Review: The Dream Thieves

Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

***Warning: SPOILERS for The Raven Boys!***

Ronan Lynch has the unusual ability to steal objects from his dreams. This doesn’t seem very strange to his group of friends, but then, they’re not exactly normal either. Gansey is obsessed with finding the medieval Welsh king Owen Glendower, Adam has made a strange bargain with a magical forest, Noah is a ghost, and Blue lives in a house full of psychics. Although they’re all working together on the Glendower quest, Ronan is more preoccupied with his own talent and how it might be linked to his family’s past. He’s also being drawn into the orbit of another Raven Boy with a bad reputation and a reckless thirst for danger. But the greatest threat of all seems to come from the sinister Grey Man, who is hunting for something — or someone — that can bridge the gap between dreams and reality. Only Ronan’s friends stand between him and the darkness that awaits…who will prevail?

While I enjoyed The Raven Boys when I first read it, I wasn’t completely sure that I cared enough about the story or characters to continue with the series. This book, however, sold me; I’m now committed to reading the entire series as it comes out. Stiefvater is an excellent writer, with a sparse yet poetic way of describing things that I really admire. Also, since this is book #2 in the series, the characters and world have already been established, so there’s an opportunity to dig deeper into Ronan’s and his friends’ backstories. It doesn’t hurt that this book features Ronan heavily; he’s definitely my favorite of the Raven Boys, and his story arc in this book is compelling. I can’t wait to see what happens to him and the other characters as the series continues!