Review: The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, book two)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Expected publication September 17, 2013 by Scholastic

WARNING: There will likely be spoilers for book one ahead. If you'd like to read my review of that title, go here.

Things are changing rapidly for the Raven Boys - Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah - and for Blue, the girl who has stumbled into their inner circle. The quest for Glendower seems more important than ever, but how will the boys and Blue deal when they discover that others are just as desperate for the King as they are?

The Raven Boys was one of my favorite reads last year - I devoured it - and I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this one. I was lucky enough to snag an ARC at ALA and I got to it as soon as I could.

Stiefvater wastes no time throwing us back into the world of the Raven Boys and their lovely female companion (okay, that description really minimizes Blue's role and I mean lovely in a sense beyond just appearance, but I can't think of a better way to add her to the group of boys besides just writing her name every time) and I was happy to be there again. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, I think Stiefvater's strength is in her characters and the fascinating worlds she creates for them. In this second book, the focus seems to shift to Ronan - I didn't count actual page lengths or anything, but it feels like we spend the most time with his story in this book and we learn more about his past here than about any of the other boys. While Ronan is not my favorite character by any stretch of the imagination, he is just as fascinating as any of the others. I was definitely willing to spend more time with him and learn his story - and I hope that Stiefvater continues to slightly shift focus in each of the subsequent books so we focus on a different character each time.

Even though it feels like we spend the most time with Ronan in this story, that doesn't mean that we don't continue to explore the other characters' lives. I am feeling deeply attached to them all - to the point where my heart is breaking for them because I know that whatever Stiefvater has in store is not going to be pleasant for them all.

Just as Stiefvater builds on the characterizations, she also deepens the mythology of the story and the world they are living in. I continue to find the basic plot of this series fascinating and I'm still amazed at the ease with which Stiefvater blends magic and real life. Additionally, I think Stiefvater has outdone herself with her writing this time around - I found her prose especially enchanting in this book. I find so much to love about this series that I have a hard time putting it all into words. I love the women of Blue's family. I love that we get a few new characters and that they don't take away from the ones I already know and love. I love that I am just as eagerly anticipating the next book as I was this one. I love that it feels like anything could happen in this series and Stiefvater would make me believe it. I just plain old love this series so far.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.