know is that this book was even more mystical than the first one. And even better. I loved how it plays with the concept of dreams. The story is getting even more mysterious and complex. Relationships and friendships are straining and we are getting glimpses of character change and development from each one, especially Ronan.

Blue and Gansey's relationship is reaching a sad level, their struggle with their feelings for each other is evident. Adam is starting to feel more detached from the group, trying to prove himself I think? Gansey is dealing with change on its own. He seems like someone afraid of change and his pursue of Glendower is doing exactly that. Ronan is a whole different person and yet the essence that makes him himself has remained the same. I loved how the book focused more on him. He is my favorite of all and definitely the most mysterious in my opinion.

This book was confusing at times since the more they story progresses the more complicated it became. But nonetheless, it kept me interested every second of the way always having that Maggie magic that trademarks all her stories. I loved it.

Ronan Lynch is one of Gansey's closest friends, but he is so much more than that. He can take impossible objects from his dreams! Being the Greywarren is Ronan's deepest secret--the same secret which got his father killed. Will Ronan be able to truly learn how to harness his powers or will he meet the same sticky end as his father?

The Dream Thieves is even better than The Raven Boys. The continuation of the search for Glendower is full of twist and turns which will keep you enthralled from the start. I highly recommend this book.

The Dream Thieves is the second book of The Raven Cycle series (following The Raven Boys).

In the last lines of book one Ronan says, "I guess now would be a good time to tell you. I took Chainsaw out of my dreams." It was a great teaser, and book two completely fulfills the WTF that statement left us with. You might think you don't want to read about Ronan, but he ends up being a surprisingly great character, alternately fire/danger and the boy who was crippled by the idea of this strange power and the events of his youth. I love that he's conflicted in all senses - and I love that his dreams and nightmares reveal more than he'd ever let on. There's a particular scene that gets so intense, you can almost feel him on that edge. And even though I thoroughly enjoyed it, if I'm honest, I'm in this for the story of Blue and Gansey. Fortunately, though the main plot focus is Ronan and the dreams, the story does include all of the other characters. Stiefvater's writing is beautiful and haunting and so incredibly interesting that sometimes I want to stop to write some of it down. The characters move forward seamlessly and develop subtly and then, quite suddenly, you realize that Blue and Gansey are in love (I don't really think that's a spoiler, right?) or that Adam is heading toward something great and terrible, or some such spoiler-type thing. This book didn't really "end" for me, but I'm so ready for the next in the series I don't think I mind.

Will Patton narrates.

*review may contain mild spoilers*

Whoa, that last line. How in the hell am I not supposed to immediately pick up Blue Lily, Lily Blue after that last line. It was so suspenseful, but so beautifully haunting. Pretty much just like all of Maggie Stiefvater's writing that crushes, but rebuilds my heart constantly. I should have expected something like this, but my heart really wasn't prepared.

Maggie Stiefvater is so gifted and it's outstandingly incredible how real these characters feel. This book completely engrossed me from the first page to the last page. Many authors can create characters I love, but not many authors can create characters that I can actually believe in. On top of the poetic prose this whole book is written in, this series is really something above the rest.

This book definitely surrounds mostly Ronan and his unique ability to take things out of his dreams, like Chainsaw. Ronan did a much better job at winning me over in this book, and I loved learning about his past, especially his mother. I feel like this series throws so many twists at you, and you never see them coming, you just feel it in your gut afterwards. Ronan's storyline was wonderfully developed and I can't wait to learn even more about him and the rest of this family.

I disliked Kavinsky, but not because he was a bad person, but because he was just a bad person for the sake of being a bad person. Maybe the reasoning is because he's obviously lonely, but it still seemed a little farfetched with his extreme actions. The resolution with Kavinsky was also very convenient. I wish his storyline ended in a different, not so clean, way. His character was the only thing that made this book not perfect, in my opinion. (view spoiler)

“Maybe she'd go for a walk, just her and the pink switchblade. They were a good pair. Both incapable of opening up without cutting someone.”

Blue is... God, Blue is just the perfect protagonist for me. She is everything I wish I was at seventeen and everything I still wish I was ten years later. She is such a wonderful representation of being yourself and not caring what the rest of the world does, yet being able to show immense amounts of empathy. Blue is so complex, and getting to see her character not only develop, but also the layers getting pulled back is an absolute joy to read. I can't think of a female I enjoy reading about more in literature than Blue Sargent.

“He hadn't realized yet that Gansey could persuade even the sun to pause and give him the time.”

I think it's pretty solidified that I'm just going to fall more and more in love with Gansey as this series progresses, especially on account of Adam being pretty unlikeable from the start of this book. I get it, he's a tormented soul with so much going on, but being nice doesn't cost anything. Adam was just equal parts heartbreaking and frustrating in this book. My love for him in The Raven Boys diminish in this book, and Gansey reaped the benefits of an even bigger section of my heart. I feel so alone with my love for Gansey. My whole Goodreads is review after review of Ronan gushing and devotion. I understand that this book is primarily about him, but at this point I doubt anything could waver my love for this mysterious boy who is destined to die. Seriously, I'm in way over my head with a fictional character. I think I reread the car scene with Blue about five times, and I was still in disbelief of its utter perfection.

As much as Adam annoyed me, his relationship with Persephone helped his story line. Whenever she was in a scene with him, it was much lighter and easier for me to read. Hell, any scene with Persephone, Calla, Orla, or Maura is phenomenal. Blue's house is just magic, and I don't mean psychic readings or tarot cards. The only home I can think of that is as much of a joy to read about as 300 Fox Way is the Burrow.

Noah didn't have much of an impact this book, but the scene with Blue literally gave me every feel in the world. My body felt so much happiness and sadness all rolled into one. I had to wipe so many tears away that I never even knew I was shedding. I know what my wish would be if I was part of this group and was able to get to Glendower.

“You really didn't see the sadness or the longing unless you already knew it was there. But that was the trick, wasn't it? Everyone had their disappointment and their baggage; only, some people carried it in their inside pockets and not on their backs.”

Our Welsh king, Glendower, is still nowhere to be found, but that last line pretty much promises that it will not remain that way in Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

Overall, this book was as phenomenal as The Raven Boys. There is also a LGBTQIA plot that is about to take place and that just wants me to put Maggie Stiefvater on an even higher pedestal. This series is unlike anything I've ever read and I'm completely captivated by this world. There is something magic about this little Virginia town, and it has nothing to do with Glendower, Cabeswater, talking trees, pulling things out of dreams, or ghost boys. That being said, I know this series will break my heart. I just pray that it will be mended afterwards.

If I were Blue I would just walk around with a piece of duct tape on my mouth when not speaking, or maybe one of those dog-surgery cones. I don't know, but something! Anything! Because something tells me that no matter what I will not be prepared for what is going to go down in The Raven King.

“All of us have secrets in our lives. We’re keepers or keptfrom, players or played. Secrets and cockroaches — that’s what will be left at the end of it all.”

The short version: I want the third book a week ago, please.

The long version: Apart from the characters (whom I loved from book one), my favorite thing about this book was the way the author says things. She uses language in vivid, unexpected, and often startlingly humorous ways I don’t frequently see and would rarely (if ever) think up on my own. Some small percentage of the time, her choices of phrasing and/or analogy may not quite work for me, but on the whole, I ate it up. There’s a matter-of-factness about it, never mind what an extraordinary thing has just been said. She makes everyday things poetry, and incredible things bluntly simplistic. There’s beauty in the balance. Not always altogether logical, or logical in a way you can’t quite grasp, but somehow pleasing nonetheless.

If you’re looking for votes on whether this read this book, you’ve got a “yes” from me. I don’t even think it’s wholly necessary for you to have read book one first (months enough had passed between my reading of each that I’d largely forgotten the details from the series opener), though obviously I liked that book, too, so there’s another “yes” vote for you; I’m just saying, it can work on its own.

I have been looking forward to this book for months, mainly because I was so enthralled with Ronan in The Raven Boys. He was so enigmatic in the first book and shrouded in mystery I could not wait to be unveiled. I just knew he had to have some sort of crazy story behind his dark, cryptic exterior, and I was so not disappointed.

One of my favorite things about this series is the fantasy world the author created within our own world. There are just things that cannot be explained, but you do not question them. They just are, and they work. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters better in this book, Gansey, Adam, Blue, Noah, and of course Ronan, all feel like old friends now. After reading this book, I definitely want more of Adam. He is such a lost soul, and I cannot wait to see where the author takes him.

My other favorite thing about this series has to do with the author's writing. She manages to put together her words into sentences into paragraphs into this entire story in such a beautiful and graceful way. I think if anyone else was trying to lay out prose like her, it would come across forced and insincere. But somehow Maggie Stiefvater pulls it off with amazing ease. It makes me wonder if she really sees the world this way and thinks like this in everyday life...what a strange place her head must be.

This is the worst fantasy I've read in years. I've read all 3 books, but it was this one that killed the series for me. The characters lack any motivation, there's no logic and reason in their behaviour, which leads to many problems with the story and the plot. (warning: spoilers below)
A member of the family disappears in the mirror? Oh well, she wasn't a nice guy, let's just empty her room and pretend she didn't exist.
A hitman has no problem to smash out the brain out of head of the victim by a chain, and brutalize a teen, and is repeatedly described as not having any emotions. But ONE meeting with a woman and one reading of one tarot card, and he's in luuuuuv and will hurt no one no more!!! He'll betray his employer like immediately!
And of course, the adult woman will also immediately fall in love and start a relationship with a man who admitted to her that he's a hitman. She can't be judgemental, right? Nevermind he murdered the father of one of her daughter's best friends. But she also still cares, in some undefined way, for a man who disappeared 17 years ago. So at the end of the book 2, she decides to go looking for him. Underground. Alone. Without telling anyone, without any preparations, without any food. Just like an adult, right?
A sociopathic brother is hunting his brother (hitman) for YEARS and is repeatedly described as Evil, someone much more dangerous and clever than the hitman, but when he finally appears, all me manages to say is 'Hello brother'. Then he's killed in the most anticlimactic scene ever.
A son of the guy whose brain was smashed out with a tyre has a mild problem with the hitman, but since he's reformed now it would be wrong not to be polite to him and even cooperate with him.
A guy who managed to stay calm and analysing even as his dad was beating the s*** out of him suddenly completely flipps and loses control over himself. This sudden, unlikely change is there for a sole reason - so that the main female character could ditch him, and (eventually) start dating her fated 'true love'.
She's incredibly sensible and wise, she always knows the right thing to do, she has unique powers, she's pretty, every boy except the gay one falls for her - even the ghost... Anyone that she doesn't like or who is not friendly to her is describe in extremely bad light, as primitive, vulgar or a bully. In short, she's the very definition of a Mary Sue.
Last, but not least, there's a villain, but of course he couldn't be one of the golden American boys. So he's Slavic - a Bulgarian. Which means he's a ugly, substance abuser, forger, and a killer, and a gay. (Unlike Ronan, who is also a gay, but despite that his relationship with his friends are pure, for the cartoon-villain Kavinsky, his attraction to Ronan is in fact the motivation of forgery, abduction and attempted murder of Ronan's younger brother).

The begining of Dream Thieves got off to a bit of a rough start. We're introduced to a pair on new characters (bad guys in both cases, one Raven Boy and one adult) that don't really seem to fit into the story.

In fact the whole story feels off at the begining. I expected a continuation of the hunt for Glendower, but instead the book decides to explore Ronan, and almost ignore the other characters and their trials.

However, gradually the other characters start coming out a bit more and the new characters start fitting in a bit better (though the adult still doesn't quite fit into the book in my opinion), and then I hit the last third of the book and couldn't put it down. All the threads come together and it all makes sense and everything is further along than it had felt only a few chapters earlier. Basically, this book my mostly ignore Glendower, but it is helping the characters learn about themselves and their secrets and powers so that they are in a better place to continue the search in the next book (I hope).

A rough begining, but worth holding out for the end.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After getting approved for this book, I started the first one. I fell in love with book one and started book two as soon as I finished it.

This book picks up right around when the first one ended. The ley line has been awaked by Adam and the group is trying to figure out how he has changed.

This book more so revolves around Ronan and his dreaming. The search for Glendower is put on hold while Blue and the Raven Boys try to figure out what is going on with the ley line and Cabeswater. In the midst of all this they find out Kavinsky has a secret and may be the key to everything.

There is also a few mysterious people that have arrived in town looking for the Greywaren. One of them is the Grey Man. He is a prominent secondary character in this book and hope we see more of him on book 3.

I loved this book just as much as the first. I can't wait for book three. I can't wait to see what happens next with Gansey and Blue. Also, what happens next with Ronan, Adam and Noah.

This is a really great series and is a definite must read for fans of fantasy/paranormal.

