ARC Review: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

My brain, my heart and my soul isn't fully functioning a few minutes before I wrote this review. I am THAT affected by this book.

Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 17th 2013
Published by: Scholastic Press
Source: Publisher (Thanks Ms. Joyce!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

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 don't really know where to start, but this book has just made me feel so much emotion that I am not sure what to discuss, what to say, and what to feel. All I know is this, The Dream Thieves is very, very good.

After reading The Raven Boys, I have gotten used to the very slow pacing of the story, and instead I enjoyed my time reading as I discover more about the relationships and the bonds that bind each Aglionby boy to the other. Ronan has been dreaming of things, and has discovered that he can take things out of them. Gansey is still hell bent on his quest to find Glendower, Adam is slowly suffocating in the life he's leading, and Noah is flickering in and out of their lives. The prophecy surrounding Blue's doomed love life is slowly becoming a real obstacle as she struggles to figure out her feelings for at least two Aglionby boys, and lives begin to unravel in this lovely, amazing sequel.

Oh Ronan, Ronan, Ronan. How I loved you in this book. See, if you feel that The Raven Boys is (still) lacking of Ronan, then you will get so much more of him in this book to the point that you think you might just get sick of him, but you wouldn't. I just loved reading about him, the things he could dream of, the nightmares, the struggle with his own pain, anguish and longing for his family while figuring out just what he really is and what he could do. My feelings are as intense for Gansey, who was as delightful as he was in the first book and more. You get a more complete picture of the faces he keeps as Dick, the child from a wealthy, influential family, to the Gansey who was Ronan's rock and Adam's friend, the boy who only feels free when he's in Henrietta, to the boy who was slowly but surely feeling emotions he shouldn't. And Adam, which I am slowly distancing myself from. Maybe it's because of the changes he has undergone in this book, the feelings he had to deal with and the acceptance of who he needs to become. He's not unlikable, but I find myself just pitying him most of the time. And no one should forget Noah, who appeared so little in this book but is still as enjoyable to read as the other three.

I loved how the Gray Man inserted himself in Henrietta and the chaotic lives of the boys, Blue and her quirky family so easily. A man who was supposed to be invisible, unnoticeable and full of mystery. He's a character that I find very interesting, a dangerous hit man who has a dark past of his own and ghosts he's running away from, but I can't seem to bring myself to dislike him. His unfazed attitude with Maura and her sisters' abilities, and his eventual feelings for her felt so unconventional and unexpected and delightful all at the same time. I can't say he's a bad guy though he's done horrible things.

The Dream Thieves moved in a much faster pace than The Raven Boys and along with the introduction of The Gray Man and Kavinsky, secrets and clues are a lot easier to come by in this story. There were major moments in the book that will make it faster for the reader to figure out what's going on and yet with some answers come more puzzles, more questions to add to the intrigue and allure of the story and you'll just find yourself neck deep in and you just push on and read and try to know more with each turn of a page. The Dream Thieves had everything I was asking for in the first book, and I appreciated the story more because of it. More intrigue, more tension, and most importantly, more romance. Blue's rocky relationship with Adam and her inevitable realization that Adam will not be the boy she'd like to kiss was something that made my heart clench in this sequel, more than Gansey's search for Glendower, or Ronan's longing for his mother. Because we all know what the prophecy says when it comes to Blue and her feelings for the boy she will kiss, and she knew now who she wants to kiss. And along with it comes the complicated ties of friendship, the magic, the future.

The Dream Thieves is such a fantastical follow-up to an already amazing first book! I can honestly say I've enjoyed reading this book much, much more. It's magical, intriguing and a bonafide page turner. Again, hats off to Maggie Stiefvater for crafting such a story that made me feel so much and give me such a big book hangover afterwards.

My favorite quote:

She felt bigger than her body. High as the stars. He leaned towards her - her heart spun again - and pressed his cheek against hers. His lips didn't touch her skin, but she felt his breath, hot and uneven, on her face. His fingers splayed on either side of her spine. Her lips were so close to his jaw that she felt his hint of stubble at the end of them. It was mint and memories and the past and the future and she felt as if she’d done this before and already she longed to do it again.

Oh help, she thought. Help, help, help.

He pulled away. He said, "And now we never speak of it again."

My rating:

Content (plot, story flow, character):

My heart began to cry out in pain and anguish from page 360 onwards. Oh, by the gods, it was agony from then on, when I think of Blue and Gansey and all the things that surround them.

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:
Hello, Ronan!