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onefineelephant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
I am obsessed with how the author writes. Love the concept and execution. Incredible subtle references to Ronan's secret(s). I adore how the author subtly foreshadows things and yet also surprises me constantly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
lindseyrenee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Blue is fine I guess, this book didn’t do much for her other than a make out session with Noah and proclaiming her feelings to gansey. The grey man was a nice character who really grew on me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping and Suicide attempt
julesloyola's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
myarae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
keen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence and Torture
baladric's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THE DREAM THIEVES delves into Ronan's nightmares as the raven boys (and Blue) adjust to the changes in Cabeswater after their previous adventures. Secrets can kill. Some already have.
The characters are broken and messy, trying to help each other in their various pursuits but not always getting it right. I like the shift in focus from the first book. I especially like getting a lot more of Ronan, in a lot of important ways this is his book just like THE RAVEN BOYS was Gansey’s book.
One thing this series does very well and this book continues is portraying antagonists in a way that makes them at the very least understandable, if not outright sympathetic. I came away with a much more nuanced dislike of a particular villain, and I’m really liking a different one who thus far seems to be pulling off a heel-face turn.
The world-building is a bit lopsided, it's very focused on the characters and the way that the magic affects them but it leaves even more unexplained. It makes up for it by delving into their inner lives in a very intimate way, exploring the nuances of them as people both individually and with each other. It takes seriously the idea that people are a bit different around various combinations of other people, and uses that to heighten and dissipate tension throughout the story. The Raven Boys are the Raven Boys, Blue is Blue, while everything and everyone else matter only as much as they intersects with their lives. No more, and no less. It has a feeling of extreme focus, like nothing else in the world matters to them and their story, with all its complications and obsessions, is all there is.
This wraps up a very major thing left hanging from the first book. Its main storyline was teased earlier but a secondary plot begins here and wasn't present previously. Several major things are introduced and resolved in this book. It left some things hanging to be resolved later. There's a mix of returning and new narrators, and their voices are very distinct from each other and from different narrators in the first book. Some of the plot would make sense without having read the first book, but as a whole this definitely needs the first book and couldn't stand alone if someone read it at random.
I have a couple quibbles related to characterization, but given that the overall arc of this series is that people start out mixed up and confused and bumping against each other‘s hurt edges and then gradually try to get better, it makes it hard to know whether a couple of my sticking points are on purpose or if they are artifacts of unintentional bigotry. Something that was briefly in THE RAVEN BOYS but returns here is the idea that a particular character is beautiful... except for her large nose. Since the book does go out of its way to make a point of addressing stereotypes that lie adjacent to this one and calling them out as harmful, I don’t know what to think about this moment, but it made me uneasy.
Overall I loved this as a continuation of the series but it's definitely a middle-of-the-series book (and it shows). The plot manages to be almost self-contained in its scope but utterly reliant on the first book for its foundation and backstory to sustain its emotional core. The growth and change that happens here is so wonderful because the first book had something else, something harsher, ill-fitting, and tense running through it. The release of that tension and exploration of the characters is fantastic because of how they were before, while also being utterly consistent with them as people. It's progression rather than revision, and done wonderfully.
The characters are broken and messy, trying to help each other in their various pursuits but not always getting it right. I like the shift in focus from the first book. I especially like getting a lot more of Ronan, in a lot of important ways this is his book just like THE RAVEN BOYS was Gansey’s book.
One thing this series does very well and this book continues is portraying antagonists in a way that makes them at the very least understandable, if not outright sympathetic. I came away with a much more nuanced dislike of a particular villain, and I’m really liking a different one who thus far seems to be pulling off a heel-face turn.
The world-building is a bit lopsided, it's very focused on the characters and the way that the magic affects them but it leaves even more unexplained. It makes up for it by delving into their inner lives in a very intimate way, exploring the nuances of them as people both individually and with each other. It takes seriously the idea that people are a bit different around various combinations of other people, and uses that to heighten and dissipate tension throughout the story. The Raven Boys are the Raven Boys, Blue is Blue, while everything and everyone else matter only as much as they intersects with their lives. No more, and no less. It has a feeling of extreme focus, like nothing else in the world matters to them and their story, with all its complications and obsessions, is all there is.
This wraps up a very major thing left hanging from the first book. Its main storyline was teased earlier but a secondary plot begins here and wasn't present previously. Several major things are introduced and resolved in this book. It left some things hanging to be resolved later. There's a mix of returning and new narrators, and their voices are very distinct from each other and from different narrators in the first book. Some of the plot would make sense without having read the first book, but as a whole this definitely needs the first book and couldn't stand alone if someone read it at random.
I have a couple quibbles related to characterization, but given that the overall arc of this series is that people start out mixed up and confused and bumping against each other‘s hurt edges and then gradually try to get better, it makes it hard to know whether a couple of my sticking points are on purpose or if they are artifacts of unintentional bigotry. Something that was briefly in THE RAVEN BOYS but returns here is the idea that a particular character is beautiful... except for her large nose. Since the book does go out of its way to make a point of addressing stereotypes that lie adjacent to this one and calling them out as harmful, I don’t know what to think about this moment, but it made me uneasy.
