Scholastic The Dream Thieves (the Raven Cycle, Book 2): Volume 2

The Dream Thieves is the kind of book that makes me want to write a book report & analyze all that it is & the world happening within it. It is a world so carefully constructed that I can believe it is my own, despite the magic & mysticism. It is simply such a well put together story, a sewing table cluttered with a mess of colorful, unique, seemingly disparate threads of all shapes & sizes; threads that have been left to their own devices that weave & wend, loop & lap, twisting endlessly, wrapping around & around until they seem hopelessly entwined, carelessly tangled into a complicated, impossible-to-undo knot. But the trick is that when you go to pull it tight, where that messy, ugly knot should be, instead you realize it's formed a perfectly beautiful bow, or an afghan crocheted of images, or a sweater woven in technicolor dreams. The Raven Cycle has floated around my periphery for some time, but due to the large amount of mixed reviews on Amazon, I had been hesitant to read it. I bought book 1 with an Xmas gift card, & ended up ordering the remaining 3 before even completing that first book, so gripping was it that I knew I'd have to know more. The Raven Boys introduced the town of Henrietta, & the world of the Aglionby "Raven Boys"-- Gansey (Richard Campbell Gansey III, "just Gansey"), Rowan Lynch, Adam Parrish, & Noah Czerny. Also appearing is Blue Sargent, the only female in a family of psychics without the sight. I suppose you might call Blue our heroine... & she is just as tough & independent & flawed & imperfect as you could want a protagonist to be. In my opinion, though, there's no one hero\heroine\protag-- it's an ensemble cast that frankly wouldn't work nearly so well were you to remove or replace even one of the cleverly crafted characters. They, & their corner of the world, are written as a lovely structured mess, full of bits & pieces that sometimes seemed so disconnected but yet all managed-- masterfully-- to come together. In new & surprising ways. Emphasis on surprising, as this book kept me guessing & caught me off guard repeatedly (& I read a heck of a lot, which means I tend to guess twists with decent reliability. Not in this book). At no point did I know what was coming, or what to think. All in all, it was an incredible story, with pages full of-- I don't know how else to say this-- life, LIFE, distilled to it's most basic, underlying beauty. Like something you would see or hear or feel or think on an acid trip, with all of the vibrant details that implies. I didn't think it would be possible for me to like the second book as much as the first (you know how the sophomore slump seems to go...) but I was totally wrong on that regard. I can hardly express how impressed I am with The Dream Thieves. It expounds on The Raven Boys in all of the very best possible ways; a tale of such intricacy & nuance that it renders it's excellent predecessor a mere outline, a black & white line drawing, leached of color, missing those parts most important; a skeleton that it has come to fully flesh out. Book 1 introduced these quirky characters & welcomed me into their world; book 2 has identified each of them as individuals, their heads & hearts filled with poignant thoughts & powerful feelings that burn so brightly most real people would appear dull & two-dimensional in comparison. Maggie Stiefvater's prose expresses these characters so intimately that their thoughts & feelings, hopes & desires, dreams & ambitions, flaws & phobias, fears & failures & fascinations with things unknown have become my own. I am there with them every step of the way. Quite simply, I have never read another book like it-- no, like them (as I've so far read a pair of books; or a quartet, technically. Assuming the remaining 2 works live up to these high standards I'm developing... I think they will😊). I don't know where it's going but it promises to be an interesting ride, & every one of these kids is my ride or die (though Ronan & Gansey are of particular appeal...& I feel traitorous to the others just saying that)! Here's the thing about that ride-- from page 1 it's a wildly teetering whirlwind, no safety belts in sight. Their reality is sprinkled liberally with our world's idea of madness: psychics & secrets, prophecies & mysteries & magic & dream-walking, murder minded monsters & malevolent masks, trees that speak Latin & ghostly close friends, the awakening of a ley line & the slumber of an ancient king, tentative proof of time travel, the inevitable intertwining of their individual destinies depositing them at this point, here & now... each of them knowing but not-knowing that in fact they are the threads binding it all together... If it sounds crazy, it is. If it sounds hard to follow, it's not. You are so thoroughly sucked in it's as if you're living it yourself. But the best part of all that craziness, the curvebalIs thrown from nowhere & the staircases leadimg to nothing, is that I don't really even have to suspend my sense of disbelief. Not in the way a reader usually signs up for when reading a fictional novel based in fantasy & overflowing with the paranormal. As abstract & out there as the plot has gotten thus far, nothing has happened that is so far outside the realm of possibility as to render it preposterous. Not everyone will agree, of that I'm certain, but to my mind, it all seems to fit within the realm of their world as I understand it-- & ours, in some cases, as well. Those undertones of ancient wisdom, a collective consciousness, an exploration of energy-- all things I find plausible, particularly the power of ley lines & the possibility that they slumber. I find that these ideas add an edge of the philosophical & serious. This isn't the only dip into the deep end that I've noticed, either, as the disparities in the situations of Blue & the boys-- uber-rich Gansey, the soon-to-be Senator's son who doesn't recognize his own rudeness in certain monetary situations; Adam, who grew up in a trailer in Henrietta & has worked 3 jobs to pay his way at exclusive Aglionby for the chance to escape Henrietta, his own personal hell; Blue, whose lack of sixth sense makes her feel blind in a house full of seers; Noah, a ghost whose visibility & tactile function is tied to the whim of the newly wakened line; & Ronan...this book is Ronan's most of all, the title comes from him, speaks of his secrets & those of his father. These are the same secrets that got his father killed, but that may prove a missing piece in the overall puzzle the group seeks to solve (each with their own reasons & hoped for outcomes, of course-- even if they are in direct contradiction to the others'). Then there is the sexual tension between Ronan & his arch-enemy\mirror-image, Kavinsky. Their attraction is lovely & realistically portrayed, & ends up as heartbreaking as any literary love affair ever is. Maggie Stiefvater's masterful manner of weaving this tragic love story deserves more praise than I can lavish upon it here. Bottom line is that I have rarely read a more beautiful book, & I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here, although I can't help but feel that what is to come will run me through the emotional wringer in ways I have yet to comprehend. If you haven't read it, grab the Raven Boys & start reading now. It will take you on a journey unlike any you've ever experienced.

