The Dream Thieves

Publisher's 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....

©2013 Maggie Stiefvater (P)2013 Scholastic Inc.

I took Chainsaw out of my dreams ...

The Dream Thieves is the second book of The Raven Cycle series (following The Raven Boys).

In the last lines of book one Ronan says, "I guess now would be a good time to tell you. I took Chainsaw out of my dreams." It was a great teaser, and book two completely fulfills the WTF that statement left us with. You might think you don't want to read about Ronan, but he ends up being a surprisingly great character, alternately fire/danger and the boy who was crippled by the idea of this strange power and the events of his youth. I love that he's conflicted in all senses - and I love that his dreams and nightmares reveal more than he'd ever let on. There's a particular scene that gets so intense, you can almost feel him on that edge. And even though I thoroughly enjoyed it, if I'm honest, I'm in this for the story of Blue and Gansey. Fortunately, though the main plot focus is Ronan and the dreams, the story does include all of the other characters. Stiefvater's writing is beautiful and haunting and so incredibly interesting that sometimes I want to stop to write some of it down. The characters move forward seamlessly and develop subtly and then, quite suddenly, you realize that Blue and Gansey are in love (I don't really think that's a spoiler, right?) or that Adam is heading toward something great and terrible, or some such spoiler-type thing. This book didn't really "end" for me, but I'm so ready for the next in the series I don't think I mind.

Will Patton narrates.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Awakening the Dream

“The Dream Thieves” deepens the mystery and magic surrounding Cabes Water and the dead king Glendower, while expanding on the characters introduced in “The Raven Boys” – allowing Rowan, more of a group member in “The Raven Boys”, to take center stage. A new villain comes to town, a complex and three dimensional man, who (unusually for a villain), is marked with a conscience, clarity of vision and a sense of humor and he moves the story right along as he wrestles with his own demons and issues. The characters live and grow in an environment rooted in mythology, superstition, friendships with ghosts, living tarot, crazy and often difficult family dynamics, sinister overtones and budding romances. Even the little bird Chainsaw resonates with the reader.

I read this book on Kindle and also listened to it on Audible. Will Patton's Audible performance was, as with his reading of "The Raven Boys" masterful and pitch perfect. I find myself seeking out his narrations now as often as I do the books themselves.

I am really looking forward to reading and listening to Book Three of this series.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Expanded Characters in Raven Boys Book 2

The first novel introduced townie-witchy girl, Blue and her eccentric family and the Ravenwood privileged boys working together to locate an ancient king on the lay line. The book seemed to serve the main purpose of setting up for book 2 and 3 for yet another trilogy. While Steifvater's writing is stellar, I found the first book predictable and was apprehensive about spending a credit on book 2. Glad I did.

Steifvater opens up each character, delving into their motivations, desires, and actions; expounding beautifully, breathing life into Blue and the boys. While I enjoyed the writing and characters, wasn't engrossed in the dream manipulation and/or search for Hightower; all background accompaniment to me.

If you enjoy YA fiction, check out Maggie Steifvater's other selections. She's a talented young writer with a bright future who appreciates and responds to her fans.


To Audible Staff:

Will Patton is not a good fit for YA narration. If any Audible editor reads this review (wishful thinking) then for the love of all that is good and holy in the world work with him on book 3! It may be inconceivable to usurp Patton with a new narrator at this point, so coach him on the female voices. Aunt Persephone sounds like a stoned Minnie Mouse and Kazinsky sounded like a New Yorker Yogi the Bear. Help me, help you.

81 of 97 people found this review helpful

Really Enjoying The Raven Cycle!

Surprisingly, I have been enjoying The Raven Cycle. I wasn’t really drawn to this series or anything. I had it on my TBR pile, but I had other books by Maggie Stiefvater on my pile as well. I just knew that I wanted to try something by Stiefvater, and after some deliberation, this seemed like the best place for me to start. I jumped into this book a few days after reading the first book. I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy the second book as much as the first, but my fears were unfounded.

The Raven Boys ended on a huge note with a confession from the group’s bad boy, Ronan Lynch, that he can pull objects from his dream, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I read the next book. I’m a sucker for dramatic cliffhangers. The Dream Thieves explores Ronan’s abilities and gives readers a taste of the darker workings of Ronan’s mind, which is understandable given he was the one who found his murdered father, a father who passed on this dream ability. Ronan isn’t completely incapable of showing other emotions even if they are lined with barbed wire. While Ronan is a large focus of this novel, it doesn’t forget to explore its other characters such as Adam Parrish who is trying to understand what his sacrifice to Cabeswater means while continuing to deal with what he feels is his own inadequacy, Blue Sargent who comes to terms with her feelings for Adam, and Gansey who isn’t sure how to deal with Adam after the events in Cabeswater. This novel also brought Blue’s psychic family to the forefront more, which was a welcomed treat.