With beautiful writing and a lovable cast of main characters, The Dream Thieves is a captivating sequel.

I'm starting to (really) regret my lukewarm review of the first book. I was worried that my tbr was backed up, and tried to power through The Raven Boys, but it's just not the kind of book you should speed read.

I stand by some of the criticisms I had, but I don't think I would've cared as much if I hadn't been trying to hurry through the book. Because while the plot could've been a little tighter in The Dream Thieves, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Once again I have to gush over Maggie Stiefvater's writing. It's so beautiful, and as a writer myself I have so much love for her unique voice.

Stiefvater does this thing where she inserts little snippets throughout the book that give you extra insights to the characters. Yet they never slow down the pacing of the book as you think they might.

The dialogue, funny and detailed, is great too. I highlighted so many passages like this one:
​
“So what you're saying is you can't explain it."

"I did explain it."

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

Though I have some minor plot complaints:
​
- I wasn't quite sure that the big climactic story line involving Kavinsky worked for me, because his character didn't seem very important and then suddenly he was a big deal.

- The Maura/Gray Man story line was just...weird. I can't go into it because, spoilers, but I wasn't sure if the book was trying to be funny or ironic or what. I was mostly just confused (seriously, can someone explain this to me?).

Beyond this, I really didn't have any problems with this book. So I'm not going to spend too much time harping on these.

Moving on, this book's strongest aspect is by far Blue and her Raven Boys, who really jump off the pages this time around. Complicated, funny, and their loyalty to each other is so touching. Again, it's Stiefvater's amazing writing that does so much to bring these characters to life.

I recently got my copy of Blue Lily, Lily Blue. It will most likely be the first book I read in 2016. I can't wait. I just can't. Please Maggie Stiefvater, enchant me again with your beautiful writing.

Review from myblog: http://thebook-nook.weebly.com/home/the-dream-thieves-by-maggie-stiefvater

It's not often I can say I liked a second book in a series even more than the first. We jump right in and already think we know a bit of what's going on in Henrietta, Virginia, but Stiefvater just keeps adding more layers to these characters' stories. The bulk of this story really belongs to Ronan. Blue's "boys", as we know, are hunting for Glendower along a newly awakened ley line in Henrietta. Being on summer break from Aglionby is helpful, as those summer days and nights can be spent exploring, or letting off steam. There are great descriptions of land, sky, cars and the heat. Ronan's tragic family past and the new understanding about his father's death may actually help shed some light on Gansey's search. His brothers, Matthew and Declan, play important roles here too, and I liked the way Stiefvater blends in their family issues (and mom's name--which I'm not going to tell you, just to see if you agree!) into the bigger text of the story. And I don't mean to say Blue or anyone else gets pushed aside. Her curse, of course, is still an important plot issue and her family's special traits are very necessary to the story.

There is a moment in The Dream Thieves that is my favorite (think lamps, but no in the way you're thinking of them). It's a sly, brilliant little thing, this moment. It's a moment that on the surface you absorb as a silly thing (maybe that's all it was meant to be, who am I to say?) But it's also a tickle that lodges in your brain, it's a tiny nudge-nudge. It's a thing means nothing really, until suddenly it means everything. And you look back and you go, 'How did I not see that?' And then you realize you did. The seed had been planted, you just didn't realize it at the time.

It's a simple thing-just a moment-but it's fraught with non-simple things, loaded with meaning if you only know where to look. That is The Dream Thieves. It's fast cars, and dreams, and nightmares and magic and fire and mayhem. Also, it's Ronan.

I was scared to read this. I remember reading Raven Boys and thinking it was fantastic, original and brilliant.
Will the follow up be as wonderful?
Will I remember what the heck happened in the 1st book?
Yes, and yes!

This book was clearly Ronan's story. He's a young man who is Literally tortured by his dreams/nightmares. We find out that he has special powers and the ability to bring things from his dreams that he grabs onto. We also find out about his family and what sets them apart from the normal folks of Henrietta.

We still follow, Blue, Gansey, Noah and . . .Adam. Adam is worrying me. Ever since he sacrificed himself to open the ley lines his character has soured. He's angrier, more resentful and his relationship with Blue and the boys is changing. Maybe not for the worse but in a lateral direction. He's no longer my favorite character :( His role as underdog is slowly emerging into a future. . . . adversary (maybe?).

As for the romance, (there's a little bit even though I wouldn't categorize this as a romance book) it's HEARTBREAKING. I feel so sorry for Blue and . . . the other boy in question. Her being told that she cannot kiss her true love lead to a scene in the book that I read over and over. I kept thinking if I reread it maybe the outcome would be different LOL. I can't say I was disappointed because it was so well written but I can say that I wish Blue could get what she wanted.

Dream Thieves nabbed me as a fan. I'm putting the rest of her books on auto-buy.

Given my last review, it will come as no surprise to anybody that I love this book. If the writing was only good instead of awesome and the plot was only so-so, I would adore it for the characters alone. But the writing is amazing--maybe the best yet. I had to resist the urge to quote random sentences at literally everybody.

I had only one problem, which I'm going to hit on first because then we can get to the awesome stuff and not worry about it again: it is sometimes difficult to tell where the plot is. The last book had a very focused goal, and the characters were constantly driving for it; in this one, I feel like the antagonists had the most agency. The main characters were more reactive, and the plot arc sometimes got fuzzy. I'm not sure how this can be true in a book with so much suspense, but apparently it can. That's why this is only 4.5 stars, despite my enthusiasm.

The characters only become more real and more delightful, and their relationships only become more complex and interesting. We learn more about many things, and new, bizarre elements are introduced. Ronan is the main character right now, and it's interesting to get his narration. Although at first being inside his head was kind of like being in the room with an unexploded bomb, he becomes more likeable as a person. In the first book he was difficult to sympathize with, but I felt like I cared for him a lot more by the end.

There's a new character on the scene, and if I thought Ronan was an unexploded bomb...WELL. Kavinsky quickly proved that Ronan was the least of my worries. He is larger-than-life, he is angry, and he is always, always looking for trouble. (Memorable line: "Get in the car before I have to get high again.") He provides an interesting contrast to Ronan, who despite his teen-delinquent image would never go near a lot of the things that happen with Kavinsky.

Adam is still breaking my heart, in ways that will surprise no one who read the Raven Boys. I actually love his decline, because it's so real. People rarely become suddenly terrible in real life. It's always a slow accumulation of circumstances and personality traits that slowly build into something...not good. Also, can we just talk about Blue and relationships for a second? This is a tiny bit spoilery, I guess, but: Adam is her first relationship. She cares about him. This isn't easy for her. But she never compromises the things that are important to her. When he loses his temper with her--for really unjustified reasons--she doesn't try to appease him. She stands up to him. This is so fantastic, because she refuses to apologize for something that isn't bad, and she knows she deserves better than he's giving her. I wish more girls (including girls in YA, who seem to let bad boys walk over them with disturbing frequency) had the strength to realize that.

This book thinks a lot about family, and the influence a family can have on someone, willing or not. Almost everything that happens can be connected somehow to family--the main driving force of the plot, which is the Gray Man's search for Ronan, is happening because A) Ronan's father was Niall Lynch and B) the Gray man is running from a family member. Adam's problems stem from family; Gansey's need to make an impact is largely influenced by his family. I think that's something else that doesn't get addressed enough in YA, where parents are frequently neglectful or absent or just plain underdeveloped. It's lovely to see family acknowledged this way, in its best and worst incarnations. I'm curious to see where these things go, especially given the cliffhanger (this time it really is a cliffhanger--CURSE YOU ALL OVER AGAIN, STIEFVATER) at the end of the story.

Miscellaneous cool things that happen in this book (which are also reasons why you should read it):

We learn more about Persephone! Sort of!
We learn more about the Lynch family and it is seriously messed up!
Gansey's family is surprisingly supportive and amazing in terrible situations. I found this genuinely delightful--I feel like I've really seen their best side now.
Scenes where reality is questionable.
A hit man who loves Anglo-Saxon poetry.
More Latin, spoken by things other than trees.
Drag racing.
Molotov cocktails.
Monsters.

Have you ever thought the impact of the things your mind can conjure? As magic developed further for this band of characters, the plot thickened with personal discovery. I did get a few questions answered from the first in this series. But I also developed a few more. I am curious to see how the host of new characters will move forward in the next installment.
*listened via audiobook

I received this book free on NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

<u>The Dream Thieves</u> is the second installment in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle series. This book was, in my opinion, better and more exciting than <u>The Raven Boys</u>. The plot focuses largely on Ronan Lynch, who has some issues with nightmares and, as the title suggests, stealing things in his dreams. The rest of the cast from the first book are also there, dealing with the ramifications of waking the ley lines.

The characters were a little more likable and believable here than they were in the first book. In <u>The Raven Boys</u>, none of them seemed like teenagers, but here they were more believable as high school students. They had their own relationship dramas and teenage worries on top of searching for a magical medieval Welsh king.

The plot was also more exciting. The first book was a bit boring, but this one had a concrete problem with some unique elements. I liked the idea of dream thieves. I wish I could bring back things from my dreams (but only the good ones).

I don't know if there's something I can point to that I specifically didn't like in this book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. The pacing was good, the story was good, and I liked the characters better than I did in the first book.

I'd recommend this if you've started the series. If you haven't started the series, I'd recommend it if you like YA books with some magic/fantasy elements, but with some teenage drama, as well.

This sequel was really unexpected. In my incredibly dull life, I spend a lot of time thinking about series and where I think they are going. When I thought about this series, I imagined a lot. Mostly based on the direction of Stiefvater’s previous books that I’ve read. However, I was happily and delightfully surprised that this sequel did not go in the direction I thought it would.

The plot is fantastic in this sequel. FANTASTIC. First, I want to say that I love the concept of this book. A LOT. It really is genius. I don’t even understand how someone can come up with this stuff! I’m in complete shock. And because of that, I don’t think I will write a summary for this book just because I don’t want to ruin it. The book completely veers in a new direction from the first book. Pretty much from page 1 Stiefvater will blow you away. I’m not kidding.

HOWEVER, even though there are new revelations all the time, this book was a slow burn for me. It didn’t feel as fast paced for me as The Raven Boys did but a lot of little stuff builds up for a big finish at the end. And even though it was slow at times, it’s totally worth it.

Also, on that note, I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan of Stiefvater’s writing. I’m not saying it’s bad. In fact, I actually think it’s good, almost literary. The language is great and I can see how she’s improved from her previous books. The problem is I like fast paced novels to have matching fast paced writing and her writing is very descriptive, detailed, and deliberately slow. It’s hard because I want to figure out what’s happening and she’s busy explaining the precise color blue of the sky. It’s frustrating for me. The writing is probably why I found the beginning of this book to be slow.

I told you how the book went a completely different direction from The Raven Boys, right? Well, I think that is my main critique for this book. Not that I didn’t like the book but I missed the Glendower search. Nothing really progressed for the search throughout the book and it made me sad.

Once again, I’m really in love with all of the characters in this series. Also, we have a new character in this novel…a villain, if you will. His name is the Gray Man or Mr. Gray. He is quite the perplexing character and I still haven’t figured him out yet. I think there is more to him than meets the eye. But so far I really like him. I WANT MORE MR. GRAY!!!

This book seemed to focus a lot on Ronan, which was great because Ronan is so cool! I would say I love Ronan but he’s not really a “lovable” character….so yeah. I’m not even sure if I could imagine him in real life, but the way he is talked about in the book makes him more alive than almost all the other characters in this story.

Also, there are some developments with Adam’s sacrifice at the end of The Raven Boys which actually made me not like him as much. AND of course, there's the moment when Blue starts debating whether she actually likes Gansey.

Reading this book is really an experience. I don’t even understand how Stiefvater comes up with this stuff. It’s pure creativity and GOLD. ABSOLUTE GOLD. I really hope I can continue to be surprised throughout the entire series! When does the next book come out again????

I realize that I'm somewhat incapable of giving "proper" reviews after I finish a book. But right now I don't rightly care. This book was fantastic. The character growth was phenomenal. When I read it, I find myself thinking, "if the novels I write can evoke half of the emotions I feel from this book, I'm in excellent shape." It's just amazing. This series is already killer and I have two books left (one of which I have to wait until April for *dies*).

Oh. And there's a lot of Ronan and he makes everything so much better. Really, it's just damn good. Read it. But read The Raven Boys first. Then read this.

Stiefvater returns with the second volume of the Raven Cycle. Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Blue are beginning to pull away from each other as Ronan's dreams are becoming a part of his reality. Not only does he have to be afraid of his dreams, but the Gray Man has come into town in search of Ronan. While he deals with his own identity issues, Blue and Gansey grow dangerously closer. While in the first book, the narrative focused singularly on the Raven boys, here the Gray Man intermittently steps in while Ronan's isolation to learn more about himself and his family grows. After setting up the background in the first book, Stiefvater quickly lets the story progress to more violence and mystery. Will the Gray Man capture Ronan, and what will Ronan continue to bring from his dreams? Reviewscomingatya.blogspot.com.