I stand by my original claim that The Dream Thieves is my favourite book in this series so far, although I change my reasoning. I previously put my love for this book down entirely to the characters - it is, after all, a highly character driven story. But the reality is that what makes this book so incredible is an amalgamation of things. Conceptually, it's extraordinary. A boy who can pull things out of his dreams; a Graywaren; a dream thief. From the very first page we know he has three secrets, and this leads to the overarching themes of truth and lies, love and loss. Ronan Lynch has experienced all of these things in one way or another. The language used is intoxicating. With the race scene, for example, I felt entirely immersed into the danger and the thrill of the race. And that's what all writing should do - overwhelm your senses, dragging you into the story. This is something that Maggie Stiefvater knows how to do very well. Every word needs to be fully acknowledged to see the beauty of them placed side by side, and I picked up on so many new things after reading this the second time around at a slower pace. The characters are so beautifully tragic. Ronan is bursting with secrets that are destroying him, Adam is doing everything to change the path predestined for him, and Gansey is hunting desperately to unravel the mystery that will finally give his life meaning. There's just something so human about how broken these boys are which makes their story so enthralling. Everything about The Dream Thieves screams excitement and adventure. The characters, the antagonists, the story, the mythology - I'm in love with it all. Diversity Note: features a gay protagonist. Warnings: mentions of past child abuse, blood, suicide, death

It’s not a hardcover but they sell it with the same price as one, not perfect condition but acceptable.. don’t recommend buying it from here.

Me gustó qué en este libro se profundizara más a los personajes y sus relaciones, la narrativa nunca decepciona y deja pie para más historia, me encanto la trama de este segundo libro y llegar a conocer más a los personajes.

The Story The ley line is awake and everything has changed. After Adam sacrificed himself in Cabeswater, he isn’t the same anymore and his relationship with Blue becomes more and more strained as he starts seeing strange apparitions and finds it harder and harder to control his emotions. Blue starts to wonder if she is dating the right guy while she starts feeling more attracted to Gansey, the biggest goal of whom it still is to find the mysterious Welsh Raven King Glendower. When Cabeswater suddenly disappears and Ronan’s dreams start following him into his waking life, the group finds itself in danger. They might not be the only ones trying to figure out what is going on with the ley line, and not everyone is as friendly and polite as Gansey. The Superficial I love, love, love that Ronan is on the cover. It’s a perfect fit since the story focuses on Ronan for a good chunk of the book. It’s in the same style as the first cover and I love the color scheme. The cool tones convey that mysteriousness and go well with Ronan’s character. Writing & Plot It’s no secret that I am in love with Maggie Stiefvater’s writing style. This series is quite different from the Wolves of Mercy Falls books, and while I enjoyed the previous one, I like this one a lot better simply because it was that much more intricate. While I was reading The Raven Boys, especially in the very beginning, I sometimes found it a little hard to get into the story because I need some time to get used to that kind of writing style first, but towards the end I had no problems at all. In this book I was already accustomed to it and able to enjoy all of the story from the very beginning. I have to admit that there is not that much plot in The Dream Thieves, at least not the kind that would further the main story arc surrounding the search for Glendower. But that doesn’t mean that nothing happens. I feel like the main purpose of this book is to develop the characters and that was done beautifully. It was never boring or dragging on and I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing. It’s pretty impressive that a book that does this can still be this great. The Characters The characters are what make me love this story so freaking much. I have never read another book in which I was so in love with each and every character as I am in this series. I applaud Maggie Stiefvater for being such a gifted writer and making all of them perfect in their own unique but flawed way. I could go on and on for pages about why I found such a special place in my heart for them but I would never be able to accurately describe all my feelings. I think you have to read the book to understand what I mean with that. These characters are in no way, shape or form easy. They are incredibly complex, deep, twisted, flawed, intricate, a little broken, and so, so lovable. I am so very glad the author decided to put a focus on Ronan here because I think he can be very easily misunderstood. We learn a lot about his past and his family, his dreaming abilities, feelings, and secrets, and all that has made Ronan one of my favorite characters. I was sad for him and happy for him, and at times I just wanted to reach through the pages and give him a hug. When you feel that much with and for a fictional character, I think it’s safe to say that the author has created a piece of art. "'While I’m gone,' Gansey said, pausing, 'dream me the world. Something new for every night.'" (page 219) Kavinsky was a super interesting side character and I think his story line arced perfectly, and that’s about all I can say about him without spoiling anything! Blue kind of became more of a minor character compared to Ronan but that was absolutely fine with me. I still really enjoyed reading about her and her crazy family. Favorite Quote "In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys." (page 11) Me too, me too, Blue. This accurately sums up my feelings. No other explanation needed. The Round-Up Now that I’ve written the word “love” about a billion times, I can come to a conclusion. This is definitely my new favorite series. I already had a feeling that it would turn into that after the first book, but now that I’ve read the second there’s no doubt! I am so amazed at how much I enjoyed The Dream Thieves and would recommend the Raven Cycle to anyone! I can’t wait to start Blue Lily, Lily Blue.