Call Down the Hawk

The Dreamer Trilogy, Book 1

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

From the number one New York Times best-selling author of The Raven Boys, a mesmerizing story of dreams and desires, death and destiny. 

The dreamers walk among us...and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming - they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives - they will sleep forever if their dreamers die. 

And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all. 

Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality. 

Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it. 

Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer...and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can dor. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed....

©2019 Maggie Stiefvater (P)2019 Scholastic Inc.

Unlistenable

I listen to audiobooks while I do other stuff, but I could barely understand this narrator; he speaks in a tone just above a whisper and I was completely mystified as to what was going on within minutes of starting to listen. I'm returning it.

Bad narration

I couldn’t make it all of the way through, the narrator sounds too much like Donald Trump.

deep dive into the Lynch brothers

This was even more than I expected it to be. It's about Ronan but it's really about the three Lynch brothers. It's about identity, and how your identity is measured against and reflected by the other people in your family or circle. It's about destiny versus choice. Hennessey and her girls are a perfect counterpoint to the Lynch brothers - acting almost as one unit rather than diametrically opposed like the brothers. The book is subtle, especially for a book about Ronan. It's full of feelings and fears, things assumed and then proven incorrect. It packs a few real gutpunches too. I actually shed tears on Declan's behalf - a thing I never thought I could be moved to do.

I don't think you'll get the full emotional payout if you hadn't read The Raven Cycle, but it is a good book. If you read the short story Opal which comes right before this book, then this book, that would deepen its impact for the reader.

Stiefvater's writing is growing in maturity and nuance - this book is a real tour de force!

Fantastic

Amazing book. Maggie Stiefvater's writing and Will Patton's performance were inspiring. Highly recommended if you love the wonder of the dreaming world and want someone to put words to it. Thank you.

There is nothing wrong with this book

If I could I'd marry both the words used and the way Patton read them. Worth every penny.

Better and better

Maggie Stiefvater continues to hone her craft. I can’t wait for the next installment.
I adore Will Patton - his narration is so unique and distinct as to be one of the characters. If I were to read this book with my eyes, I hope I would hear his voice.

Not What I Thought

I adored The Raven Cycle so when I heard that there was going going to be a spin-off about Ronan I was beyond excited. However...my hopes were let down. I don't even know why I didn't enjoy this either. I do feel like if I didn't listen to this narration I wouldn't of finished the book at all so...that's a plus?

Another Modern Classic

Maggie does it again! With tons of new characters, creepy dream stuff, and lots of unexpected art appreciation. Love the Lynches. Can’t wait to hear more!

Great book, deserves better narration

It’s not that Will Patton is a poor narrator. I would argue that his delivery of prose is masterful. He has a way of drawing you into the world as if you’re under the most beautiful spell. The spell disappears the moment dialogue comes into play. The voices, the accents, and sometimes the delivery are next level terrible. If you can’t make it past that, this audio book is not for you.

The book itself is wonderfully paced. Maggie Stiefvater weaves magic with her words as deftly as any of her Dreamers. The characters feel real and frustratingly flawed. The world is created with lyrical prose that brings both the awe-inspiring and horrifying to life.

Call Down the Hawk is the first in Stiefvater’s new The Dreamer Trilogy, a spin-off if her wildly successful The Raven Cycle, but it stands firmly on its own. You don’t need to have read the previous series to understand it (though you are missing out if you don’t).

The pacing of this book is slow and steady. It is clear this is meant to be an introduction to the trilogy, expanding past the world of little Henrietta. It builds toward a climax that feels as if the story is really just beginning, but the climb there has not been in vain.

There are new and old characters alike. Although Gansey is traveling the world with Blue, his presence is still felt in small, amusing bursts.

Warning: if you’re a big fan of the Ronan/Adam relationship, be prepared to be sparsely fed. Though Adam Parrish is still a part of this story, the first book in the Dreamer trilogy doesn’t have a lot of interaction between them. That doesn’t mean that their relationship isn’t important. In fact, it is a large motivator for Ronan, as well as his pillar of strength. Adam also appears at just the right moment, reminding you that, yes, he is still very much entwined in the fabric of this universe- and he’s important.

My suspicion (and hope) is that there will be a lot more of Adam Parrish in books two and three, now that the story has been thoroughly set up.

There is a lot to love about this book. Worth all 14 hours of narration.

Interesting concept

This is the first I have ever heard of making dreams real in this way.

It is very engaging with relatable characters for the demographic likely reading/listening to this series. I already bought book two.

pronunciation is hilarious

I like the story, mostly because I loved the raven cycle. the way the narrator pronounces some of the irish words is funny to me (an irish person), specifically achill: aghel is the phonetic way to say it.

10/10!

This book was amazing! Beautiful writing by Stiefvater, and Patton's narration was great! Loved it.

Another Amazing book from Maggie Stiefvater

Brilliantly read, incredible story as always. Highly recommend getting lost in this world again. Cannot wait for the next book

Loved it!

By far Stiefvater’s best work to date. It’s dark and crazy. It’s weird and exciting. It’s just a great follow on from the Raven King books and of you loved them, you’ll love this. Will Patton IS Ronan Lynch.
All in all, it’s just fab! Can’t wait for the next one.

Underwhelming

For a character driven series this was extremely plot driven. It lacked so much having most of its main cast absent for the whole book.

The plot was bizarre and I really could not follow it almost at all. It didn't feel like it was as atmospheric as the previous books. I know this is a new series but I cannot avoid comparing it to the Raven Boys.

This is not what I expected. I hope people will truly love this. I struggled to finish it. The romance and thrill of the other books was really missing. I'm sad I did not enjoy it. I truly hope I'm the exception.