Scan barcode
gcarney15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
samt03's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Still one of my favourite books
fantasynovel's review against another edition
5.0
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If anything, I enjoyed this more than "The Raven Boys". "Dream Thieves" absolutely sunk into my heart.
Ronan: I believe there weren't any Ronan chapters in the first book, though I'd have to check to make sure, so we really get inside his head in a way we couldn't before. And I am so, so happy we do. I could read about Ronan drag racing all. Day. I would read an entire book where he and Kavinsky burn rubber. I could read about Ronan talking about how sexy cars are for years. And his second secret hit me hard. I need, need, need it to be realized. Oh, guys, I just love Ronan so much. I want him to be happy. Watching his tough interior be slowly chiseled away was just so compelling. Reading about his need to feel something seriously hooked me. Oh, Ronan, I love you so much.
Noah: He is an adorable squishy ball of deadness, and I love him to the ends of the earth and back. The kissing scene was the cutest thing I've ever had the pleasure to read. He's a relatively quiet character, almost forgettable, but the group sort of needs that. They need someone quieter to even them all out. And Noah and Ronan's friendship is goals. I love the scene where Ronan pushes him out the window . . . which seems weird to type, but it's one of the most adorable parts of the entire book. Any moment with Noah is adorable. Except when he relives his own death. That's sad.
Blue: Please don't stop talking about feminism because Gansey's being a dick, Blue! You deserve to have feminist opinions! It's not your fault Gansey is being insufferable! Blue is a fun, spunky character. She's a little too focused on being "special," but everyone goes through that phase, I guess. Also, her gift is so cool. Everyone keeps saying she's not psychic, but she can do things like make ghosts manifest and psychic powers stronger. I'm not so sure why she keeps calling herself "normal". She's a nice foil to the boys, and the break-down of her relationship with Adam was very nicely written. Plus, that Blue/Gansey moment where they rested their cheeks next to each other had me melting.
Gansey: I love Gansey, except when he mocks Blue for being a feminist. Plus, his whole tortured "I'm so privileged" thing is a teesny-weensy bit annoying. And I don't really like the message of "I must have all this wealth for a reason" as though wealthy people should be destined for greatness more than poor people. That's not a fault of the author, I think, but a fault of the character. It's a marker of his privilege. I love him, though. His dedication to the search for Glendower can be applied to the broader theme of need. I love the aesthetic of the journal he carries around. That's a lot of this book: aesthetic. But it's fun. And Gansey's search is fun, fun, fun. His drive speaks to me, although my drive is more like "do well in school or else!!!!!!!!" and his is more "gotta find this mystical king so I can realize my life".
Adam: The moments of violence disturbed me, but they're somewhat understandable considering his father. However, his father was probably abused too, and that doesn't give him a free pass to abuse Adam. I'm glad that Adam never turned his violence on another person physically, though. He managed to control it, which made me happy. I liked Adam more in the last book, though. He's a little too whiny in this book, even if it is understandable. And when he realizes his purpose at the end, there's this shift in the character, like he's growing up. I think I like grown-up Adam more than child Adam. And I do really like Adam. His heartbreak at the end of the book made my heart break. And his scene in Ronan's dream was terrifying. I love that kid. I love both of them.
Then there are the secondary players, like the Gray Man. The Gray Man wasn't boring, not at all, but I did kind of forget about him when he left the room, ironically enough. And his relationship with Maura seemed a little dangerous to me. No, scratch that, a lot dangerous. Maura! Babe! Get outta there!
I was happy to find out that Calla is a WOC, but annoyed that there's only one POC so far in this series. I love reading about WASPs a ton, but it would be fun to read about other people besides them. Even if Upper-Crest Protestants fascinate me to no end. I love reading about their parties and, I don't know, debutante balls. It's a fun time.
And did I mention how much I love 300 Fox Way? Because I love it. Generations of women psychics all living together??? Yes, please. Actually, thinking about it, I would love if Stiefvater included a trans woman in the house. I would support that inclusivity.
Oh, and Kavinsky. Kavinsky, Kavinsky, Kavinsky. Horribly abusive but so compelling to read about. The scenes with Ronan and the field of Mitsubishis was magical and deadly. I loved it. Kavinsky is the kind of character I love reading about but would absolutely not want to meet in real life.
