The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) - Maggie Stiefvater

I received this in exchange for an honest review.

 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...

Notable quotes:

First let me say this book is so freaking quotable!  So I'll limit it to two.  And the one in the next section totally isn't cheating

In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them.  Their magic.  Their quest.  Their awfulness and strangeness.  Her raven boys.

The Gray Man had been called effervescent, once, in an article.  He was fairly certain it was because he had very straight teeth.  Even teeth seemed to be a prerequisite for effervescence. 

Thoughts

What can I say about this series that hasn't been said before?  Seriously, look for a review of this and everyone is RAVING about how awesome it is!  So don't just take my word for it.  Take the words of Nafiza, Gillian, or Mitchii, or just google a review of it!  In fact go read one or all of those reviews, and then come back to me because it covers pretty much everything I don't feel like talking about because I've read it over and over on so many blogs.  To sum it up, basically this is a great series, the characters are wonderfully well rounded, I still love the mythology.  Basically I loved everything I loved before.  Now go read all those other reviews for details.

I wish I hadn't heard so much hype from this.  I tried so hard not to pay attention because I didn't want to be disappointed!  And I wasn't - I don't want you to take that from this review at all!  It was a perfectly wonderful book...it was exactly what I expected.  Which is good.  But I think if I hadn't heard so many things about this book (seriously I think every blog I follow has reviewed this), then I would be one of people out there going fangirl crazy.  I'll also say that I really want to reread this (and I might) back to back with The Raven Boys.  I had a hard time disengaging my brain while reading this because I was waiting to see certain events unfold, so I couldn't lose myself as deeply in the story either, which was a shame.

I feel like I'm in an alternate universe because I don't feel the same way as everyone else about the characters! (Other than that I love them, just for different reasons)  Honestly, I feel for Adam - I get his reasons.  I think he might be too stubborn for his own good at times, but I understand wanting to do things on his own and needing to prove himself.   I do not, however, get Ronan's.  Why exactly is a Greywaren more special than any normal person who can take things out of a dream?   AND WHY IS HE SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME?  I also have a hard time picturing him for some reason...although with a description like this, I don't know how:

The three brothers were nothing if not handsome copies of their father, although each flattered a different side of Niall.  Declan had the same way of taking a room and shaking its hand.  Matthew's curls were netted with Niall's charm and humor.  And Ronan was everything that was left"  molten eyes and a smile made for war.

I mean that is a seriously swoon-worthy image!  Perhaps I can't make him super attractive in my head the way he's described because the angriness gets in the way.  I'm not saying I dislike Ronan - I don't.  I just don't understand why everyone obsesses over him!  Honestly my take from the book is that Ronan is a boy I would stay far, far away from and that Noah is a sweet adorable boy who I very much wish was alive.  That snowglobe scene was so cute!  Pretty much any scene with Noah is going to have serious 'awww' moments.  Actually I very much like Ronan and Noah together - they seem to bring out the good parts in each other.  Speaking of Ronan and other people...I also didn't really understand Kavinsky.  Why does he want Ronan to like him so badly?  And speaking of that - serious spoiler alert: Is Ronan gay?  Is that what was implied or am I completely making that up?  MUST KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS!  I mean in the grand scheme of things, that's low on the list of mysteries I need the answers to, but still!*end spoilers*  For some reason I still don't have a good handle on Ronan and it bothers me!!  Especially since this book is all about him!  I am definitely rereading this *grumbles with frustration and questions*

I also don't seem to get the Gansey/Blue shipping like everyone else. Again, it's not that I don't like them or I don't want them to be together...I just.. I dunno.  It doesn't make me go OH MY GOD I NEED THIS!  I like that Blue approaches Gansey as a love interest slowly and lets the acknowledgment unfold slowly...but at same time it doesn't make me swoony.  (Well ok.  That one scene which shall not be mentioned because of spoilers...OH MY GOD YES.  That is what I need in my life!)  I guess because I'm not feeling tension between them ... on second thought totally scratch that.  It's totally there.  There is just something broken inside me!

Moral of the story:  Elizabeth is going to go read these books back to back and will go under a Raven Boys transformation of fangirling.