Mini-Review: THE DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater)
Published: September 17th, 2013
Series: The Raven Cycle #2
Genre: YA Fantasy
POV: 3rd, multiple
Pages: 439
Publisher: Scholastic
Format: eARC / Hardcover
Source: Netgalley / Purchased
Rating: Loved

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...

I can easily sum up my thoughts on The Dream Thieves in one tweet:

I finally finished THE DREAM THIEVES, and I can't decide if I should praise or curse @mstiefvater. And now I really wish I had BL,LB...
— Lea J. (@YABookQueen) September 16, 2014

To say a little more, while keeping this spoiler-free, The Dream Thieves is evocative, surprising, and incredibly emotional (for the characters, and for the reader). The best part of this story is Ronan, a character I never fully understood in The Raven Boys, and perhaps still do not fully understand now. But, with this novel, Stiefvater reveals sides to Ronan that I never would have imagined. Mysteries and secrets are explained and revealed, while more questions surface as the search for Glendower continues. But now, it's not only Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Noah, and Adam who are looking, but a mysterious hit man arrives in search for something very important to Cabeswater. 

Highlights: Stiefvater focuses this novel on Ronan, but still switches to other character points-of-view. Despite the constant bouncing around, it never becomes confusing, and it always feels like the right move. Stiefvater even manages to make me care for characters who I shouldn't sympathize for. Luckily, she also gave me a character to hate¹, and continued to develop the characters I already adored from the last novel. But, it is the surprises, the reveals, the oh-my-gosh-what-is-going-to-happen-next moments that makes this story shine. 

Lowlights: THAT ENDING². Darn you, cliffhanger. I almost yelled at the book. OKAY, I might have yelled at the book. *sighs* 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf: Loved, 5 out of 5. It took me a year to read simply because I was enjoying it so much and didn't want it to end. This is a magnificent sequel. The Dream Thieves moves slowly, easing you into the still water before pulling you deep into a rushing river of emotions, surprises, and so much more. 

1 Kavinsky, you are a terrible person.
2 WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME, STIEFVATER?! I'm trying to resist the urge to read BL,LB right away, because I know it will make me desperately want the last still-needs-to-be-published novel. 

The Queen's Library (27)

GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers (Purchased for Kindle)
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green (gifted)
THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater (gifted, my review)
NOTES FROM GHOST TOWN by Kate Ellison (ARC, accepted review pitch)

Thanks to Casey from Media Masters Publicity for the review book, my parents for the two hardcovers, and Racquel for convincing me to give GRAVE MERCY a chance!

What did you get this week? 

The feature is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie's This Week In Books, The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, and Mailbox Monday. The Queen's Library is a way for me to feature books that I add to my bookshelves and a place to post my weekly recommendations. This is not a new meme, but merely an adjusted feature that is better suited to my blog and needs.

Mini-Review: THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: THE RAVEN BOYS
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: September 18th, 2012
Series: Raven Cycle #1
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Scholastic Press
POV: Alternating 3rd person
Pages: 408
Format: ARC PDF
Source: Netgalley / Publisher

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

THE RAVEN BOYS is utterly unlike Maggie Stiefvater's previous works, which makes this story all the more intriguing. Fortunately, though the story and the POV are both very different than usual Stiefvater works, Stiefvater's writing remains evocative. Stiefvater's writing features words strung together in lovely, vivid ways that I've come to expect and enjoy. The characters, especially the leads, shine brightly with their vivid personalities - they demand your attention, and I was more than happy to give it. Yet, as much as I adored these characters, the story didn't quite turn out to be what I expected. Though it wasn't bad, it certainly didn't give me what the summary promised it would. Regardless, THE RAVEN BOYS is electric, mesmerizing, and somewhat strange (but in a good way). 

Highlights: Certain plot twists are almost unpredictable – especially one mind-blowing moment regarding one of the supporting characters. Speaking of characters, I could praise and adore them all day. They all feel different from one another, and I can't wait to read more about them in future installments. The settings are perfectly described. 

Lowlights: Slow going, like all Stiefvater stories. I feel like not enough was answered by the end, and the story cuts off in a very confusing moment. I expected a different story from reading the summary, so I was surprised when the whole Blue + Gansey romance ended up not being important (or even really present) in this book.

Waiting on Wednesday (67)

WOW is hosted by Breaking the Spine



The Raven Boys Maggie Stiefvater September 18th, 2012

Filled with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, The Raven Boys introduces readers to Richard “Dick” Campbell Gansey, III and Blue Sargent. Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king. Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart.

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But she was wrong.

A new Maggie Stiefvater book/series! It sounds so intriguing, too.
This one is definitely going to be on my wishlist!
What are you waiting on?