Saturday 24 August 2013

Review & Giveaway: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater


The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stifvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication date: September 17th 2013
My rating: 4.5 stars 





The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

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...


My Thoughts:
I loved The Raven Boys with its intricate plot, many characters, and beautiful writing.  The Dream Thieves is all of that and more.  It takes the story up a few notches in just about every way.

There are a few plot threads happening at the same time and I won’t go into detail on any one of them, but the gist of the main ones are: Ronan and his ability to take things out of dreams, the Gray May and his pursuit of the Graywaren, and the continuing search for Glendower.

Ronan, his power and family history play a major role in the story and I was excited to have the mystery behind his family and situation revealed.  However, I still feel a disconnect with Ronan and at this point he is still a lesser character to me. 

I feel the story focused more on Gansey, Blue and Adam, which was fine with me.  Actually, I’d be fine if it centered mostly on Gansey and Blue because Adam has become a bit of a thorn in my side. His pride, anger and bitterness just started to tick me off after a while. There’s always a chip on his shoulder and I just don’t understand why he couldn’t accept some help from his friends. That what friends do for each other, they help!

Gansey and Blue are the two characters that I’m most invested in, and THEIR story comes a long way.  The romance is a subtle, yet constant component of the plot, and I gloried in every small bit!! I was picking apart and holding onto every glance, sentence, and interaction!  Two complications loom over their romance.  First, the psychic prediction that Blue’s kiss will kill her true love and then the fact that Gansey appeared on the corpse road when Blue first spied him, and that most of the time means death within the year.  And yet, I can’t help but root for them every step of the way!  There must be a way around these complications!

I loved the sequel in the Raven Cycle, it surpassed my expectations!  Maggie’s writing has a way of breathing life into every character, and making them come alive!  The secondary characters were a treat because they were made interesting, real and very entertaining!  Blue’s psychic family is a crack up at every turn!  Even Chainsaw, the dream raven, was enchanting and I loved every scene she was a part of. 

If you were a fan of the first book, The Dream Thieves is a must read!  It's one to savor and spend time with.  Now the only problem is the wait I have for the next book!  







As a show of appreciation for our lovely readers I’m giving away my ARC copy of The Dream Thieves.  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  Good luck and thanks for visiting The Readers Den.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

58 comments:

Tanja - Tanychy said...

Goodreads doesn't allow me to like your review there :( Anyhow I'm so happy to hear this. I'm really afraid that I won't be able to remember some important things from The Raven Boys but if Maggie did what she does the best I know that that won't be a problem. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one and I can't wait to read it. Great review Rachel :)

Siiri said...

RONAR RONAN RONAN *chants* I'm so intrigued by his character and the ending of The Raven Boys? KILLER! ;)

I can't wait to get me some more Gansey and Blue. As you said, Adam is just a party pooper at this point. He is a good friend and a decent guy, yes, but all his melodramatic behaviour and 'I don't want your help, my best friends' is driving me nuts, to say the least. Pride is one of the 7 deadly sins for a reason...

And yes, writing is definitely something Maggie excels in :) I agree--her characters really come to life and speak to us in a way that not many authors can portray.

AHHHHHH I WANT THIS BOOK BAD. What have you done to me, Rachel? How can I ever survive and wait for this pretty to come out?!??! :)

You want me to pick a favorite? Well.. I fell in love with her writing in Shiver. I seriously loved that book. I loved The Raven Boys as well so I can't pick a favorite out of these two:) That'd be unfair.

Tanja - Tanychy said...

ps I can't pick only one because I really love The Wolves of Mercy Falls series :) Thanks for the giveaway :)

Unknown said...

Lament is my favorite! Faeries is my thing. I really want to win this. Thanks for the chance to win

-Dannielle

Unknown said...

The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Zemira said...

I need to re-read The Raven Boys before picking up The Dream Thieves. Like Tanja, I don't remember much.

My favorite Stiefvater's book is Linger. I still haven't read The Scorpio Races but it does seem interesting too.

Melanie said...

Like I mentioned on GR, I really think picking up TRB is a good idea- the rave reviews I've seen on this book has me tempted.

Great review, hon! <33

PuttPutt1198Eve said...