Overall, this book rocked. I put the next book on hold at my library as soon as I finished it. I'm so, so excited to read it!
If anything, I enjoyed this more than "The Raven Boys". "Dream Thieves" absolutely sunk into my heart.
Ronan: I believe there weren't any Ronan chapters in the first book, though I'd have to check to make sure, so we really get inside his head in a way we couldn't before. And I am so, so happy we do. I could read about Ronan drag racing all. Day. I would read an entire book where he and Kavinsky burn rubber. I could read about Ronan talking about how sexy cars are for years. And his second secret hit me hard. I need, need, need it to be realized. Oh, guys, I just love Ronan so much. I want him to be happy. Watching his tough interior be slowly chiseled away was just so compelling. Reading about his need to feel something seriously hooked me. Oh, Ronan, I love you so much.
Noah: He is an adorable squishy ball of deadness, and I love him to the ends of the earth and back. The kissing scene was the cutest thing I've ever had the pleasure to read. He's a relatively quiet character, almost forgettable, but the group sort of needs that. They need someone quieter to even them all out. And Noah and Ronan's friendship is goals. I love the scene where Ronan pushes him out the window . . . which seems weird to type, but it's one of the most adorable parts of the entire book. Any moment with Noah is adorable. Except when he relives his own death. That's sad.
Blue: Please don't stop talking about feminism because Gansey's being a dick, Blue! You deserve to have feminist opinions! It's not your fault Gansey is being insufferable! Blue is a fun, spunky character. She's a little too focused on being "special," but everyone goes through that phase, I guess. Also, her gift is so cool. Everyone keeps saying she's not psychic, but she can do things like make ghosts manifest and psychic powers stronger. I'm not so sure why she keeps calling herself "normal". She's a nice foil to the boys, and the break-down of her relationship with Adam was very nicely written. Plus, that Blue/Gansey moment where they rested their cheeks next to each other had me melting.
Gansey: I love Gansey, except when he mocks Blue for being a feminist. Plus, his whole tortured "I'm so privileged" thing is a teesny-weensy bit annoying. And I don't really like the message of "I must have all this wealth for a reason" as though wealthy people should be destined for greatness more than poor people. That's not a fault of the author, I think, but a fault of the character. It's a marker of his privilege. I love him, though. His dedication to the search for Glendower can be applied to the broader theme of need. I love the aesthetic of the journal he carries around. That's a lot of this book: aesthetic. But it's fun. And Gansey's search is fun, fun, fun. His drive speaks to me, although my drive is more like "do well in school or else!!!!!!!!" and his is more "gotta find this mystical king so I can realize my life".
Adam: The moments of violence disturbed me, but they're somewhat understandable considering his father. However, his father was probably abused too, and that doesn't give him a free pass to abuse Adam. I'm glad that Adam never turned his violence on another person physically, though. He managed to control it, which made me happy. I liked Adam more in the last book, though. He's a little too whiny in this book, even if it is understandable. And when he realizes his purpose at the end, there's this shift in the character, like he's growing up. I think I like grown-up Adam more than child Adam. And I do really like Adam. His heartbreak at the end of the book made my heart break. And his scene in Ronan's dream was terrifying. I love that kid. I love both of them.
Then there are the secondary players, like the Gray Man. The Gray Man wasn't boring, not at all, but I did kind of forget about him when he left the room, ironically enough. And his relationship with Maura seemed a little dangerous to me. No, scratch that, a lot dangerous. Maura! Babe! Get outta there!
I was happy to find out that Calla is a WOC, but annoyed that there's only one POC so far in this series. I love reading about WASPs a ton, but it would be fun to read about other people besides them. Even if Upper-Crest Protestants fascinate me to no end. I love reading about their parties and, I don't know, debutante balls. It's a fun time.
And did I mention how much I love 300 Fox Way? Because I love it. Generations of women psychics all living together??? Yes, please. Actually, thinking about it, I would love if Stiefvater included a trans woman in the house. I would support that inclusivity.
Oh, and Kavinsky. Kavinsky, Kavinsky, Kavinsky. Horribly abusive but so compelling to read about. The scenes with Ronan and the field of Mitsubishis was magical and deadly. I loved it. Kavinsky is the kind of character I love reading about but would absolutely not want to meet in real life.