Overall I loved this as a continuation of the series but it's definitely a middle-of-the-series book (and it shows). The plot manages to be almost self-contained in its scope but utterly reliant on the first book for its foundation and backstory to sustain its emotional core. The growth and change that happens here is so wonderful because the first book had something else, something harsher, ill-fitting, and tense running through it. The release of that tension and exploration of the characters is fantastic because of how they were before, while also being utterly consistent with them as people. It's progression rather than revision, and done wonderfully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
CW for homophobic slurs.gothicmoon's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Same writing quality and better characterisation for Ronan, Noah (in the beginning), and further explorations of Gansey, Blue, and Adam. However, between Kavinsky's constant (and purposeful) misogynistic comments and Blue's own misogynistic thoughts at Orla... it takes away from the book. Also, the plot doesn't quite hold up, either. <spoiler)I don't understand how Ronan could've been meant to dream something to solve a problem he didn't know he had? The puzzle box ends up being more of a mcguffin than anything else. Also Ronans entire problem is simply because his dad is an ass and never thought him how to dream.
Another downfall is that I simply do not enjoy Gray Man pov.
Another downfall is that I simply do not enjoy Gray Man pov.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Torture
emkplatts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really felt a lot of emotion from this book. There was far more angst than the previous one. I didn't give it 5 ⭐ because it definitely felt like a transition book, where's as the first one seemed more fully formed. It was also more confusing and didn't hook me as quickly as the last one did. I totally LOVED Roman's character development in this one. I'm super hopeful for Adams character in the coming books. He was really difficult to read in this one, which I didn't like because he is usually sweet. Looking forward to the rest!
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
okays1331's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
I was so nervous that this wouldn't live up to the first book, but oh my goodness did it! I feel just like Blue does: “In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys.”
This book broke my heart over and over again each boy in turn and then Blue as well. Adam's fight against his upbringing not just his poverty but also the emotional baggage and legacy his father left with him. Ronan's soft spot for his brother and for his best friends and the haunting legacy and nightmares his father left him. The ending brought healing I didn't know was possible for them. I am so thrilled about where Ronan and Adam's character arcs are heading and terrified about the impending death of Gansey.
Ronan didn't try to kill himself in that suicide attempt. It was his dreams that tried to kill him. But then we find out his dream creatures are a reflection of him. Not only did he try to kill himself but he has tried over and over. He describes allowing himself the luxury of indulging in his self loathing at mass each Sunday as he prays "Please. What am I?" I'm not crying you're crying.
A sword is never a killer. It is a tool in the killers hand...
"It's only you... Why do you hate you?"
Ronan thought about it... Ronan stood up stretching out his arm like he would to Chainsaw. "I don't" And he woke up.
Read through Number 4: I love these books so much. Every time I read through, I find new details that set fire to my heart and add another layer to the already miles deep world. I have become as in love with each of the characters as Blue is. Every moment and emotion is electric and so deep and vast it is physically painful for the boys and for Blue and for the Grey Man and for Kavinsky. In this book, the wildness and barely contained rage, joy, wanting, and loneliness simmers right at the surface for them all.
This was not Gansey as usual. This was Gansey with a lofty tilt to his chin. A condescending quirk to his mouth. A Gansey that was aware that no matter what went down here tonight he would still go back to Monmouth Manufacturing and rule his particular corner of the world. This was a Gansey, Ronan realized, that Adam would hate.
Ronan's lips curled into a smile. Fuck the past. This was the present.
He was a striking version of himself. A dangerous version of himself.
This book broke my heart over and over again each boy in turn and then Blue as well. Adam's fight against his upbringing not just his poverty but also the emotional baggage and legacy his father left with him. Ronan's soft spot for his brother and for his best friends and the haunting legacy and nightmares his father left him. The ending brought healing I didn't know was possible for them. I am so thrilled about where Ronan and Adam's character arcs are heading and terrified about the impending death of Gansey.
A sword is never a killer. It is a tool in the killers hand...
"It's only you... Why do you hate you?"
Ronan thought about it... Ronan stood up stretching out his arm like he would to Chainsaw. "I don't" And he woke up.
Read through Number 4: I love these books so much. Every time I read through, I find new details that set fire to my heart and add another layer to the already miles deep world. I have become as in love with each of the characters as Blue is. Every moment and emotion is electric and so deep and vast it is physically painful for the boys and for Blue and for the Grey Man and for Kavinsky. In this book, the wildness and barely contained rage, joy, wanting, and loneliness simmers right at the surface for them all.
This was not Gansey as usual. This was Gansey with a lofty tilt to his chin. A condescending quirk to his mouth. A Gansey that was aware that no matter what went down here tonight he would still go back to Monmouth Manufacturing and rule his particular corner of the world. This was a Gansey, Ronan realized, that Adam would hate.
Ronan's lips curled into a smile. Fuck the past. This was the present.
He was a striking version of himself. A dangerous version of himself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, and Suicide attempt