Loved The Scorpio Races!

Cherry said...

I like Shiver so I bought Linger audiobook from iTunes when it first came out. My iTunes got updated shortly after that and erased my copy of Linger. I never finished listening to Linger. It is probably good too!

Vegan YA Nerds said...

I was SO excited this at BEA but I still have not read it because I wanted to save it. But screw that, you have me so excited to read this, Rach!

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

I only skimmed your review Rachel as I don't want to know too much about this book, but I'm so glad to see you enjoyed it overall! I think I might be most invested in Gansey and Blue too, so I'm a little nervous about Adam's role in this book, but I'm still really looking forward to giving it a read. Thanks so much for the giveaway! I think my favourite MS book is The Scorpio Races, followed closely by The Raven Boys. :)

Unknown said...

I loved The Scorpio Races! =)

nurmawati djuhawan said...

my fave is SHIVER...
thx u ;)

Margay Leah Justice said...

I loved The Raven Boys, but Shiver was good, too.

Unknown said...

My favourite is definitely the Raven Boys. Interesting story and characters, very different from other YA novels out there. Can't wait for The Dream Thieves !

Unknown said...

My favourite is definitely the Raven Boys. Interesting story and characters, very different from other YA novels out there. Can't wait for The Dream Thieves !

RIN said...

Raven Boys was my favorite, though I really liked The Scorpio Races as well. I wasn't a fan of the Wolves of Mercy Falls books...

Brynna

Keertana said...

I've heard nothing but great things about this one, so I'm excited to see that it surpassed your expectations, Rachel! I love Gansey and Blue and am thrilled to see their romance take off. It is a little disappointing that Adam becomes a bit of an annoyance, especially since I loved him, but all in all, I can't wait to read this! Lovely review, dear!(:

MåїÐ»-(¯`v´¯)-» said...

I have The Raven Boys sitting on my shelf and I can't wait to pick it up and see what all the hype is about. I have heard nothing but amazing things about it, and I can't wait to meet Blue and Gansey and Adam and the rest of the cast! Plus, I am very curious about the romance in this one, no matter how little! I can't wait to start this series! Awesome review, Rachel! :D

~ Maida
Literary Love Affair 

Roxy said...

My fave Maggie book? Definitely The Raven Boys! I don't know why more people don't love it as much as I did! Thanks for a great giveaway!!!

Jess said...

I'm so excited for this book! Thank you for another amazing giveaway! My favourite Maggie book would have to be Shiver because it made me sob like a baby! So happy to hear this surpassed your expectations, Rachel. Your review has me even more excited to read it!

Carina Olsen said...

Yesss. Glad you loved it :D And ahh. Blue and Gansey! LOVE them. Dying to read The Dream Thieves. Loved The Raven Boys so much. But oh. I kind of disliked Adam a lot in book one. He was just not very nice to Gansey at all. Sniffs. Sad that he does not get better. Still, more love for Gansey :) Thank you for perfect giveaway as well. <3 Loved your review :)

Carina Olsen said...

Ohh, forgot to mention. The Scorpio Races is my favorite <3 which is also one of the best books EVER.

Gaby Pendragon said...

Mmmm I think Shiver is my favorite, though The Raven Boys is so awesome too! Maggie es such in incredible author.

Unknown said...

I actually havent gotten around to reading any of her books yet.. I have all but the first in the Shiver series and my niece has The Raven Boys that i need to borrow soon..

Amanda said...

I LOVE the scorpio races!!

Ellie said...

I Really adore The Raven Boys because Bromance is the best thing ever. But I also love The Scorpio Races!

erin said...

haven't read any of Maggie's books yet so I would love a chance ;)

88dreamers said...

I read the Wolves of Mercy Falls books and really enjoyed them, I'd love to read more of her books in the near future

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Thanks!

Stitchin in the Sip said...

The Raven Boys is my fav. Love all the characters.

Mary Preston said...

THE RAVEN BOYS is my favorite - so far.

Basma said...

I read Shiver and Linger but I didn't really like them that much... *dodged bullet*. I decided to give good old Maggie another chance and picked up The Raven Boys, and I have to say - it's my favourite so far. Thanks for asking.
:)

Anonymous said...