Overall, this book rocked. I put the next book on hold at my library as soon as I finished it. I'm so, so excited to read it!
nadia32's review against another edition
4.0
Ronan kinda ate tbh. Such interesting “magic” system. I still think he’d be racist too.
The murder man- yeah he was an excellent character 10/10.
The murder man- yeah he was an excellent character 10/10.
rintintin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mariafontl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 stars.
After being pleasantly surprised by The raven boys, my expectations were quite high for the sequel. And those expectations were met in certain parts of the book.
It kept going from amazing to great and then to decent. It was never truly bad, though.
Let's start with the first half. I loved it. It reminded of how much I had missed the characters and how funny and interesting they are.
Right from the beginning there are lot of things going on. That's one of the things I dislike about this series. It gets very confusing and I didn't understand everything until I got to the last half of the book.
So many big things are happening - Ronan's nightmares, Glendower, The gray man.
This was one of the issues I had with [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370659760s/17675462.jpg|18970934], but I've gotten a little more used to it now and it's not a huge pet peeve of mine.
I didn't love any of the story lines in particular, but at the same time none of them felt like they were just thrown in there without any actual meaning.
They all felt necessary in the end and the way it all turned out was executed very well.
So Maggie Stiefvater still did a pretty good job there.
Yes, it got very confusing sometimes and that quite annoyed me. However, that's something I like about magic and unknown things in books. It doesn't have to make sense all the time, even though it can be irritating at times. As long as it's well written and it all comes together in the end, I can't complain.
The second half was fast paced and still good, but for some reason I lost interest in the story now and then.
I wish you would've gotten to read more from Blue's point of view. She is my favorite character and I also find that she is the most relatable of them all.
Even though there's a lot of Ronan in this book, I still couldn't connect with him and at the end of the book, I felt as if there were a lot more left of his backstory to explore. That's something I hope you get to see more of in the next two books.
Now on to the writing. It's unique and I think it's one of the best parts of the book.
I understand why not everyone likes it, it's difficult to get into it at first. Occasionally the writing threw me out of the story because of all the descriptions and I had to put it down. But once the book drew me in, I was stuck and couldn't stop reading.
Overall, this is a good sequel. Not as great as the first book, but definitely worth reading.
After being pleasantly surprised by The raven boys, my expectations were quite high for the sequel. And those expectations were met in certain parts of the book.
It kept going from amazing to great and then to decent. It was never truly bad, though.
Let's start with the first half. I loved it. It reminded of how much I had missed the characters and how funny and interesting they are.
Right from the beginning there are lot of things going on. That's one of the things I dislike about this series. It gets very confusing and I didn't understand everything until I got to the last half of the book.
So many big things are happening - Ronan's nightmares, Glendower, The gray man.
This was one of the issues I had with [b:The Raven Boys|17675462|The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370659760s/17675462.jpg|18970934], but I've gotten a little more used to it now and it's not a huge pet peeve of mine.
I didn't love any of the story lines in particular, but at the same time none of them felt like they were just thrown in there without any actual meaning.
They all felt necessary in the end and the way it all turned out was executed very well.
So Maggie Stiefvater still did a pretty good job there.
Yes, it got very confusing sometimes and that quite annoyed me. However, that's something I like about magic and unknown things in books. It doesn't have to make sense all the time, even though it can be irritating at times. As long as it's well written and it all comes together in the end, I can't complain.
The second half was fast paced and still good, but for some reason I lost interest in the story now and then.
I wish you would've gotten to read more from Blue's point of view. She is my favorite character and I also find that she is the most relatable of them all.
Even though there's a lot of Ronan in this book, I still couldn't connect with him and at the end of the book, I felt as if there were a lot more left of his backstory to explore. That's something I hope you get to see more of in the next two books.
Now on to the writing. It's unique and I think it's one of the best parts of the book.
I understand why not everyone likes it, it's difficult to get into it at first. Occasionally the writing threw me out of the story because of all the descriptions and I had to put it down. But once the book drew me in, I was stuck and couldn't stop reading.
Overall, this is a good sequel. Not as great as the first book, but definitely worth reading.