The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater | Rating: ★★★★★

"Want and need were words that got eaten smaller and smaller: Freedom, autonomy, a perennial bank balance, a stainless-steel condo in a dustless city, a silky black car, to make out with Blue, eight hours of sleep, a cell phone, a bed, to kiss Blue just once, a blister-less heel, bacon for breakfast, to hold Blue's hand, one hour of sleep, toilet paper, deodorant, a soda, a minute to close his eyes.

What do you want, Adam?

To feel awake when my eyes are open."

I’ve got to admit, I’m on a serious roll when it comes to my binge reading sessions of the three already released books in The Raven Cycle. As of now, in the second book, things just keep getting better and more engaging and remains to be one of the most intriguing novels I’ve picked up this year.

It's got everything: questions, answers, magic, mysterious, thrills, romance and more. Most importantly, everything is so well developed that not only does it fit together--it can carry its own weight. What makes this book isn't just the mystery, the magic, the darkness -- it's the fact that everything about it is so thoughtful and the characters are stunning.

Maggie once again blows me away with her incredibly fascinating descriptions, her plot twists and developments.


There’s just something about this series that takes my breath away and leaves me reaching for more.

The Dream Thieves dives into Ronan’s story a bit more that The Raven Boys; expanding and developing his character in all the right ways as we discover his gift and a bit more about his family. It’s a real treat to dive further into his minds and dreams because it just paints a clearer picture of everyone’s favorite snarky and mysterious raven boy.

I’ll say it now: this installment sold me right away on the character of Ronan Lynch and perhaps made him my favorite character in the series thus far. He’s intriguing in a way that makes others pale in his shadow and I really thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him on a deeper level and watching as they explored his ability to bring things out of his dreams.

It’s just very fun and fascinating and serves well to the plot. Maggie tangles this magical world so well into each other it’s easy to get lost in it all.

Along with the return of many familiar faces, we’re introduced to a new and mysterious hit man who is at first referred to only as Mr. Gray. Not much is known about him for quite some time. He’s a very fascinating character in a frightening sort of way and we get an idea of the things he’s done, most prominently the role he played in having killed Ronan’s father.

Among the other things we do know that he has been sent into the mix by a mysterious and frightening boss who has a desire to be given the Greywaren. Sprinkled in with these new plots, characters and mysterious is the continuation of many points from the previous installment.

My personal favorite out of everything we learn in this book is how Ronan’s gift works. And it made me wonder: if I could pull things from my dreams, what would I have?

Other notable mentions: Maura and Mr. Gray, Adam and Ronan interactions, Gansey and Blue growing closer, NOAH and my personal favorite saying "fuckweasel" -- there's a lot that happens in this installment that will catch your eye and pull you in.

Overall this sequel proves to be just as strong as the first book in series and answers some questions, gives us more and intrigue. Maggie’s world is full of vivid colours, of life, of magic and will not fail to disappoint readers. At times it takes on a frightening tone and blends it in perfectly with sarcasm and teen angst; creating the perfect atmosphere in young adult fiction.