Stiefvater’s characters continue to be the high point of the book. Many books work hard to make you love their protagonists, but Stiefvater has created a cast of characters that feel “real.” She certainly wants you to sympathize with her characters, but presenting characters with real flaws and strengths, characters that you may like one moment and loathe the next, trumps making her protagonists adored by the readers. However, I can’t really say the same about the antagonists of her story. Once again, I’m only lukewarm toward her antagonists at best. They’re one-dimensional, but this could just because of how the story is told. I think, for that reason, that her denouements where they’re concerned often feel a bit fragile as if they’re hanging on very tenuous threads. I don’t much care for villainy for the sake of villainy if it doesn’t feel like it connects to the overall story.

The search for Glendower feels secondary to the characters and their struggles. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since I enjoy characters, but I am interested in seeing where this search leads the character and how it will continue to influence their friendship and decisions. Part of the reason I enjoyed the first book is because I enjoyed how the plot worked with the characters. In this book, that part of the story felt very stagnant and didn’t make much forward progression. It’s easy to overlook that the search didn’t move very much because it’s easy to be swept up in the various personal things that the characters are involved in and forget that they have this quest for something that’s bigger than themselves. This still manages to be a very engaging story that will keep readers invested in these characters and their story.

Will Patton continues to be something of an anomaly for me as far as the narration goes for this story. I don’t hate his narration, but I still teeter between thinking he’s the best voice and thinking maybe he’s not the best voice depending on the section he’s reading. However, I can’t dispute the emotion that he brings to the story with his reading, and for me, sometimes the passion a narrator uses for a story is more important than any other feeling I may have about the narration.

The Dream Thieves ends much like The Raven Boys with a cliffhanger that begs the reader to continue the story as soon as possible, and since it involves a character that this book made me love more than I thought possible, I’m already gearing up to read the next book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Will Patton is Magic

This series of books is so wonderful and Will Patton's performance makes it transcendent. Strange, perfect, specific voices for each character and breathless, funny, terrifying, lovely narration by turns. I could truly listen to this guy forever.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wow

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

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I'm rating this as my fave book in the series

I'm rating this as my fave book in the series, with Raven Boys as #2. Can't wait to find out how it all ends. I love the creativity, love & hope Stiefvater brings forth in her stories. I have no use for dystopian horrors. Will Patton is an absolutely perfect choice as narrator.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Maggie Stiefvater is amazing!

Will Patton really brings this story to life. I'm doing a reread of the entire series via audio and really enjoying it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Ronan oh Ronan!

Ronan is a great character! I love him and I want him to have love in his life! This book is mainly about Ronan and that is a good thing! It really gives the reader a deeper insight to Ronan, he is a deep character. Like an Onions he has layers, so many layer to this man! Really great addition to this story!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

awesome!

This was a great book. I enjoyed the first one, but loved this one! The author has a beautiful way with using words.Her language is evocative, lyrical, strong and unusual.

Unlike some reviewers, I really like the narrator. I think he does a great job of distinguishing voices and characters, male and female, and I'm glad they've kept him for all the books.

Don't miss this one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

YA supernatural adventure with a twist.

What made the experience of listening to The Dream Thieves the most enjoyable?

The southern accent of Will Patton made you feel the southern heat.

What did you like best about this story?

The idea of stealing dream items is unique. The search for a lost king and the social back grounds of 4 very different characters. We know that Blue will kill her true love, we know who it is, yet we are not forced to drown in mushy romantic overkill. There are small touches and thoughts, but the focus stays with the mystery hunt and the developing backgrounds and futures of the characters.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Towards the end it became very exciting and it was hard to stop.

Any additional comments?

Worth reading but the 2nd book. The first is called Raven boys

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Will Patton did it again

If you could sum up The Dream Thieves in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, exciting and romantic.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

His performance on The Raven Boys was just as good as this and I love listening to him, his voice is so soothing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Blue and Gansey in the car, that's all I'm saying, when you listen or read it, you'll get what I'm talking about. Or when Adam presses his fist into the wall.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

great book

love the series, this book espesally. love the characters which each are unique With breath taking back stories. I would listen to this again and in my opinion it is just as good if not better than the first book. everyone should read this book.

A darker sequel, focusing on Ronan

I really enjoyed The Dream Thieves, it was a more tense and exciting story than the previous book which I felt was more of a slow build. Now we know the characters and some of the limitations of the world in the book, we're thrown straight in the deep end with Ronan's dreams and Adam's deal with Cabeswater taking the fore rather than Gansey's search for Glendower. I'm looking forward to book three as I loved the darkness of this book and hope we get even more next time!

One of the best books I have ever read

The book is amazing, well written, profound and relatable: the author knows teenage mannerisms well, and the characters feel fleshed out. The performance was good, but some things just didn't suit the voice. Female voices (especially Persephone's), for instance, just sounded silly. That's ok though.

Addictive

Yet again I was sucked into the story and could not stop reading.

Addictive.

Now to read the next one!