The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, Book 2)

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Narrated by: Will Patton

If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take?

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.

One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.

Ronan is one of the raven boys - a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface - changing everything in its wake.

Of THE RAVEN BOYS, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY wrote, "Maggie Stiefvater's can't-put-it-down paranormal adventure will leave you clamoring for book two." Now the second book is here, with the same wild imagination, dark romance, and heart-stopping twists that only Maggie Stiefvater can conjure.

©2013 Maggie Stiefvater (P)2013 Scholastic Inc.

If your in the mood for something different...

Any additional comments?

I adore Maggie Steifvater’s books. Her stories are unique and her writing is witty yet poetic. The Raven Boys is no exception. I loved it and I think this is one Steifvater’s best books. It’s slow at the beginning but I wouldn’t necessarily change that. It lays some important ground work for the intense ending and the books to come. What I liked most about The Raven Boys was the originality of the story. I’ve never read/listened to anything like this before and that is one of the main reasons I highly recommend it.

I truly do not know how to summarize this story. Any attempt to describe this story does not do it justice. I will do my best with one sentence. There are some psychics, some ghosts, a murderer, a creepy mystical place, and teenagers on a supernatural quest. That’s all I can say. It's different, and for me different is always refreshing.

The Characters
The characters in The Raven Boys are deep and complex. These are not your teenage angsty, love triangle entangled, young adult fiction characters. These guys are different. Blue Sargent is the daughter of a psychic and lives with 3 other psychic women. Blue is not psychic but she has the way of amplifying energy. Gansey is a wealthy teenage boy on a mission to find something supernatural. Joining him on his quest are his 3 friends, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. Ronan is a wealthy boy gone bad. He’s reckless, edgy, and unpredictable. Adam is the poor, nice boy who’s under a lot of pressure. He’s on a scholarship at Anglionby Academy and under extreme pressure from his parents.
Each character feels real and as the reader, you feel for them. Like I said earlier, I’ve never encountered characters like these. I can’t say I loved them or related to them but I was definitely intrigued by them and I want to learn more about them.

The Story
As I said earlier, the story takes a little while to really get going. However, it lays important groundwork for the plot and develops all of the characters. Hang in there, things get really interesting about half way through and you want to stop after that. What pulled me in was the mysterious quest the group embarks on. I had never heard of lay lines or a sleeping ancient king named Glwendower and I was eager to find out more. I also felt Steifvater wrote wonderful side stories involving each of the characters. They added layers to the main plot and overall, made the story so much more substantial.

Conclusion
I loved it. I wish I could say more about The Raven Boys but I fear I would give away too much. The writing is beautiful. he characters are strong and well developed. The story is unlike anything else out there. The only downside to the story is it’s left very open. Something is resolved in this book but many things are not. Obviously they we will learn more in the next book but I really wanted to know more in this book. You can probably guess I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

Wow

Fantastic! Such a unique plot and characters! I was completely drawn in. The narration was top notch as well.

Perfect narrator for a brilliant story

Such a magical, dark and fascinating world in these books. The characters are very well developed and there’s humor too. Looking forward to the third book.

Love this series, love this narrator!

Any additional comments?

I've read Maggie Stiefvater's other series, the Shiver trilogy, and it was passable. The Raven Cycle, in comparison, is brilliant. The characters are all complex and relatable, unpredictable and imperfect, but likable. I love Blue, who is one of the few young adult female protagonists who is not defined by her love life or her insecurities. The story is so much bigger than her romantic prospects, and it is frankly a relief to read a book where they are not constantly distracted by how gorgeous they all happen to be. There is an adventure to be had and there are friendships to maintain, and those two things are what drive the story. I love these people and the world they inhabit.

I don't know how much Will Patton's narration contributes to my love affair with The Raven Cycle, but he is amazing. He 'gets' this book and these characters, and I feel like he loves them as much as I do. I have started to look for other books narrated by him.

If you want insipid teen romance where the insecure heroine is either wondering if someone who is mean to her will kiss her or is jealous because she thinks he might want to kiss someone else, this is not the series for you. If you want an adventure with unpredictable outcomes, characters who actually grow, and beautiful writing about fantastic things, this series will hit the spot. I want more. More!!

Middle aged, but loves a good YA

And THIS series is excellent. I’m adding Stiefvater to my favorite authors list. Wow! So talented. Her writing is poetic and lyrical but not flowery. It is sharp, intelligent and modern. This series is especially creative, unique and frankly just bada*s!! The story is rich and complex as are the characters. If you are ( like me) not an actual YA, you will still enjoy it thoroughly. When it comes to YA I need a mature, entertaining story that anyone can relate to rather than high school drama. This is mystical and fantastic. A modern fairy tale quality. The narration is pretty much perfect.