Early Review of The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2) (Raven Cycle)

Classification: Young Adult (13 - 17)

Genre: Paranormal

Format: Hardcover; 416 pages

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc (September 17, 2013)

ISBN-13: 9780545424943

Notes: I received an Advanced Reader Copy at BEA (Book Expo America)

Secrets

Everyone one has a secret of one kind or another, but Ronan Lynch has many. Some are common, some are personal, and some could get him killed. There are things even his best friend, Richard Gansey III, doesn't know about Ronan, but all his secrets are about to be revealed as a killer makes Henrietta his hunting ground, and the Lynch brothers become his prey.

Power

Power is something most men desire. When the ley lines were awakened in Henrietta, people took note and a quest for unimaginable power is about to ensue. Things are about to be shaken up and the once safe little town will be safe no more.

   

     "Everything you've told him could apply to anybody. Anybody with a pulse has doubts. Anybody alive has argued with their brother or their father. Tell me something no one else can tell me. Don't toss a playing card at me and spoon feed me some Jungian bullshit. Tell me something specific."

  

     Blue's eyes narrowed. Persephone stuck out her tongue slightly, a habit born of uncertainty, not impudence. Maura shifted with annoyance. "We don't do specif--"

     Calla interrupted. "A secret killed your father and you know what it was." 

(Excerpt from The Raven Boys; Page 146)

This book picks up a month after where 'The Raven Boys' left off. We still don't know what Adam's sacrifice will cost him, but in 'The Dream Theives', we learn there will definitely be consequences for his actions. Originally when I read The Raven Boys,  I thought this series would focus primarily on Gansey, but after reading 'The Dream Thieves', I'm thinking it has more to do with Ronan. The first two covers both seem to be related in one way or another to Ronan and with this, the second book, being mainly about Ronan, I can't help but feel he will end up surprising us even more in the future. I'm not sure what the final books will entail, but I for one am glad there are at least two more books to the series. I just wish they were already done and released so I could read them. :)

In 'The Raven Boys', we learned some interesting facts about Ronan. One, he said the little raven he adopted named Chainsaw supposedly came from his dreams. We'll find out more about that aspect of Ronan in this book. Secondly, we knew there was something odd about Ronan's father's, Niall Lynch's, death and that will finally be revealed. We'll also find out why his father included such strange conditions in the will which forbid Ronan and his siblings access to their childhood home or coming into contact with their mother. Thirdly, we found out Ronan's tattoo does not appear to be a normal one. According to Gansey, it has significantly changed from when he first got it--a sickle exchanged for a raven's beak--that it has to hold some significance. Unfortunately, the issue of the tattoo isn't addressed, but from other things we learn, we do gain some idea of how this could happen.

Since the first book, I've worried that the friendship between the Raven Boys might be in jeopardy and after reading 'The Dream Theives', I still feel that way. Ronan, Adam, and Gansey all seem to have their lives going in three distinct directions but not in the same. I'll be curious to see how their friendship will fair in the next couple of books and if the quest to find Glendower will bring them together or rip them apart. In the end of 'The Raven Boys',  Adam was told by Maura, "You're avoiding a hard choice. Acting by not acting." It was obvious his home situation was not working, and he didn't want to take Gansey up on his offer to live with him. He didn't want to feel he owed Gansey anything and wanted to make his own way. I thought the decision Adam made to live on his own was the third option that Maura was suggesting that Adam hadn't yet considered. Now, I'm wondering if perhaps her suggestion of a third option is what inspired him to sacrifice himself at the end of 'The Raven Boys'? That decision seems to have put a wedge between him and Gansey. I'm hoping the next book will focus a little more on how that decision will affect Adam. We got a taste in this book, but I think that was only the beginning of what we'll learn.

Why is the book called 'The Dream Theives'? Well, I believe it comes from a method of stealing things from within a person's dreams. A method of going in, getting what you want, and getting right back out as quickly as possible. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything for you.

Overall, I'm loving the world and story that Ms. Stiefvater is carefully creating. I look forward to seeing how she'll interlock all the books together, because I have no doubt we'll see how she set everything in place at the end. This one gets a 5 out of 5 roses from me.

Notes to keep you in the know:

I looked up greywaren and found out that it may be Maggie Stiefvater's real last name, but I'm not sure. She has a website from 2009 with the name greywaren in it: http://greywarenart.blogspot.com/ Maybe it's her maiden or married name? Drats! I wish I knew for certain. 

Order of series: