Tuesday 19 April 2016

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater // intoxicating language and beautifully tragic characters


Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Mythology
Warnings: mentions of child abuse, blood, suicide, death
Rating: 5 stars
Goodreads | Book Depository
I stand by my original claim that The Dream Thieves is my favourite book in this series so far, although I change my reasoning. I previously put my love for this book down entirely to the characters - it is, after all, a highly character driven story. But the reality is that what makes this book so incredible is an amalgamation of things.



Conceptually, it's extraordinary. A boy who can pull things out of his dreams; a Graywaren; a dream thief. From the very first page we know he has three secrets, and this leads to the overarching themes of truth and lies, love and loss. Ronan Lynch has experienced all of these things in one way or another.

The language used is intoxicating. With the race scene, for example, I felt entirely immersed into the danger and the thrill of the race. And that's what all writing should do - overwhelm your senses, dragging you into the story. This is something that Maggie Stiefvater knows how to do very well. Every word needs to be fully acknowledged to see the beauty of them placed side by side, and I picked up on so many new things after reading this the second time around at a slower pace.

The characters are so beautifully tragic. Ronan is bursting with secrets that are destroying him, Adam is doing everything to change the path predestined for him, and Gansey is hunting desperately to unravel the mystery that will finally give his life meaning. There's just something so human about how broken these boys are which makes their story so enthralling.

Everything about The Dream Thieves screams excitement and adventure. The characters, the antagonists, the story, the mythology - I'm in love with it all.


Diversity Note - features a gay protagonist.

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