Ante.
I'm not sure I really need to say anything more but here goes.
Better than The Raven Boys - BEST prologue ever (so far, maybe always). Talk about getting into everyone's skin even more - yes we did - hell of a ride.

One of my favorite lines/visuals: "Then Maura made something with butter and Calla made something with bacon and Blue steamed broccoli in self-defense." Stuff like this is makes me love the writing. Brilliant.

Haven't started the series? What are you waiting for?
Next book Blue Lily, Lily Blue - favorite title of a book (so far, maybe always).

I absolutely loved the first book in the series "The Raven Boys, so this one had quite a bit to live up to. Unfortunately, it didn't quite make it. The story is still quite good and held my interest well, and there's a lot of interesting character development along the way, but there were just a number of things about the book that felt off or out of place, and the author used one technique heavily throughout the book that I've always found to be rather annoying.

I think the biggest problem I had overall was that the entire subject this book - the ability to remove things from dreams and bring them into reality - is only connected to the previous book by the very last line of that book, where Ronan reveals that he brought his pet raven out of a dream. This pushes the search for Glendower - the major plot line for the entire series and the motivation for our main characters to have gotten together in the first place - into the background, and a very little progress on that plot is made during this book. Perhaps in the next book a connection between the dream ability and the search for Glendower will be brought into the same circle, but for right now it feels like we just sort of jumped off the track of the original story into a whole new story for reasons that aren't at all clear.

Also, much of the activity in this book keeps the four Raven boys doing things separately, and features a number of fights between them, which destabilizes the core relationship from the first book - and because the boys are all doing things separately, Blue doesn't get invited along as much, so her presence is missing from large swaths of the story.

As for the technique that I found annoying, often times when a writer doesn't want to reveal the identity of a character, they will be introduced and given a kind of "placeholder" name - which is generally based on something descriptive - until the point in the story where revealing their identity will have the greatest impact. I've never cared for it much because too often the reveal is letdown and does not carry the dramatic impact that it seems the author intends.

There are two main causes for that kind of a letdown. The first is because the character is described in enough ways through his actions or tidbits about himself that he drops as he speaking to various characters throughout the book that guessing his identity fairly easy. The second comes about because when the character's identity is finally revealed, he turns out to be someone we've never heard of before nor is he connected to any of our characters in any significant way. In both cases, it ends up making the whole subterfuge of hiding his name feel pointless.

On the plus side - and there certainly is one - we do get a considerable amount of good background information on our main characters, and we get to know Persephone, Calla, and Maura much better. There's a lot of good, tense drama - and, even though the story feels a bit out of place coming out of the first book, it's an interesting and fun to read story. I certainly enjoyed it enough to want to continue with the series, and am hoping that maybe that next book will help connect some of what happened in the first book to what happened in this one more closely.

I love dreamy books, and this one definitely had lots to love. It's so vivid, and explores Ronan's lucid dreaming so perfectly, that it's definitely every bit as well-imagined, if not more, as the first book. What I take a way from this is a solid adoration for Ronan, and trust that he is a very important part of the story, and not just the any brooding bad boy. Stiefvater construe his circumstances so passionately, that he is definitely the most interesting of the group. She also concocts a very clever tale of enchantment and mystery adding to the excitement of solving the riddle that is Glendower. And she adds lots and lots of other good stuff, making this yet another awesome part of The Raven Cycle.

I actually liked this book a lot better than the first one; I connected with Ronan a lot which was kind of weird but also kind of cool.

The entire book is very atmospheric, Maggie Stiefvater does an excellent job at describing everything in a way that makes it feel like a dream somehow, or maybe it just happens to me?

In this book there a lot of resolutions to the last book’s plotlines but there’s also some new developments that got me really excited to continue on with the series.

As a reader I am in awe of the intricate details for the world that you discover in the Raven Cycle. As a person, I am love with the world and I really, really want to be a part of it. Luckily, with Maggie Stiefvater's writing, I feel like I've been living there at 300 Fox Way or Monmouth Manufacturing or even in Cabeswater, waiting.

As an author, I am jealous as all get out of the way this women turns a phrase. As a musician, the same applies to her talents there. I listened to the audio book and the songs she created for the story. It is an all encompassing beauty of a thing. Well done Maggie, I look forward to more!

I just discovered Maggie Stiefvater, and I love the way she uses language. Her characters are very likeable (except for those that are hate-able), the plot keeps me enthralled, and her wry humor sometimes makes me laugh out loud--more than most books that are supposed to be funny.

I just finished the 3rd book of the series, and am looking forward to the finale in book 4. And I'm actually listening to audio books (I normally prefer reading) because the waitlist is shorter and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Blue. Gansey. Adam. Ronan. Noah. Oh, how I enjoy each character. Ronan and Adam really come into their own in this book. They are no longer silent players in Gansey's quest for something more. In fact, each character is looking for their very own something more and it seems as if some of them are on the right path in this second installment in The Raven Boys. I cannot wait to see where book 3 takes me.

*Copy provided by Netgalley for an unbiased review.*

I listened to the first book in this series, The Raven Boys, as an audiobook (it's beautifully read by Will Patton, by the way). I read this second book in the series as an eBook. I enjoyed both of these books, although I'm certainly not in the YA age group. Interesting stories, interesting to watch the protagonists mature a bit in this second book in the series and learn their secrets and what's made them who (and what) they are. There are new obstacles for them to overcome in the quest that was outlined in The Raven Boys. And of course their quest remains to be completed in subsequent books (it's set to be a 4-book series). Maggie Steifvater has a lovely, at times lyrical, use of language. I look forward to books 3 & 4. And I'll look for them in audio form, assuming Will Patton is the reader.

THE DREAM THIEVES was marginally better than THE RAVEN BOYS and that was largely thanks to the final 100 pages not the 300+ that preceded them; however it still didn’t quite measure up to what I’ve come to expect from an author of Maggie Stiefvater’s writing genius. Perhaps I’m missing out on some of the complexities of this tale by listening to it rather than reading, I don’t know, but I’m beginning to feel like something just isn’t clicking because the majority of reviewers are shouting from rooftops about this series. The story focused mainly on Ronan, and although I liked his character, I missed Blue, Gansey, Noah & Adam’s plot threads, and at times I found myself rather bored with the linear direction of this audiobook.

Looking at the title of #3, I think it’s safe to assume that going forward the author intends to dedicate one installment to each teenager. It’s Lynch’s turn in the limelight, and he just so happens to be my least favourite Aglionby student. He won’t be winning any popularity contests with me anytime soon, but I feel like I now have a better understanding of his innards. This tale was more straightforward and less dream-like than THE RAVEN CYCLE’s debut, however Stiefvater compensated by showcasing the messed-up things that live inside Ronan’s head. He teams-up with Kavinsky, and learns more about his particular skill set, I was surprised to find a few kinks in his armor where Gansey & his little brother were concerned, and I liked that he brought sexual diversity to the cast.

The introduction of the Gray Man piled on more intrigue to the boys’ search for Glendower, as did his employer, Greenmantle. I was disappointed that there weren’t more chapters from Noah’s POV, especially after the bomb that the author dropped on us at the end of the last novel; it felt like a waste of a cliff hanger. Other than the disappearance of Cabeswater, the Welsh King plot thread was practically non-existent which was weird considering that it was the main focus of book 1. The male characters have stronger personalities than all of the female ones combined which kind of trivialized Blue’s role, and the fact that she’s still stressing over her first kiss while everyone else is dealing with much bigger issues made her concerns seem silly.

I had an easier time with Will Patton’s delivery in this follow-up because I was able to overlook his questionable pronunciations of certain words having looked them up previously when I reviewed THE RAVEN BOYS. He doesn’t whisper nearly as much as he did in the last installment on account of the less mysterious nature of this tale which was a good thing, but his female voices are still lacking, especially Persephone’s. And, why the heck Kazinsky sounded like The Fonz is beyond me. This audiobook featured original music that was both written and performed by Maggie Stiefvater which was a cool value add, however I think I might try reading BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE to see if my issues with this series lie more with the narrator than the story itself.

THE DREAM THIEVES was anything but predictable, and Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is so far beyond average that it transcends words.

The Dream Thieves is a major step up from The Raven Boys, a book that I had already enjoyed quite a bit. Stiefvater continues to develop this universe in really interesting ways that are both organic to the series and yet unpredictable from its opening. I’m really enjoying getting to know these characters better, and I’m looking forward to the next book, whenever I get around to it.

Once again Maggie Stiefvater delivers a perceptive sequel that exceeds expectations. The Dream Thieves continues the saga that she introduced in The Raven Boys, a story about 4 teenage young men, who are prep students at the prestigious Aglionby Academy, and their friend Blue, the daughter of a psychic, who herself has unique powers.

The Dream Thieves, set in Henrietta, Virginia, focuses on Ronan and his magical ability to snatch real objects out of dreams. Although this story treads the line of fantasy, the prep school setting provides a bit of verisimilitude. This book delves deeper into Ronan’s dark personal life and his father’s mysterious death. The relationship between Ronan and Kavinsky, a punk like character with a knack for street racing, develops throughout the novel until a climatic confrontation.

Through unexpected twists and turns, many of the main characters either become the killed or the killer in duels ranging from knife fights to mystical warfare. Will the notorious hit man Mr. Gray be able to capture the Graywaren, for a mysterious man called Greenmantle? The truth reveals itself in The Dream Thieves in a shell shocking ending.

This suspenseful style of writing is reminiscent of Steifvater’s Scorpio Races and matches the enchantment and intrigue at every turn. I thought The Dream Theives was well written overall and would rate it four stars. While the book is not written at an advance reading level, it does contain mature content so it should be read by mature teenagers. Parents should be aware of inappropriate language, sexual content and mature themes.

Reviewed by Young Mensan Cameron H., age 14, South by Southwest Florida Mensa

This book is Ronan's story for the most part. It wasn't as enthralling as I found the first book but it was good. I enjoyed getting to know more about Ronan and how he is different from the Ronan that Gansey knew before. The dreaming aspect is so interesting and although there are parts of the experience Ronan has with the other "dream thief" that I was left confused about, I an intrigued to see how it plays out.
I am looking forward to the next book and hope to see more of the other sides of Gansey as well as getting to the heart of blue.

Warning there will be slight spoilers for The Raven Boys in this review. If you have not read The Raven Boys, please proceed with caution.

The Raven Boys was hands down one of my top 5 favorite books last year. The story filled with psychics and a possibly undead Welsh King captivated me. And Blue Sargent is definitely a force to be reckoned with. So when I went to BEA earlier this year, I made sure I hit up the Scholastic booth to pick up a copy of the sequel.

I think I have mentioned this before when I first started blogging. I don't like to read the inside flap of a book. Especially for a series that I have already started. I prefer to just dive right in without knowing anything. So when I got about 100 pages into The Dream Thieves, I thought "Wow. There sure is a lot of Ronan in this book." Ronan is one of Gansey's best friends. He's rich, and he pretty much says whatever is on his mind because he does not lie. And he also was my least favorite character in The Raven Boys.

I tried to keep an open mind while reading, but it's so difficult for me to read a book when I don't like the main character. And that's what makes writing this review so hard. Because The Dream Thieves IS a good book. In fact, it's a very good book. The writing is amazing. Maggie Stiefvater is excellent at foreshadowing. And I highly doubt this series will end with any plot holes. Also Ronan's story is very important to the story line. It's something that had to be told, and not something that you can just throw in a 50 page novella. The Dream Thieves is part of the Raven Cycle.

But I just missed Blue so much. And it's not that Blue isn't in the story, she definitely is. But she clearly takes a back burner in this one. But there was one character, that I was happy to see how much he has grown since the last book. Since Adam made his sacrifice in The Raven Boys, there definitely has been a change in him. I sympathize with Adam. There were many times while reading both books that I just wanted to give him a hug. But Adam being Adam, he'd probably just push me away and tell me that he wouldn't want my pity. I'd like to think that in the Dream Thieves, he learned to accept help. And that's one of the hardest things for anyone to learn.

One of the things I really did enjoy seeing in The Dream Thieves was Gansey and Ronan's friendship. I really do like Gansey. I would love to sit down with him for about an hour, and try to pick his brain. Ronan and Gansey both feed off of each other. They are such opposites, but they have a genuine friendship. Gansey can sometimes bring out a side of Ronan that made me want to like Ronan. Even though in the end I still don't.

