The Dream Thieves (The Raven cycle #2)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is a goddess. 

Unbelievably, this second instalment in the Raven Cycle is even better than the first- a tall order to fill after an amazing pilot book. If you thought you were hooked after The Raven Boys, then you're about to find out what a true literary addiction feels like. 

All our favourite characters return in this book- Blue, Gansey, Noah, Adam and Ronan-with a few new characters entering the scene as well. Our favourite damaged Badass, Ronan, is the main focus of this novel. The book explores his past, his family, and most importantly, his psyche as well as his Gifts, all while the crew continue their search for the long dead- and missing- Welsh king, Glendower. 

Stiefvater upped the quality of her writing on this one, which is to say she went from amazing in the first book to mind-blowing in the second. Her unique writing style will have you both crying and laughing at once. She has a particular gift when it comes to metaphors, using them to saturate her descriptions. The images she creates in your mind are more vivid than if you'd seen the scene with your own eyes.

This book also sees some elements from the first book, that may have seemed insignificant, start to tie in and make more sense in the second. Stiefvater weaves a subtle thread through the two stories, planting questions that linger in your subconscious, quiet driving you to keep turning the page.

Stiefvater is to be highly commended for her portrayal of Ronan Lynch and her exploration of what made him, what broke him, and his journey to healing. In the first book, Ronan, whilst an integral part of the Raven boys, wasn’t a wholly multi- dimensional character, but in The Dream Thieves Ronan’s’ many facets are revealed and explored.

The Dream thieves however, shares one unfortunate trait with the first book in the series- there is very little (i.e. no) racial diversity. All the characters are caucasian- or at least, every character who Stiefvater actually describes physically is Caucasian. Perhaps if the story took place in Iceland the lack of diversity would make sense, but in the USA- not really.

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