{Review} The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)

Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 439
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

Age Group: Young Adult*

Date Published: September 17, 2013

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…

So, if you've been here for a while, you might know that I really enjoyed The Raven Boys when I read it last year (review can be found here). I hadn't gotten around to reading The Dream Thieves until now, and I am so sad I didn't read it sooner! The Dream Thieves is beautifully written, and is so creative and funny and wonderful that I think everyone needs to read this series right now. I love the quirky characters, and their intricate relationship with each other and their families. I love the family dynamics of Blue's family and the Ganseys. I love the friendship between the boys and how Blue fits in with them. I love how each character had their own hidden problems and demons and personas. I just really think this book was perfect.

Now, I didn't really remember a lot from the first book. I knew about the Welsh king and Gansey's quest to find it and Blue's curse and her knowing that Richard Gansey III was supposed to die in the next 12 months. But, that's about it. I was a little iffy at the beginning of The Dream Thieves because of this, but I quickly fell back in love with the characters and their stories.

Blue desperately wants to be seen as a normal person by the boys, not a girl who should be treated differently as a friend. I'm friends with a lot of guys, and I totally got where Blue was coming from. It's not that she wants to be one of the "guys," she just wants to be seen as a human being. We see a lot of Blue's family in this book, which warmed my icy heart a lot. They're so quirky and funny to read about. I especially love how Maura, Calla, and Persephone were basically one person. Maura is Blue's mom if you don't remember that. They play psychic games when there's nothing better to do, they cook together, they finish each other sentences; basically they were the best family EVER. I think my favorite conversation about Blue's family would have to be: "It makes sense that there's a family history for your condition," he [Gansey] said. "Do you eat all of the men in the family? Where do they go? Does this house have a basement?"  Blue stood up. "It's like boot camp. They can't hack it. Poor things." I just love that banter between Gansey and Blue and the fact that she can joke about her lack of a father figure. She turned out just fine in her family of women. Basically, Blue's family gives me feels.

Also, we learn a lot about Ronan in this book (probably why he's on the cover). His family fascinates me, and all of his secrets are both concerning and interesting. He has an older brother, Declan, and a really cute younger brother, Matthew. They all go to church on Sunday mornings, despite their appearance of being street thugs. Though, they kind of are street thugs. Except Matthew, who is a cutie patootie. Ronan is essentially anger personified, though he isn't really that angry all the time. Or he is. It's hard to explain. Read the book.

Adam has a lot of issues after what happened in Cabeswater at the end of the last book. He is more angry than Ronan, though he hides it, like his accent. Adam is a darling, but he's a very broken darling. The families of all the other characters brought stark contrast to what Adam's was and is no longer. While every other character had, or has, a very loving family, Adam was abused. That is not dealt with lightly. He has a lot of problems, and they really come out. 

Also, Noah. Poor, sweet, dead Noah. He is so sweet. I've always loved his and Blue's friendship. I picture him looking and talking like Eeyore, kinda dark with a metaphorical rain cloud over his head at all times. That's not to say he's depressed, like Eeyore, but he does sound like him. Noah's funny, but we don't see him much.

And Gansey. I fracking love Gansey with all of my heart. I didn't in the first book, or I didn't as much, but we get to see all of the different sides of Richard Gansey III and they all made me fall deeply in fictional love. He has wireframe glasses. Let that sink in for a moment. Because the glasses are so fabulously cute and wonderful. I love the glasses. And his camaro, Pig. I'm fairly certain he named it Pig because of Babe, so he can say "That'll do, Pig. That'll do." He has a miniature model of Henrietta, and he doesn't sleep. His first sentence to Adam when he decided they could be friends was "What do you know about Welsh kings?" and he and Ronan are brothers. Everything thinks that he'll be a butthole when they see him, but in reality he's a good guy. There's a dangerous side in there, too, but that one should be a surprise. I love this politician's son who is amazing at hiding his feelings at all times. I love how caring he is, and his stupid boat shoes. He's a really dynamic, interesting character. I mean, they all are, but I love Gansey the best out of the boys. Ronan's a close second, though.

Another thing I really love about this series is that it's about Welsh mythology. Nobody writes about Welsh mythology, not in YA anyways. And as someone who's ancesters were Welsh, I can say that YA Welsh mythology inspired books are fracking awesome. It's so creative and witty in the way it's written. I even liked that fracking bad guy. Well, one of them, anyways. I pitied the other. The plot is so full of twists and turns and I love how much it delves into the separate lives of the friends. It took me a little longer to read, because, when I read I typically skim a lot of things and skip stuff, but every word, every sentence was important to the story. I loved that. Basically, I'm trying to say go read this book now or you'll regret it forever and ever.

*One warning, though. There's a lot of crude sexual innuendo from a character. I know that upsets some people, and I wouldn't want my little sister reading this yet. Just a word or warning to anyone interested. I don't think it was that bad, and it was certainly realistic, but I figured I'd say something, as it really seemed to stand out to me while I was reading.