If Ronan's story reminded me of one thing, it's how great of a story teller Maggie Stiefvater is. That even if something isn't really your cup of tea, it's still a well written story. And that's what I left the Dream Thieves thinking. That even if it wasn't a favorite of mine, I can appreciate for what it was and I know others will too.

Reviewed by Sana @ Step Into Fiction

You might remember that Stiefvater dropped a WHOPPER of a cliff hanger in the last sentence of The Raven Boys. Basically, abrasive, confrontational Ronan revealed that he can bring things out of his dreams, like his adorable raven, Chainsaw. Also, Adam did something I still don't really understand on the ley lines, Gansey is still determined to track down Glendower, the buried Welsh king of legend, Noah is really most sincerely dead, and Blue is officially one of the gang.

Plot-wise, this is an easier read than The Raven Boys. We spend less time establishing the characters and the story and more time living it. It's still not a fast-paced book, laced as it is with evocative imagery and spellbinding character moments, but things start happening for quickly. Something is seriously wrong with Cabeswater. A classmate of the boys is up to strange, troublesome things, and his motives are murky. A gray, mysterious man has come to town, and he will do anything he can to find what he came to find... even if it endagers every one of the Lynch brothers. (Who we meet! I loved meeting Ronan's sweet younger brother, Matthew, and even seeing more of Declan, who plays a bigger role in this book.)

Adam. Oh Adam. *Pets the baby Adam* He had a really rough go of it in TRB, and I'm sorry to say things are even rougher for him in TDT. He and Blue are still edging around each other romantically, and there's tension still between him and Gansey. WHICH SADDENS ME SO MUCH, because of one my favorite parts of this story is the strength and loyalty of the friendships between the Raven boys (and their Raven girl, the belligerent Blue). He's going through some serious changes. Something is rotten in the state of Adam-mark after his sacrifice at the end of TRB. He's hearing voices, and a mysterious force is moving through him, and somehow, it's connected to Cabeswater. He's a bit of a pill in this book, but the guy is going through some tough and very heartbreaking things, which leads to... you guessed it... more heartbreak.

As adorable and tentative and sweet as Blue and Adam are, my ship of choice is Gansey and Blue. GLUE. BLANSEY? Whatever they are, I ship them something fierce. Okay, I'm going with Glue. Because Blue and Gansey are kind of the ones who hold the whole Fellowship of the Cabeswater together, and I want them to be stuck together like glue. Don't argue.

Gansey is as wonderful and complicated as ever, full of unflagging enthusiasm and loyalty. He's still pretty clueless about a lot of things, but he always tries to hard, both to help and to do what's right. And Blue's my girl. Prickly, spiky, confused Blue, fighting so hard against fate and losing. That girl has the worst prophecies ever hanging over her head, and it's so interesting to see just how wrong and how right they are, and if Blue let's them determine her life or not.

The magic in this book continues to be one of the most original I've read about. The true extent of dream-theivery, and the repercussions that has in Ronan's relationships with his family, with Gansey, with Adam, with himself... It was so wonderful to be in Ronan's head. His third person POV is the most dominant one in TDT, and I could not have been happier about it. It's hard to say what I love best about his book: the lyrical writing, the mythology, or the characters.

Actually, it's not that hard. It's most DEFINITELY the characters. They remain themselves consistently, but it's fascinating to watch them battle against themselves and their circumstances. My beloved Gansey, still hell-bent on his quest for so many reasons, is the linchpin of the group. Or maybe Blue is, with her pluck and not-so-charming charm. (Seriously, watching Blue and Gansey bicker and play off each other fills my heart with FEELS. JUST JUMP EACH OTHER'S BONES, GUYS. Um. Except don't, obviously, because of Blue's curse).

I also love the relationship that Blue and Noah have. It's so sweet and sincere. Each character is just so distinct. You get the feeling Stiefvater knows them all the way down to their socks. I once heard a really great writing teacher describe characterization like that: "You want to know your character so well that you'll know which socks they'll put on for the best and worst and more ordinary days of their lives."

I know every characters' socks. AND I LOVE THEM.

Book Three, why you so far away? Why why why?!

I honestly cannot think of another current YA title out there that can begin to match the quality, intelligence, beauty, and complexity of this series. And the WRITING. UNGH.

This exceeds what a lot of the YA genre is often accepted as, not to say there aren't some great novels out there that shine, because there are. It's just been a while since I've stumbled across them. This is a book for teens, young adults, regular adults, and beyond.

I love how Ronan was handled, how we saw his secrets. I really enjoyed his PoV. Everything from dreams to his care for his family, his friendship to Gansey, to his sexuality, which was also incredibly well done. I also loved seeing a rawer, angrier side of Adam. I enjoyed that despite Kavinsky being more of a villain, he was sculpted in such a way where I even kinda liked him.

I am definitely looking forward to the next book, and would highly suggest to this to anyone who might be interested in fantasy/the paranormal.

** spoiler alert ** Man oh man did the stakes rise in this book. I felt so many emotions while reading this--elated, angry, captivated, frustrated, and most importantly stressed. A lot of things about this book stressed me out, mainly because I'm so invested in the characters. It's hard to watch them fight or break each other's hearts or spit venom at each other. It broke my heart. One can only hope that they come back together in the following book because I don't know if I can take much more of them being hurt. However, for as many bleak moments, there were touching ones that made it better. These people are family--they fight but they always come back to each other. That's why I can't put these books down.

I loved loved LOVED seeing more of Ronan and Adam, but I did miss seeing Blue and Gansey and Noah. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!!

“I guess now would be a good time to tell you," He said. " I took Chainsaw out of my dreams."

Following the cliff-hanger ending of The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves continues the story of Gansey, Blue, Ronan, Adam and Noah, along with a new character known as ‘The Gray Man’ as they keep on the supernatural hunt for Glendower.

A secret is a strange thing. There are three kinds of secrets. One is the sort everyone knows about, the sort you need at least two people for. The second is a harder kind of secret: one you keep from yourself. And then there is the third kind of secret, the most hidden kind. A secret no one knows about.

Ronan Lynch has a secret. When he dreams, he can create things and bring them back to the waking world. His father shared the same secret, but it seems now more than ever to be the time to confess to his friends. The clique of Raven Boys from Aglionby Academy are searching for the long lost Welsh King Glendower, in hopes of being granted a favour. But they aren’t the only ones searching for the supernatural. Now, there are people searching for what is known as the Greywaren. Meanwhile, Ronan is getting lost deeper into his secret, finding he shares his ability with someone he knows well. With Adam’s sacrifice to waken the ley lines having a more dire effect than any of them originally thought, and the source of the magic unknown, they must hurry to find out more about the ley lines and Cabeswater, the place of dreams and ancient magic, before everything falls apart. The psychics of Blue’s family help along the way while she delves deeper and deeper into the magic world, and deeper in with the Raven Boys. It seems that Gansey and her are the only ones who aren’t involved in something supernatural, yet they keep digging their way further and further in, trying to find what they have always wanted to be a part of. Something more.
It seems that they all hold secrets. Adam, the eyes and hands of Cabeswater, Noah, the corporeal ghost of the last sacrifice made to the ley lines and Ronan, one of the Dream Thieves.

My favourite characters were Ronan and Noah. They were the most interesting and were very central to the supernatural elements of the story. Ronan’s character especially, reading from his point of view, shows how complex he truly is, and the mental and emotional battles he fights constantly. His past is explored really well and ties in as a secondary theme to the novel. His involvement with dreams that links to his father and through him, his mother, uncovers whole new information about his past and family. Stiefvater begins to show where his character came from and show why his character behaves the way he does.

Noah’s secret meanwhile, has been revealed in the previous book, as the corporeal ghost living off the energy of the ley lines. Still part of the group of boys, he tries his best to keep up with them, also using Blue’s special qualities to help him stay more real and alive. It was very sweet reading about him as he tried to figure out how to be around them, knowing he couldn’t quite fit in. He also played the role of a moral compass for Adam and Ronan when they were in trouble. His special connection to Blue was very endearing; the scene with them exploring Monmouth Manufacturing, while Gansey, Adam and Ronan were out, created a high point in the love story that’s interwoven into the fantasy. That was one of my favourite scenes. They are such cute friends and he protects her like a brother would.

Another favourite part of the story were the dreamscape scenes with Kavinsky and Ronan. They were what moved the fantasy element of the story along and also left lots of cliff-hangers at the end of chapters. Through them, it also explained the rules of the dream stealing and through the other’s characters situations it made connections through the ley lines. It also questioned Ronan’s sexuality through the texting, the jokes and the description of what he felt when he was with Kavinsky.

The fast pace and cliff-hangers made it impossible to stop reading and as the pace built up and everything seemed to come together, it came down to how many pages were being flipped per minute! I fell completely into the world of Henrietta, Virginia and the people who were part of it. It was like I wasn’t even reading words, just living in the world and flowing along the lyrically written storyline. I read at every chance I got, mainly due to the fact that the story kept me guessing for ages! I had so many theories along the way. In most stories, I am happily surprised when my predictions come true, but with The Dream Thieves, I just kept guessing and getting knocked back with an unexpected twist. Everything happened for a reason and there were parts creatively and cleverly woven into the storyline to create a thick, well thought out plot. It was very well planned and the mystery involved provided good basis for predictions.

The central theme was all about the supernatural and fantasy elements. It was a very mysterious and compelling book that kept me guessing. The cliff-hangers leave everything very suspenseful and combined with the mystery it made for a very enjoyable and un-put-down-able read!

Maggie Stiefvater writes with a lyrical fluidity that captures the reader and pulls them into the worlds she creates. The different points of view allow the reader to make connections to the different plot points that relate in the end in the most unexpected, surprising ways. The plot is mystifying and edgy, filled with created mythology that has been well planned out and the rules and magic have been perfected so that the plot slides easily through them. The characters are well developed and each have characteristics that are flawed and characteristics that keeps the other’s in balance. They all have very defining qualities but in the end it’s what helped them and what kept them together and able to continue on the fantastical quest.

I would recommend it to Young Adult readers and above who enjoy the fantasy and mystery of new worlds and old magic. Congratulations Maggie Stiefvater on another brilliant and captivating novel, filled with magic and adventure, twisting plots and poetic history. 5 out of 5 stars as always!

Maggie's writing is so lyrical reading is like singing. Her imagination is like fire ,wild and hungry, and her delivery is like ice, precise and exact. She always knows what should be added and what she be left for the reader to create for themselves. This novel is unique in the series. Maggie doesn't do the ubiquitous thing drag her couple through book after book of heartrending events in an effort to keep them apart until the final pages. She writes a real story with characters who have full lives and things to do and you're busy all the way through keeping up with them. If you haven't started this series you should. And FYI if you haven't read Scorpio Races by Maggie you really really should! Thanks Maggie, love your stuff.

I love this author. She writes in a way I find soothing and calming, with some spurts of excitement. The tone of the book is like a slow cool stream flowing down into a mist covered pond. I enjoy that I do, but there needed to be some rapids to break the mellow. I never felt the rapid heartbeat just one more page desire, I just slowly continued till it was done. The story climax points just didn't have the burst I needed to make it a five star read.
I missed the intensity of book 1.
There was a very light cliffhanger ending which I appreciate. I hate to be left hanging out there bruised and battered for a year or more. I will happily wait for the next book in the series.

Cabeswater has gone missing and it's up to The Raven Boys and Blue, to find it.

Centered around Ronan, we learn so much insight into his thieving heart, and yet he remains as enigmatic as ever. A riveting character who shows guts and glory. Tied closely to this arc is a charged character named Kavinsky whose involvement amps up, or derails, Ronan's purpose in the group.

I'm in awe, I'm mad for this series.

OMG! WHAT I READ ?!

It happens a lot in this book. I can not decide if it's slow or too fast. Gansey is still my favorite. Or maybe Ronan. I can not decide. Although this way bad boy makes me bored. We learned a lot about Ronan. The story revolves much around it, but we get more about Adam, Gansey, Blue and his family. We do not see much Noah :( But that ONE scene!
Maggie writing is wonderful, but I 'm still really difficult to enter in history leaving my slow reading. Anyway, can not wait to read Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Scholastic Press for granting me the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Though I received the e-book for free that in no way influenced this review.

<blockquote> 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...</blockquote>

The Dream Thieves picks up where The Raven Boys left off, with the mystery of Glendower and Cabeswater looming large in everyone's mind. Then there is Ronan's secret ability to take things from his dreams into his waking life, as he did with his pet raven, Chainsaw. And of course Blue's secret prophecy, which leaves her afraid to fall in love. This book is really all about secrets:

<blockquote>“A secret is a strange thing.

There are three kinds of secrets. One is the sort everyone knows about, the sort you need at least two people for. One to keep it. One to never know.

