Sunday, November 24, 2013

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

I received this in exchange for an honest review.

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)

 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.



16 comments:

  1. Oh I think I'll have to check out this series. I haven't read any Maggie Stiefvater yet. Late to the party, as always :P

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  2. I loved The Dream Thieves - more than The Raven Boys. I recently listened to it on audiobook as a reread and ended up loving it even more. Maggie Stiefvater's books translate very well to audio. A bit off topic, but I just started listening to Sabriel on audiobook as a reread. Tim Curry!!

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  3. I liked the The Raven Boys better, I just totally surprised on the author decided to reroute temporarily the plot and focused on one aspect at a time. I do like Adam as well, I feel for this guy, for some reason, I get him. And that's also what I love about Gansey & Blue's romance, it unfolds in a fluid pace. I hope the next books make you swoon. I want to see you swoon, haha. xD

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  4. Yeah I really want to reread this...I'm feeling a little stuck at the moment I've been SO busy that I just don't feel like coming up with discussion posts so reviews have been more of a I need to get this done and less enjoying of the book, so I think that was a factor in my disconnect. So I will definitely be rereading this!


    AND OH MY GOD WHAT??!? I need this! In fact, I might go get that now! Does he narrate all three books or just the first one? It sounds so amazing ahhhhhh

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  5. I need to swoon over this! I feel so left out :( I think Noah was my favourite character in this book, but I definitely didn't get nearly as annoyed with Adam as most people were! And I agree it felt a little weird she changed her perspective - I don't think that I disliked it per se, I think it just took me a little longer than usual to change gears

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  6. RIGHT?!?! I've been wanting to reread that series for a long time, but rereads cut into new books so I'm always torn. So when I found out Tim Freakin' Curry was the narrator, I was all over it. Looks like he narrates all three! I seriously recommend listening to The Dream Thieves on audio too as a reread. It made me appreciate the book in a completely different way than just reading it. And I understood it so much better too. OH! And I just finished Abarat and will start the sequel tomorrow.

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  7. I've got a free credit on Audible at the moment (I forgot to cancel my subscription..I guess taht's not really free haha) I was going to use it on my mom...but Tim Curry! And one of my favourite series! I might try The Dream Thieves on audio if I can finish my current audio book and decide it's manageable - I get really impatient because it takes so long! I'm used to reading a book in one sitting and audiobooks take FOREVER. I tried listening to the one I have now in one sitting...I got a headache haha. Yayayay! Abarat!

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  8. kirstymariejonesstudioreadsNovember 26, 2013 at 1:10 PM

    I am doing a quick skip through, since I haven't read it yet, though I've had it on my shelf since it came out, kind of like Untold, ( I know, I know, don't shout at me) I am a total Gansey/Blue shipper. So, that scene that shall not be mentioned.... Just answer this, as a Gansey/Blue shipper, will it make me happy? :D Ahh, crap, I don't know if I want to know, I will not read them until the series is finished. I will not, I will not, I will not. :(

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  9. I keep hearing such good things about this series. I really need to check it out!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  10. kirstymariejonesstudioreadsNovember 28, 2013 at 7:35 PM

    Haha, that's mean. :( That's why I do it, if I don't read it, nothings happened yet, and no wait. Though, I have no idea why I buy them when they come out since I'm not reading them, torture, I tell you. They keep staring at me.

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  11. Yeah that's most of my bookshelves too haha...Creepy eyesssss

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  12. kirstymariejonesstudioreadsNovember 30, 2013 at 11:19 AM

    I had the half a face/creepy one eye cover of
    Old Magic by Marianne Curley, I hid it in my old vinyl box because it gave me the creeps. It's still there.

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  13. I had to look that cover up...so creepy! One day you will have to face this cover. Or you'll forget and some poor innocent looking through your things will get an unpleasant surprise haha

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  14. I refuse to tell you! It's revenge for not reading Untold yet mwahahahaha


    (Although I totally wait to read sequels until the series is finished. Then you don't have to go crazy waiting!)

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  15. Don't worry I only just got into the series so I was pretty late too haha

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  16. You definitely should, I loved the series and I don't know a single blogger who's read the series and disliked them

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