Ronan seems interesting! I just added the books of this series on my TBR. :)

Eunice said...

Even though I haven't read the first book yet I'm happy to see that the sequel turned out to be really good too. I have to get started on this series soon. Fantastic review as always, Rachel! :)

Jenny said...

YAY RACHEL! So glad you loved this one! I adored The Raven Boys but was so hoping this second book would touch on the romance a bit more as I felt that was lacking a bit in the first book. The synopsis of the Raven Boys was all talk about the prophecy about Blue and seeing Gansey in the cemetery, but the story itself barely focused on that, so I'm glad to hear that while still subtle, the romance is more present in this! WOO HOO!

Sandra @ Waiting For Wentworth said...

I love The Raven Boys so much! I can't wait to read The Dream Thieves. Thank you so much for your review and the giveaway.

brandileigh2003 said...

I need to start this one esp if it gets better as it goes

Krazzyme(Young Readers) said...

I'm halfway through the audiobook of the first book that's why I skimmed this review but it's great to see that the sequel is amazing

Maji Bookshelf said...

I skimmed through your review because I haven't read The Raven Boys, but I'm so glad that the sequel did not disappoint!! I always worry about that with sequels!
- Farah @ MajiBookshelf

Wendy Darling said...

I am averting my eyes because I am only halfway through THE DREAM THIEVES, but Rachel! YAY FOR 4.5 STARS! :D I will be back to compare notes.

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

It's so funny - I hated the Shiver series from Maggie, but I loved The Scorpio Races, and I really loved The Raven Boys. It's so fantastic to hear that this one really surpassed your expectations and avoided the curse of the sequels. Fantastic review, Rachel! :)

Christine said...

The Raven Boys is my favorite, followed by The Scorpio Races. But I love the Wolves of Mercy Falls series also :)
Basically, I just love Maggie!! Haha

Henrietta @ Leisure Reads said...

I haven't read the first book yet so I only skimmed your review. Thank you for sharing that you had a great time reading the story!

Chenise Jones said...

I absolutely adored The Scorpio Races! Amazing writing!

Lauren @ Love is not a triangle said...

This book and series is one that incites tremendous discussions, which is one of the reasons that I love it so much. I also enjoyed finding out about Ronan, and getting some headway in the Gansey/Blue relationship. Of course I'm fearful of how that will all end. BUT Maggie Stiefvater is a master at carefully paced romances, filled with lovely subtle scenes. I'm also really glad that we got some settling about Adam's direction in the story, and that this is moving away from a potential triangle. Glad you're loving these books too!

Kristia said...

The Scorpio Races is my favorite of hers! Thank you for the giveaway :)

Sara @ Forever 17 Books said...

I so cannot wait to read this soon! I like what you said about Gansey and Blue and the progression of their relationship. I'm starting to wonder though if a reread of The Raven Boys is necessary because I don't remember a lot. Hmm, anyways, so happy to hear how great this sequel was!

Cassandra! :D said...

I've only read The Raven Boys, but I really liked it :)

Unknown said...

Great review, Rachel. Can't wait to read this one.

Lavinyaa said...

You can't imagine how much I love Maggie.
I love The Wolves of Mercy Falls, I love the Raven Boys, I love Scorpio Races. She's good at writing and she's very cool.

My favorite probably is Shiver from the Wolves...

Unknown said...

Raven Boys

Natalie @Natflix&Books said...

My favorite was the Raven Boys. I can't wait to read the sequel. Thanks for the chance to win!

Szappanbubi said...

I love the whole Shive trilogy!!!! thanks

Unknown said...

I only read The Wolves of Mercy Falls series and loved it! I have been hearing so many great things about this new series, I really want to read it. As a matter of fact I'm going to the bookstore today to get The Raven Boys!

Tallulah A. Scribbles said...

My favorite book is SHIVER.

Thanks for hosting the giveaway! Fingers crossed to win.

courtney said...

My favourite was Shiver

Suz said...

I actually haven't read any of her books yet but have The Raven Boys in my TBR pile and I can't wait to read that one and The Dream Thieves! Thanks for this amazing giveaway - I would love to win!

Suz Reads

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