The second is a harder kind of secret: one you keep from yourself. Every day, thousands of confessions are kept from their would-be confessors, none of these people knowing that their never-admitted secrets all boil down to the same three words: <em>I am afraid.</em>

And then there is the third kind of secret, the most hidden kind. A secret no one knows about. Perhaps it was known once, but was taken to the grave. Or maybe it is a useless mystery, arcane and lonely, unfound because no one ever looked for it.

Sometimes, some rare times, a secret stays undiscovered because it is something too big for the mind to hold. It is too strange, too vast, too terrifying to contemplate.

All of us have secrets in our lives. We’re keepers or keptfrom, players or played. Secrets and cockroaches — that’s what will be left at the end of it all.”</blockquote>

Blue is still struggling with the combination of her vision of Gansey on the Corpse Road and her lifelong prophecy whose future had been told multiple times, each time it said she would kill her true love if she tried to kiss him. Moreover, it had been foretold this was the year she’d fall in love. She had confessed part of the prophecy to Gansey, but nothing about seeing him on the Corpse Road and how that meant he would be dead within the year. Instead she lets Adam court her even though she won't tell him why she won't kiss him. Yet it isn't as cruel as it sounds, for she is trying to convince herself that she could, or does, love Adam - not so that she can kill him and spare Gansey, but to negate the image she had in Cabeswater of Gansey dying.

Gansey is still struggling to be everything for everyone. It has gotten so that he is afraid to open his mouth around his friends, but specifically Adam, for it seems that his words become weapons he can't control. No matter how good Gansey's intentions are, Adam always finds a way to twist what he said into something humiliating and painful, somehow condescending. Even though poor Gansey is simply using the language he was raised with, Adam always finds a way to make it belittling.

Adam is so wrapped up in his own past that he can't, or won't, see how badly he hurts Gansey with his anger. And Gansey being there when Adam finally is forced to move out of the trailer due to the severity of his father's beatings seals that animosity into Adam nice and snug, so that he'll likely never be able to separate Gansey from the whole mortifying scene. His shame over missing his only home and his mother doesn't help either. All of these things combine to make him desperately want to find Glendower first; because as far as he's concerned no one has more need for, maybe even right to, Glendower's gift.

Noah plays a smaller role in this book, most likely because his body was finally found and laid to rest. And though the others dug his bones up later that evening, re-burying them at a church that sits directly above the ley line, he no longer has the kind of power he once had.

Ronan begins experimenting more and more often with bringing things out of his dreams, with mixed results. While he is able to produce interesting things sometimes his nightmare creatures try to escape. And then one night they do escape, though Ronan and Gansey kill one, it turns out the other got loose and could be anywhere. The big problem with that is that it will remain on the loose until they either find it and kill it or Ronan dies, putting it into suspended sleep, just like everything back at their family home, the "Barns," including their mother.

Ronan's brother Declan gets beat up by someone looking for the Greywaren, which he claims to have no knowledge of. Yet Declan knows that Ronan is the Greywaren. Ronan discovers that Joseph Kavinsky is also a Greywaren, or so he thinks since Joseph can also bring things out of his dreams.

<blockquote>Joseph Kavinsky, fellow Aglionby Academy student and Henrietta’s most notorious recreational forger. Kavinsky’s infamous Mitsubishi Evo was a thing of boyish beauty, moon-white with a voracious black mouth of a grill and an immense splattered graphic of a knife on either side of the body.</blockquote>

Kavinsky's ever-present sidekick Prokopenko turns out to be like Ronan's mother, a being Kavinsky brought out of his dreams, just like his Mitsubishi. Kavinsky shows Ronan his field of hundreds of Mitusbishis, all in varying states. . . His practice cars until he got it right and could dream them out accurately. He teaches Ronan how to become more effective at bringing things out of his dreams. But Kavinsky has an ulterior motive, for it turns out he thinks he's in love with Ronan, and goes ballistic when Ronan still chooses Gansey and Adam over him.

To further complicate things there is Mr. Gray - a hit man sent in search of the Greywaren, not realizing that it is a person rather than a thing. And while he is busy investigating her and Blue's mom Maura fall in love. Once Mr. Grey learns the truth will he turn Gansey over to the man who hired him, or will he turn rogue?

At the end of the first book Adam had sacrificed himself to Cabeswater to be its eyes and ears, but no one really knew what that meant. At least no one who would say anything about it just now. But it was a safe bet that at least one of the women from 300 Fox Way knew exactly what it meant.

Adam carries a huge chip on his shoulder, angry about all the injustices he perceives around him - all the other Aglionby boys & their wealth that they'd done nothing to earn, yet it automatically made them better than everyone. Coming from a home life like his and seeing Gansey's - and for all Gansey complained it was clear that the family cared about one another - as demonstrated the night Adam went missing from the Gansey place in VA. They all stayed, cancelled plans, and helped search until Adam was found - they received a call from strangers asking if they knew Adam. They'd found him on the side of the interstate & no one was stopping, initially thought he might have been dead. He'd been in a trance of some sort, with no memory of what had happened or how he got 15 miles away on foot.

Each character undergoes some sort of personal crisis that leads to an epiphany of sorts, with the crisises being varying levels of danger. They all mature throughout the novel, even though the actual amount of time that passes is relatively brief. Cliff hanger of an ending, which could easily lead to the one thing Blue wants to avoid at all costs - kissing Gansey, thereby killing her first true love.

I don't know how to even talk about this book, except to say that it is beautiful and lyrical. I had thought it might drag and have second-book-itis, but it didn't for me. All the characters, Ronan in particular, were more fleshed out, deeper, more likeable. I loved that Blue didn't mope around, she was sad about her predicted fate, but wasn't about to let it ruin her life. It's the kind of book that I really need to read again, because I know I missed things. Of course, I have to reread the first one before I do that.

I feel, reading this book, like Blue does, "Magic is real." If magic could be communicated through pages of a book, Stiefvater has done it.

The Raven Boys was one of my favorite books of 2012, so waiting to read The Dream Thieves was such a daunting task. In a year, my reading palate has become more diverse so I was a bit worried that I wouldn't enjoy The Dream Thieves as much. My worries were immediately expelled when The Dream Thieves arrived in the mail; I actually jumped up and down in excitement and did a victory dance. Don't judge ;) The Dream Thieves brought me back to Aglionby Academy and I must say that this journey with The Raven Boys was even more spectacular.

The Dream Thieves is completely different from The Raven Boys in all the best of ways. This installment is complete with car drag races, a mysterious Gray Man, a peculiar paranormal ability, and a whole lot of dreaming. There is still the extremely ominous, chilling feeling that something is bound to go wrong at any given moment that was present in The Raven Boys.

All of the characters have evolved so much since The Raven Boys especially Blue and Adam. I thought coming into this novel that Ronan and Gansey would remain my favorite characters in this series. I still enjoyed reading about Ronan and Gansey, but I quickly became obsessed with Blue and Adam. It's been a while (too long) since I've read The Raven Boys, but I honestly don't remember Blue being such a sharp-tongued, strong-headed protagonist. I feel as if Blue has really become a completely different character in The Dream Thieves, her transformation is extraordinary. As Blue became more comfortable with the guys, her fighting, fiery spirit became a lot more evident. I loved reading about Adam and I completely understood what he was going through. His ongoing conflicts were extremely realistic problems that I definitely think all of us have gone through at least some point in our lives. The other boys seemed to pity Adam because of his hard life, but I didn't pity Adam at all. Instead, I admired Adam's strength and will to fight the dark, looming problems in his life.

The Dream Thieves offers an exciting, refreshing paranormal adventure complete with Welsh mythology, subtle romance, and exciting characters. The plot moves at a fast-pace providing the reader with an extremely compelling story that will keep readers hooked early on. This is an extremely character-driven story and readers will become even more attached to the Aglionby boys and Blue. The Dream Thieves doesn't suffer from "2nd book syndrome", in fact I think The Dream Thieves is a better book than The Raven Boys.

As expected, Maggie Stiefvater deftly crafted each sentence with her signature writing style. Stiefvater's writing style isn't as flowery as it was in the Shiver trilogy, but it's just as engrossing. Stiefvater's descriptions paint an excellent, vivid picture of all the strange phenomenons. Stiefvater has proven herself again and again to be a master storyteller and it definitely shows in The Dream Thieves.

The Dream Thieves is definitely one of the best books I've read in 2013 by far. I'm extremely eager to read the sequel and I wished that the next book would release sooner. I would highly, highly recommend this to readers looking for an original paranormal book with a teensy bit of romance. Stiefvater has managed to impress me once again!

First, let me go ahead and SQUEE about this novel.

Okay, now that that's out of my system, let me just SQUEE about Stiefvater's writing. I don't know what it is about her, but she really knows how to tell a story wrapped in mystery, wonderment, and awesomesauce.

For fans of `The Raven Boys,' they will find themselves caught up in a world full of thievery. I mean, look at that title. But it's not the typical level of thievery. This is something new. Something that happens in dreams. Something that can be controlled.

Or can it?

From the start readers are off and running. And we do not stop until the final word on the final page. When I finished this novel, I felt like I had run a marathon. My heart was pumping that much.

I found myself lost in this world where dreams are real--or kinda sorta--and friendships are tested, and loyalty comes into question.

Do not expect a lot of the story to focus on Blue--the focus is not on her but on those who are looking for Cabeswater. Some of these characters are dangerous, some are hysterically hilarious, some just need friendship. They all have the same goal.

And would this be a story without a man of mystery?

Like all good storytelling, this novel has a solid plot and character development.

The plot itself is nicely paced, balanced with heart-pumping moments and moments of pure awe. That's about all I can write without spoiling anything. Notice even in the Goodreads description, it's skimpy. It's like any little detail can be a spoiler.

The characters are well developed. Stiefvater gives us information on a need-to-know basis. When we need to know it, she reveals it. It's a slow build in that way for character development--and I mean that in a good way. It adds to the element of suspense.

Of all the characters, I have to say that I didn't have a favorite. Usually I do, but this novel is a team effort. There is no one star, no one standout, no one page-stealer. At least for me. They all worked together, building on one another, adding to each other's purpose on the page, and I really enjoyed that. Because it is rare for me to feel that way about characters. It's like the cast of `Friends'--they are a necessary ensemble.

I like this tactic in this novel because it helped create the air of mystery and suspense that mirrors all that Cabeswater seems to be.

As a whole work I loved every page of this work. It kept me engaged, wanting more, but it also piqued my curiosity because I found myself trying to solve several mysteries throughout. I love when a novel engages me in that way. It helps keep my brain young.

If you are a fan of Stiefvater's writing, if you read and enjoyed `The Raven Boys,' then be sure to include this in your TBR pile.

This is such a great unisex series for teens. I do recommend for teachers to make sure they have Stiefvater's `Raven Boys' as well as `Scorpio Races' on hand in the classroom library. And make sure your school librarian orders it as well.

I absolutely love this series. It is very intriguing. Dream Thieves is mainly from Ronan and Adam's point of views, which is nice because we get to see what goes on in their heads and learn more of what makes them who they are. Ronan's secrets could get him killed and Adam's could drive him completed mad. Of course you still get Gansey and Blue, oh and the quirkiness ladies from 300 Fox Way. We also get point of views from Mr. Gray who is a hitman but will his infatuation with Maura (Blue's mom) help or hinder him. Questions from Raven Boys was answered but left with many more questions. I cannot wait to read the next book to find out more about the Raven Boys and Blue.

This is the second book in the Raven Cycle by Stiefvater. I got a copy of it from NetGalley(dot)com for review. It was a very good book. It again switches between many viewpoints, but that seems to work well for these books.

In the last book our characters awoke the ley lines of Cabeswater and now they are dealing with the consequences. Adam has changed and is struggling with these changes. Ronan is having dreams that come alive. Gansey is just as obsessed as ever with unraveling the mysteries of the ley lines. Blue is stuck between the three of them, drawn to the mystery and worried about the future that's been foretold for her. Now a Grey Man has come to Cabeswater and the Raven Boys will never be the same.

This is another interesting book by Stiefvater, her books always have a bit of a dreamlike quality to them. We spend a lot of time following the characters around in their day to day lives and watching the mystery slowly unravel.

This is really Ronan's book. Most of it is about him dreaming and taking things out of his dreams and making them real. It's about the impact his dreaming has on the world and what it means.

I am curious as to Blue's role in things. In this book she was definitely in the sidelines. She was kind of a sidekick, she helped out some. Aside from her curse about the first boy she loves and kisses dying, she didn't have a whole lot more background added.

As I mentioned above, the story bounces a lot between characters, sometimes with multiple viewpoints in a chapter. This got confusing a couple of times, but actually worked fairly well for the story. Having all these POVs did let us see into all the characters thoughts which was intriguing. Unfortunately all these POVs also slow down the story. It has also made it so it takes a long time to engage with the characters.

The story is an interesting one involving ley lines and magic. As with all of Stiefvater's books it moves very slowly for the majority of the book and then everything happens all at once at the end.

Overall it was a good read. I enjoy the dreamy style of Stiefvater's writing and am really starting to enjoy the characters as well. I am curious as to where this story is going. I will definitely read future books in this series because it is an intriguing story.

The Dream Thieves is the second book in Stiefvater's "The Raven Cycle" series, and it adds another perspective to the story set up in the first novel: Ronan's. While it's not quite accurate to say this book is about Ronan, it does spend more time fleshing out what is going on in the boy's head and applying that to the adventure at hand.

Fans of the first book might have been drawn in by the feeling of exploring something forbidden--shades of Stephen King's "The Body" on which the movie "Stand by Me" was based. The unlikely cast of characters banded together to decipher the clues that tell where Glendower rests, all the while discovering the dark secrets in their own lives.

This second installment, however, is not about exploration so much as waiting. The entire book gives off a feeling of that eerie waiting calm before a storm. It could just as well be subtitled, "Waiting for Greywaren." Much of the action of the first book falls by the wayside in favor of exploring what's going on inside a variety of character minds, Ronan and the Gray Man in particular. It is not so much an adventure novel as one that explains what each character brings to the search, and what the finale will eventually mean for them.

This book is not recommended for fans of heavy action, but more for readers who enjoy intense character studies. At times, the lack of action may seem a bit tiresome, but fans of the series are encouraged to continue to the flash-bang ending that brings all perspectives together.

I'm glad I came late to The Raven Boys so that I could read both books back-to-back--I think both made the other feel richer than they would have felt on their own a year apart. As others have said, the characters get far more compelling (and a new one, Kavinsky, is highly entertaining); the structure is incredibly well-crafted for the most part. The plot ideas are fresh, and the writing is incisive and delightful at once--of far higher quality than the YA novels that get churned out left and right. Stiefvater does well to not just make this story so much of an Act 2 (as is typical) but rather, she focuses on a fresh plot and brings a new antagonist. In other words, there's a real story arc.

So...for the majority of the story, I was completely absorbed. And that's why it felt like such a letdown when the final section of the book started to unravel and push me out of it. I'd felt that The Raven Boys also started to fray in the last chapter or so (villain waves gun, tells someone to throw a gun, certain person makes pentagram & acts inexplicably, everything comes to frenzied but flat climax and then fizzles out), but I had another book to continue to the story so I didn't feel let down. But this...sigh...The Dream Thieves started coming apart far earlier...and this time it felt 10x more jarring and disjointed and rushed. There were WAY too many wth?! moments/scenes, beginning with an absolutely unconvincing and seemingly arbitrary scene when everyone decides to go over and chat with Mr. Villain. ?! Pretty much everything from that point devolves--including other earlier plot points that felt a little sketchy but that I trustingly accepted would resolve later. [Kinda like the last season of LOST.] [Wince.]

So an hour after finishing it, I'm now seeing all kinds of other problems that now feel totally frustrating and wrong rather than tantalizing mysteries you trust will be uncovered for you by the creator of the tale. I find myself questioning if said creator really knows the answers or is counting on having the time to figure it out by the next installment. And if she does know, does it make sense to make readers wait another year to find out very basic things that would make it all more believable? (Sorry for the vagueness; trying to not go into spoiler territory here.) Mystery is great, and a slowly unfolding one is enjoyable--in a stand-alone book.

In truth, all of this felt (and disappointingly so, considering how carefully written the rest of it felt) like a book deadline rapidly approaching...and the effect was such that I went from being utterly absorbed in the story and totally caring about these characters...to not being sure I cared that much anymore (which was a bit shocking). It felt like the people in a believable world suddenly became contrived characters in a book about whom an author was making up stuff. Not sure how that's supposed to compel me to wait for another year until the next book comes out to find out if I still care enough. And that makes me really sad, because I felt so invested until just a bunch of chapters ago.

I loved the Raven Boys, but I've been trained that the second in a series is typically a bit weaker. Not so with this one. This one is Ronan's story. Ronan is arguably the darkest Raven Boy, and we finally get to understand why and follow his demons and he wrestles with them, often quite literally. The over all story of the lay line and the quest for Glendower continues, but it becomes clearer why Ronan is such an integral part of this story. I really loved this.

An advanced copy of this book was provided to the reviewer free of charge, however that in no way affected the outcome of this review.

Oh. My. Goodness. What a book. I seriously have to wait for the third?? Ugh. I want it now!!! I should start right now by saying, there will be spoilers from the first book in the series in this review, but that's pretty much inevitable.

Now that Adam has reawakened the ley line he has officially become a part of Cabeswater. As he struggles with what that means and how it affects his life the others in the group go through their own crises. Blue and Gansey struggle with the prophecy about their impending romance, mostly with Blue trying to sort through her feelings between her attachment to both Gansey and Adam.

Ronan has his own set of issues, which are actually the main part of this book. Ronan has started to experiment with the idea that he has supernatural powers that are all centered around his dreams. Because of the nature of this power, he is being sought by many people who would like to control that power for themselves. As Ronan learns how to control this he must also come to terms with his father's death and many secrets that have forever divided his family, all while staying out of the hands of very dangerous people.

As all the players in this book inevitably clash together things get dangerous for more than one of our favorite characters.

If you have read the first book, this installment is a whole lot darker than the first book. As we delve into Ronan's world we see a lot of broken individuals just trying to feel something, anything. Drugs and beer play a prominent role in many of the scenes, and everything feels edgy. We also are introduced to a new character, the Gray Man, who is a hit man. His story is both dangerous and sweet, as he becomes enfolded into the crazy cast we have for this series. Adam becomes angry, angsty, and misunderstood ala Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. No one could possibly understand him, and woe to him who actually tries. Blue and Gansey really don't make as much of an appearance in this book, but their interactions are both sweet and confusing. You can feel a lot of turmoil enter their friendship.

Overall this book is well written and I could not wait to finish each chapter. Maggie Stiefvater is amazing at painting a picture you can vividly see in your head. I love her imagery and her storytelling. This is the third book I have read by her and each one has sucked me in and made me forget my own world.

It was a little weird having to sort through so many points of view in this book. I could feel the group splintering into many fragments of the same story. I have faith in the end each person's part will come back together in the end to weave the final story. I'm also assuming that we will continue the multiple points of view from here on out as things are getting more complicated. I was a little surprised at how edgy this book was, as it was a very big switch from the first one for me. I didn't mind that though.

The only complaint I had with this book was it deviated pretty far from the main story that initially drew me to this series. There was not a whole lot about Glendower in this story, and instead it tackled a whole new set of issues, rather than answering a lot of my questions from the first book. But again, I have faith that it will all come together in the end so I'm going to wait impatiently to see the next part of the story that Maggie has in store for us.

If you haven't read the first book, go read it!!! If you have, definitely make sure you pick up a copy of this book. It is definitely worth it.

This review also appears at the Caffeinated Booker book blog.

These books so are good... If you are doubting yourself about this series just stop and go read it. I loved the new character and i love the character development. I don't love that it did end on a cliff hanger, I loved the book so much I can deal with it. Such an original series.

Seemlessly takes over as volume two of the Raven Series from book one The Raven Boys and is followed by Blue Lily, Lily Blue, book three. The offer of Book one for free is a ruse to get one to buy the other two unless one can borrow them for free from an E-book Library. That crab aside as YA occult romance fiction these aren't bad stories. Well written and well edited, things I no longer take for granted where e-books are concerned.

Marevelous story, but in the end, my fave character totally leveled me. So much so, that months from now, I may be found curled in a fetal position surrounded by snotty tissues. Without giving anything away, I'll just say I didn't predict the info revealed about Ronan Lynch. Aside from that earthquake shattering my universe, I loved the plot, characters, and setting. Maggie Stiefvater has an incredible mind and exquisite gift for making the unbelievable really, really, real. If I could dive in the book, I think I'd live at the Barns and never return. On that note, I'm anxiously awaiting book 3 with high hopes of a replacement for my loss. :)

The ley line has been awakened, but the Raven Boys have a new slew of troubles -- nightmares, vanishing energies, and a mysterious hit man.

But don't worry. While Maggie Stiefvater unveils new problems in "The Dream Thieves," she also deftly dovetails them into the subplots of the first Raven book, such as Ronan's magical dream abilities or Gansey's search for the mythical Glendower. While nothing is really resolved here, the subplots progress far enough to entrance the reader, and promise strange and magical things for Book Three.

Blue and the Raven Boys (wouldn't that be an awesome name for a band?) are still on their quest for Glendower, especially now that Adam has wakened the ley line. But now the line seems to be going wild, blinking out and surging ay random. This is also disrupting poor Noah, who keeps blinking out, and causes erratic behavior from the increasingly-troubled Adam.

But the most unrest comes from Ronan, whose abilities are becoming more intense, especially as he starts acting recklessly around the school monster, Kavinsky. Then a clandestine trip back to the family estate reveals a shocking secret about his family -- and that secret may not only reveal the truth about Niall Lynch's murder, but of Cabeswater itself.

And because we need a solid one-book storyline to ground the floating plot threads, a hit-man known as the Gray Man comes to Henrietta. His goal: a mysterious Lynch family artifact known as the Greywaren.

In "The Raven Boys," Maggie Stiefvater conjured a number of subplots -- Ronan's dreams, Glendower, Adam's troubles, Gansey's impending demise. But it's only in "The Dream Thieves" that they start to weave together into a truly unified story... well, almost. It deals mostly with the subplots other than Glendower, with the promise that the Raven King will be the third book's focus.

And Stiefvater's writing is absolutely exquisite, full of glimpses of wild savage beauty and darkness ("It was full of things from his head, beaks and claws and flowers and vines stuffed into screaming mouths"). It can hop from shadowy, terrifying things (the night horrors) to scenes that border on whimsy (Blue and the Boys investing all of Niall's "dream things").

While Gansey and Adam are still important figures, Ronan Lynch really takes center stage in this story -- Stiefvater explores every nook of his mind, from the flapping crow-like demons he accidentally pulls out of his dreams to his fierce love for his mother and younger brother. Especially touching is his relationship with Gansey, which is finally defined and fully realized in a way that feels wholly organic.

There's not a lot of romantic movement with Blue, Adam and Gansey, but there is a cute little subplot about Maura dating the Gray Man. In fact, the Gray Man receives a surprising amount of development for a villain, with Stiefvater exploring how he thinks on a day-to-day basis, and what might inspire him to change.

The biggest problem is Kavinsky -- while he provides a pretty epic twist, he's a thin, underdeveloped mass of devilish nastiness compared to the other characters. I would have liked a bit more motivation beyond, "I'm a selfish cruel psychopath."

"The Dream Thieves" is a strong follow-up to "The Raven Boys, exploring one of the more tormented characters of the trilogy. And Maggie Stiefvater leaves you desperately hungry for the next chapter.

Not as good as The Raven Boys. Took me awhile to get into even though I was so excited to start reading it. Until about one-third through, then I couldn't put it down. Very confusing and convoluted though. Not just about the ley lines and Glendower anymore. So much happening!! I didn't feel as connected to this book as I did with The Raven Boys. I still really liked it but it didn't blow me away.

Characters were not as likeable or relatable as in book 1. Still, some great action and plot advancement. One issue I had was that some time had passed since I read book 1 so I couldn't remember the details of who did what and why. I wish there were some built in refreshers, as there was too much story based on book 1 events, especially from Adam.

I really enjoyed the first book, enough to buy the three that came after. Unfortunately, I kind of regret it know. I finished the first one in about three days. This one took me two weeks. It was basically filler IMO. I did enjoy the Adam moments, and Blue and Gansey moments, but that is all. Here is to hoping the last two are better.

Maggie Stiefvater never ceases to surprise me with the depth and brilliance of her storytelling. This second Raven Boys book, focused on Ronan, is just as good--maybe even better--than the first. I love the way she weaves her words together to create something truly powerful, yet beautiful to read. The romance between Gansey and Blue . . . the introduction of the fascinating Gray Man . . . the roller coaster ride of action and emotion. . . everything comes together to create a stellar book 2.

You could argue that the Raven Boys Cycle is one big bro-fest, but the new duo in THE DREAM THIEVES is the bromance to end all bromances. They may be unlikely pairing, but their witty banter is delightfully enjoyable.

Fast cars, strange abilities, effed-up families, assassins, and bromance - THE DREAM THIEVES has it all. It not only lives up to its predecessor, but exceeds it. Trust Maggie Stiefvater to make searching a dead Welsh king fun.

The Dream Thieves. What can I say about you?

I’ve been holding off on writing a review for this book because, well I’m torn. I loved it, and I hated it. For two different reasons.

I love this book because Maggie Stiefvater is a master of storytelling. Her writing has always captivated me, from the minute I picked up Lament I knew I’d found a gem of an author. She grabs you in an creates these worlds you could live in…or actually, sometimes I don’t really want to live in them, but I can for sure believe they exist. I love that about these books. When I read The Raven Boys I was so wrapped up in the characters, I had a hard time believing she was writing in the current time period. My mind wanted to place the entire story back in the 50’s for some reason, and I’ve maintained that visual throughout The Dream Thieves. Obviously, this isn’t true, but I can’t let the image slip.

I enjoyed getting to know Ronan more, and figuring out the things that make him tick. I must admit, there are many qualities I like about him now that I just didn’t see in him during The Raven Boys. I’m sure this was purposeful, but I’m glad for it, because I really didn’t care much for him before at all. I’ve already read this book through twice. This is very surprising considering what I’m going to say below. I wanted to give it a second chance because I felt like my opinion had become colored by my emotions about some of the events, and I missed some things. I will say the second time through I enjoyed the book more. I came to appreciate Blue and Gamsey’s careful relationship, and although he made me love him and hate him in the same book, Adam’s nature. There is so much information to glean from this book, and I’m looking forward to the conclusion of this story – because I just know it’s going to be good.

I will say, especially the first time through, I felt like this book was doing a whole lot of not moving forward. It felt slow paced – if you don’t count the car racing, which I have to admit made me want a slick sports car, and I’m an avid car-hater. You’ll never catch me ogling a car, as the four wheeled creatures have given me nothing but trouble in my life. Outside of that, I kept hoping for a little more action. And there is a bit, but it still was just a bit slow.

Okay, now for the bad part. I cannot condone or like a “young adult novel” that has drug use in it – especially when it is described. I tolerate the mention of it, or if it’s eluded to. I know that it is real life, this stuff happens…trust me I grew up around this stuff. I’ve seen way more of it than I care to divulge. It is not pretty. Nothing about it is good or right or should be…I can’t say glorified, because it makes it sound like that was what happened in the book – in reality it even leaned in the direction of a negative light. But not enough. It made it seem normal, or casual or something. It left such a bad taste in my mouth I had a very difficult time finishing the book that first time around. The second time I was listening to it via audio, and it was over quicker that way, since the first I kept putting the book down – it dragged on. I still didn’t like it. It still hurts my heart that it was even there, because I love Maggie Stiefvater’s books and writing so much. I wish, wish, wish she had found some other way to do that whole scene/character, etc. I will leave it at that.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater is a great supernatural book in the Raven Boys series! Maggie Stiefvater has done a wonderful job of writing and creating a world unlike any other. The editing is much better in The Dream Thieves and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their snarky banter! Fun and interesting series and I have an arc of Blue Lily, Lily Blue from NetGalley and I cannot wait to start reading it!

Oh guys. *deep sigh* I didn't love The Raven Boys right? But the lowdown was that I felt like it was missing all of things about Maggie Stiefvater's writing style that I loved reading The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. The Wolves of Mercy Falls has really strong characters and is completely character driven in plot. And it's utterly poetic and lyrical. The Raven Boys was more plot driven and was missing the poetry completely. So while I wanted to read The Dream Thieves, I wasn't all that excited about it until I came across this review by Heidi @ Bunbury in the Stacks. Granted I only read the part where she said The Dream Thieves has everything The Raven Boys was missing and I saw that she rated it as 5 stars on Goodreads, but I didn't read the rest of the review because I didn't want my opinion affected by hers.

So I start up The Dream Thieves expecting what I normally expect out of Maggie Stiefvater--brilliance and a flowing, poetic way with words. Well for one, I had forgotten a good bit of the details from The Raven Boys by the time I picked up The Dream Thieves so I started off a bit confused. Then I was just all around confused by the beginning. With the introduction to the Gray Man as a narrator, but really no introduction to him at all. It literally took me until 50% of the way through the book to feel invested and fully interested in the story. And up until this point the writing felt a bit "klunky." It was still poetic, but not in a free flowing, lyrical way. More in an "I'm really having to think about what's being said" kind of way. As I progressed through the book, this got better for me, and I didn't have to think as hard to follow what was happening.

Ronan is such an integral part of The Dream Thieves whereas he wasn't focused upon as much in The Raven Boys. I really enjoyed him being more front and center. I actually struggle with Adam as a character. In a lot of ways, I feel sorry for him. He's had a rough life, and I know there are so many people out there who have been where he's been. But he also has a crap attitude, and I feel like he makes himself weak. It was good to see what character growth he goes through in The Dream Thieves. Gansey takes a much more backseat kind of role in The Dream Thieves as does his search for Glendower, but I absolutely loved him in this book. And then of course there's Blue. Blue also takes more of a secondary kind of role, but as with Gansey, I think I liked her much more in The Dream Thieves than in The Raven Boys. And I completely love the changes that are happening between Blue, Adam, and Gansey.

Our secondary characters make more of an appearance. Blue's mother Maura is developing "something" with the Gray Man. And Persephone's really crucial to Adam's character growth. Obviously as I already mentioned, the Gray Man himself--there's so much going on there. Can I just stop and mention that I thought Blue's family accepted the fact that he's a hit man a whole lot easier than anyone should ever accept such a fact. I mean how many conversations begin with "I'm a hit man," and end with "let's make out,"? Ok, poor example. But you get the point.

The Dream Thieves is told by varying points of view. You're never really quite sure who's going to take on the role next. From Blue, Adam, Ronan, Gansey, and even the Gray Man himself. In some aspects I think writing this way must be difficult because the author must fully understand the minds of each character, but from a reading standpoint, sometimes these multiple POVs make it a little more difficult to connect to our main characters because we don't stay with them for the entire length of the book.

All in all, I did enjoy The Dream Thieves once I made it past 50% and I got really excited about a scene around the 84% mark. I definitely enjoyed this installment much better than The Raven Boys, and I will most definitely pick up book 3 whenever the time comes. I'd give The Dream Thieves a solid 3.5 to 3.8 stars. I think Maggie Stiefvater's work is brilliant when I really break it down, but this one was not "easy" to muddle through. The extremely slow beginning has me unable to give this a full 4 stars. Have you read The Dream Thieves? What did you think? Let me know!

By the way, did you guys hear, Maggie S. is writing a standalone companion to The Wolves of Mercy Falls about Cole and Isabel? You have no idea how happy this makes me. Book one is called Sinner! YAY!

For more reviews, check out Somewhere Only We Know - [...]

A hit man, a dreamer, nightmares and lies.
One boy self-destructive
One boy seeks a prize
With the ley line awakened, the magic's gone wild
The seekers imagine a thing, not a child
A kiss of death
from death to life
passion denied, familial strife
Fast cars racing
dreams made real
why should you ask when you can steal?

Amazingly creepy, bizarre and magical this book is a fantastic trip into the surreal.

Unreadable. Where was Blue in this book? What do we care at all about Kavinsky? There was a poor balance of covering all the characters we were introduced to in the first book. I like Ronan less after this book, simply because I got sick of him. Was there any plot progression? I don't remember.

I think this is my favorite Maggie Stiefvater book. It has everything an amazing read should have - great characters, dialogue, story, pace etc. There is plenty of happiness but probably as much sadness. There is drugs, and alcohol but I didn't have a problem with them in the story the way that they are presented. I couldn't put it down and read for a few days straight. Looking forward to the third book in this series.

I loved THE DREAM THIEVES, it's a lot of bang for one book, many things happened, several revelations, complicated connections and lots of individual scenes with the characters, it's a little challenging to keep up. But despite its rather overwhelming qualities, THE DREAM THIEVES is a solid sequel, the progression of the plot is wonderful and I like how MStiefvater is taking her time in unfolding the series slowly. The plot as a whole is very intricate and the cast of characters and their respective storylines can be a lot to take in. I suggest you take your time in reading this one and if you have any to spare, give The Raven Boys a good skim because you might need a refresher on some parts.

*copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Seriously, like, wow.
This story alone was amazing and I think listening to it made it that much more exciting.
I love this world and characters. I enjoyed the story from more of Ronan's perspective.
I can't even....ugh there are just some stories that you don't want to leave. I'm delaying reading/listening to the last book because I just don't want it to end!

While The Raven Boys was slow, I chugged through. The plot began at about 100 pages with the first book, and even though that happened I still loved the story and the world-building. I felt for Blue and the boys. But with Dream Thieeves, I had to quit 200 pages in. It was TOO slow for me and nothing was happening. As a second book, there needs to be some plot. I'm not sure I'll be continuing the quartet (yes, 4 books in this series), which is a shame because I LOVE Maggie Stiefvater's writing and concepts.

Can't say I didn't give this series a shot. I wasn't impressed with the first one, and I wasn't all that impressed with this one either. The world feels like something out of a Gaiman book, but the "magic: is a bit complex.

Impressive! You get to know all of the characters so much better in this book and a couple of new ones are introduced to make it even more interesting. The ending is killing me! I will definitely be snagging up the 3rd book when it comes out. The suspense built and climaxed, then you get this horribly wonderful cliff-hanger of an ending!

In this book, prepare to fall in love with a boy who carries the weight of the world in his secrets. Ronan, Adam and Blue face a lot of questions about who they are in this book. The rush, the captivating flow of the story, and the ending will move this book and its contents to your most loved bookshelf. The entire series is a must read, forever love.

Oh. Boys. To be specific: two rich boys, one magical and the other almost normal except for that whole fabulous wealth thing, and one poor boy with neither money nor magic. Toss in a ghost boy, Noah, and the main female character, Blue, who barely bother to show up for the story.

My issue with the first book in the series was that it took forever for the world to be set-up; this book felt like character pre-writing for Ronan, who stole most of the show. I don't care for Ronan - I want to witch-slap all the boys, but him especially.

Then, add cars. Because that's just what the story needs to enliven it. A rich, magical boy drag racing and wasting fossil fuel because...??

Yeah, I didn't get it either. It bored the crap out of me.

When are we getting back to the ley line? How goes the hunt for old Glendower? I wouldn't know - it's all in the background, being set up for a third book while not being addressed here.

Ronan also picks up a drug-addicted friend in this book and the two of them sit around popping pills for a while. Pages and pages of pill-popping countered only by a couple meager paragraphs implying that this might not be cool with a couple of the other characters (Gansey and Blue). There's no strong message telling kids not to do this - in fact, the story implies that popping pills is the best way for Ronan to learn. I suppose this is a realistic with what's out there in the world but I don't like the message. Which is weird, since I oppose the laws making most drugs illegal (as it turns doctors into racketeers and creates more criminals) but maybe this will be redeemed in the third book. Maybe we'll see Ronan forced into rehab but I doubt it - in fact, his life (and the lives of those around him) probably won't be screwed up at all from pill-popping because he's a special magical rich kid.

Besides, Ronan in rehab isn't what I want to imagine when I close a book and try to visualize what-happens-next. I requested an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley because I enjoyed the first book in the series but I was very disappointed in this book.

Every single time I read one of Maggie Stiefvater's books, I sit there afterward and wonder two things:

1. How does she do it?!
2. She can't possible outdo that.

While I don't think I'll ever know the answer to number one, I have come to grips with the fact that she will, indeed, end up topping her last book with the most recent one.

There is just so much to love about this series as a whole - the romance (OMG, there is a KISS in this book. THAT KISS.), the mystery, the originality. But it's the characters that really get to me - especially Ronan. He's so complex for a teenager and if you've read the last line of The Raven Boys, I know that you're dying (like I was) to read The Dream Thieves and learn more about Ronan (don't worry, because you definitely learn more about him).

This series took a turn that I didn't really see coming (although I'm not entirely sure what I thought the direction would be) and I'm most interested to see how Ronan's story melds with the overall quest for Glendower (some was explained in this book but I want more!). And I'm also interested in how the other characters will factor in - and what their fates will be!

Here is the perfect song for this book (in my opinion):

What you got what you got in your hand? - a father said to son
I got the whole world here Daddy between my fingers and my thumb
Well you take care of it please - it's the only one

-Dave Matthews Band, "Raven"

Side note: I think this would make a GREAT TV show!

This book was well-written and entertaining, and some things I was eager to see, such as the development of Gansey and Blue's relationship, and those things were executed perfectly. We also got to see the development of characters that we didn't get to know as well in the first book, such as the Lynch family and Maura.
However, I didn't like it as much as the first for two reasons. First of all, it felt like a filler book. Many parts seemed unnecessary. Also, being a conservative, there were certain things that bothered me in the book. If you're also conservative and don't mind mild spoilers, read on.
Towards the beginning of the book, we meet a character named Kavinsky who ends up spending a lot of time with Ronan. He constantly makes jokes about Ronan and Gansey being in a sexual relationship and mocks them. However, at other times the way he acts toward Ronan suggests that he is homosexual. Ronan does not seem to mind, but Gansey seems annoyed by it. Towards the end of the book, Kavinsky claims that he was right about Ronan and Gansey, and Ronan says that, although Gansey is like a brother to him, Kavinsky was right about his being homosexual. In one of the last scenes, Ronan thinks about Adam in a way that seems to indicate that he is attracted to him. There are also some other things that might bother you, but those are the big ones.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you can deal with the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph or if they don't bother you. :)

I read the whole book and am still confused....should I have read book number one first? I imagine that's the problem....why are they hunting for the dead king? who is Greymantle? why does Gray Man hate his brother or vice versa? why are college boys hanging out with a sixteen-year-old high school girl? what was Adam's sacrifice? why & how did Noah die, and why is he now a ghost that won't go away?? so many questions......I was just confused at the end. I would recommend reading the first book in the series before reading this one - that has to be the problem......

Profanity galore, F-words galore - this is for teens? Unrealistic characters, unbelievable storyline. I listened to the audio book, Will Patton, who has a horrible rusty, nails on chalkboard voice. It's like someone who has a frog in their throat and I kept waiting for him to clear it out. He sounds like he smokes 2 packs a day for 20 years and sounds too old to be telling a story of such young characters. A house full of weird psychic women? Not believable. Blue too naive or dumb to believe. Weird bromance among the male characters. I was wondering if there was a gay storyline, not that it's wrong but it's so weird that men can express such intense desire/love for each other even being brothers or good friends. Only my gay friends were that intense with their lovers. I am a fantasy reader when there were only a few rows of them and I can imagine a whole lotta stuff, but this is too ridiculous and I couldn't get into it. The awful smoker voice, the awful story. I just stopped 3/8 of it. Waste of my time.

This book is nothing like the first installment. I found it way more complex, not only for the story line, but also for a YA book. I'm an adult (lets say over 30) who reads constantly and a variety of genres. I found myself having to go back over a sentence or trying to recall the direction of the initial storyline. I suggest reading The Raven Cycle in its entirety once all the books have been published. There is too much going on and Stiefvater is a pretty thorough and indepth author. She is definitely reaching beyond your normal YA story lines and subject matter. I appreciate her effort and also looking forward to where the next installment will take me. This series is not a 'read in a few hours' material.

When I laid my hands on Dream Thieves I almost peed my pants I was so excited over it but as speedily devoured the book I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was entertaining and had a solid storyline but I just kept searching for the feeling of suspense and friendship and the insight of each characters personal outlook and struggle. Even though it was nice to learn more about Ronan I felt as though the other characters, especially Blue, were neglected as a result. For all prospective readers don't let this stop you from reading this book as it is wonderful. I am just hoping for a big finish in the last book that will make certain details clear.

The best YA fantasy by far in the last few years. Much, Much better than the Hunger Games or other popular ones.

I have always known Stiefvater is exceptionally talented author, but she hadn't shown the world how exceptional she is until The Raven Cycle.

The first volume was great, but The Dream Thieves is even better. Cruel, beautiful, sad, mysterious, and deeply romantic.

This series is not just for teens. It's for real fantasy novel loves.

Love this series and this book is by far my favourite of them so far.

I adore all of the characters, but my heart will forever belong to Ronan Lynch (because I like sassy, beat up boys? Maybe just a little, the rest is all him).

READ IT.

Again, as with The Raven Boys, it had its moments and the characters are interesting. But a lot of it was far-fetched and nonsensical and bizarre. I think I liked this one slightly more than The Raven Boys but still I'd only give it 3 stars.

See more of my reviews on Birth of a New Witch! My copy was an ARC I received from the publisher via NetGalley.

Maggie Stiefvater is one heck of a writer. Her other books either don't appeal to me or embody all the cliches I can't stand, but this particular series really hooks me and goads me into putting aside my personal feelings about her for a while. Fans who loved everything The Raven Boys had to offer will love The Dream Thieves just as much, especially when it comes to Ronan.

The plot-especially its focus on Ronan, his ability to produce objects from his dreams, and who he really is-picks you up and takes you on a fun ride, however slow or poorly pathed out it can be due to too many extraneous details and a very strange plot line involving hit man Mr. Gray romancing Blue's mother Maura. Things could happen more quickly than they do, but I love that I'm expected to put the many, many pieces of the world together myself instead of just being handed the completed puzzle.

Unfortunately, the good stuff doesn't always feel worth it because about half the book is a dull read. What it does during that half is important, true, but there has to be a way to get the important stuff in without boring readers into putting down the book for days! Sitefvater is a competent writer and her riff on secrets in the prologue is one of my favorite passages in the entire book, but sometimes, it seems she's trying too hard. The result of that is ridiculous prose like "He was attracted to her like a heart attack (ARC p. 59)" and dialogue I can't imagine anyone ever saying.

But really, this is Ronan's book 100%. He's got the spotlight, the most interesting plot line, and a lot more depth than I imagined. Adam, my darling favorite, isn't afraid of the spotlight either! The dark places this book takes him makes me wish Blue were into him instead of Gansey. Speaking of our fated duo, it seems like no real effort is made to create a connection between them this time around. It's almost like we're expected to cheer them on and believe in their love (which hasn't even developed yet!) solely because they're each other's true love. Fate is not an excuse for poor development.

Readers should also beware because this has another cliffhanger ending, but it's not the sort of "Ronan admits he pulled a living, breathing bird out of his dreams" ending like in The Raven Boys. Still a painful one for invested fans, though. I might stick around for book three, but I'll need a while to think about it. A year is good enough, don't you think

I have been eagerly awaiting this book for almost a year. Although it does not really pick up where Book One ends, it was worth the read. I can hardly contain my excitement for Book Three! Here's hoping the author throws in a twist!

I love this author. Her writing is absolutely beautiful and this book is no exception. The characters are well-constructed and the story line keeps you thinking and guessing. The Dream Thieves is not an easy book to read and you really have to focus on the story-line, but it is well worth it.

At the end of the review of my first book in the series, I said that I wasn't sure if I would pick up the second one. I wish I hadn't. I could NOT get into this book. But as I've said before, I'm one of those people who have to finish what they started. So it took me 18 days to finish. Sigh.

I just had such a hard time following along with the story line. Why things were happening and who was who and what was what. I felt like it jumped around a lot and I just couldn't keep up. And it just wasn't interesting me.

And like in the first book, the characters didn't do anything for me. I didn't really care about any of them although I think the Gray Man had the most dimensions.

Oh well.

Well, that was a disappointment. After finally starting this series and being delighted by the unique premise, I was super excited to read this sequel. Unfortunately, The Dream Thieves is an extreme case of Middle Book Syndrome (is this even a trilogy?). While The Raven Boys was also slow, it did an amazing job of establishing this adventure that Blue and her Raven Boys would be setting out on. The Dream Thieves was just slow. The plot goes absolutely nowhere. It was a really long detour, and I just don't get it. Or maybe the novelty of the first book simply wore off?

The Dream Thieves, like I said, is very slow and it seems to focus primarily on character development. This will probably work for a lot of readers, but I felt myself wanting to get on with the story. It was nice to get to know the boys better, but I wish something had been happening plot-wise while this occurred. There's also a lot of scenes of each character alone, or in pairs rather than as a whole group like in the first book. At times it was interesting to see the different relationship dynamics, but much more often, I was bored. I was also incredibly annoyed with Adam and found myself dreading seeing his name pop up. He lets his pride get in the way and takes offense to everything! I wanted to learn more about the effects of the sacrifice he made, but mostly we just get pity parties.

We're also introduced to a new character in The Dream Thieves: The Gray Man. He's a hit man, dressed all in gray. He's been hired to find something that allows the user to take objects from dreams. Of course, he and his employer aren't sure exactly what he's looking for, but we know that something is Ronan. During his journey to locate this object of great power, The Gray Man also grows close to Blue's mother. I honestly couldn't care less about this plot thread. It seriously bogged down the entire book. I definitely could have done without some mysterious man trying to kidnap a magical teenage boy. It doesn't add anything to the overall story, and by the end, it felt very disconnected.

The one thing that I absolutely loved about The Dream Thieves was Ronan's chapters (minus The Gray Man). Those parts are almost 5 star worthy. I say almost, because they also don't move the plot forward much at all, and things get too weird and out of place at the end. They're super interesting though! Ronan's ability to take objects out of his dreams is really developed. There's so much more to it than just him falling asleep then waking up with whatever he was holding. It isn't until he meets up with someone else with this ability that Ronan learns the extent of what he can do. I was completely engrossed in these chapters and wanted more!

The Dream Thieves was a huge disappointment for me. It had a ton of potential, but went no where. I was eager to see Blue and the Raven Boys continue their adventure of waking a hidden king, but that's barely ever mentioned. Instead we follow the characters doing their own things, unrelated to the search for Glendower. There's many unnecessary additions to the plot that made it feel long and dragged out, making it hard for me to get through. If it wasn't for the author's imaginative take on dreaming and her development of Ronan, I would have been completely bored and frustrated with this book. I'm hoping the next one reclaims the awesomeness of the first.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review. No compensation was offered or accepted.

I get the feeling that all of the boys will be coming into their own with each book. Gansey next maybe and then a thrilling conclusion. Perhaps Noah and then Gansey. Not sure, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. Check out the audio versions read by Will Patton, very well done.

This was an amazing follow up that moved way beyond the search for Glendower. Ronin's dream issues weren't even mentioned until the last paragraph of book one and it was a fascinating story to tell. We finally got the answers to Ronin's mysteries and they were quite unique and strange. I am dying for the next book.

I love Maggie Stiefvater! Her way of writing is engaging and has believable dialogue. This story was entrancing, the blossoming relationship between some characters as well as secrets revealed is so compelling!

When reading the dream thieves, I felt uneducated. I appreciate the author using some of the words she did because it made me stop and look them up. However in reading a book I had a hard time following, stopping to figure out words and put them in context made it hard for me to pick up where I left off. In one case the author used 2 words that meant the same thing. So instead of reading on, I felt annoyed that I was reading the same meaning of a word twice. Then I sat pondering how I could rewrite the sentence to make more sense. I'm sure most people will not feel that way but I did.

I never really got into this book. I felt it was hard to follow. I remember struggling with following along in the first book, but if I went back and reread a chapter I was able to catch back up. Not the case in this book. When I felt lost as to an idea, or premise, I was not able to go back and contemplate or observe where this premise had come from. I tried, I wanted this book to be coherent and enjoyable, however I just couldn't make sense of it! I really wish I could recall one of the many instances in which this happened, regrettably, seeing as this book was as unmeaningful as it was to me, I can't even begin to describe any of the scenes that made me feel that way.

As for the plot, I felt it never really picked up. I remember the first book being slow, but it did get good. I remember I did enjoy the last 8 or so chapters. Plot lines and theories all came together in the raven boys; it was unique and interesting to read. I could not say the same for this book. It was a slow read. I just wasn't invested in what was happening. I found myself not wanting to read it so I could do other things. At night when I have uninterrupted reading time, I found I was reading a chapter, then truing off my light, because I would rather go to sleep. If a book really grabs me, I'll stay up all night and read and read and read.

As for characters, I really did not want to read anymore on Adam. I found him really unlikable in this book.

The grey man just seemed out of place to me. Maybe he was added to keep the story line moving? I don't know.

Ronan is a big part of this book; however his relevance in the dream thieves must fit in with the story later on, because everything that happened concerning him, did not seem relevant in the quest for Glendower.

The dream thieves felt disappointingly slow and uneventful. I do hope the next book is better; I really want to like this series.

Maggie Steifvater does it again! I loved the first book and I loved the second installment! The story is original, and the characters are endearing. I love all of her books but this series has a special place in my heart. If you love the mystical, metaphysical and paranormal this book has it all! For me it was 5 stars easy.

what does one say about a book that foreshadows events that never happen, leaves all kindled romances unrealized (not to mention unexplained) spends two-thirds of its mass muddling about in unimportant events with little or no bearing on the story, exhausts it readers with twists and turns and technicalities that never play out into an actual event, and after an astoundingly not-epic finale, uses the epilogue to reveal the unexplained disappearance of a minor character? there are so many things wrong with this it's not even funny. there's a forced love triangle, an unrepentant but apparently trustworthy hit-man, a dude who was actually kind of interesting before it turns out he's gay, which instance alone would have ruined the whole book, and so much effort leading up to so little payoff that I would like a time refund. and also, at risk of ranting, what happened to Glendower, who was the the whole point of the first book? he seems to be completely forgotten, save a minor mention here and there. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is beautiful, but it isn't self-sufficient. a plot would have been much appreciated.