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A review by humanmosquito
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
(Warning for minor spoilers)
It had the same charm as Umbrella Academy s2—the plot could get a little “eh” at times but they’re doing the stupid things as siblings now.
The Dreamer Trilogy is darker than its predecessor but that doesn’t take from its charms. It splits its focus between three semi-separate plot lines (following the Lynches, Hennessy and Farooq-Lane)
On the Lynches front, I’ll admit I was not expecting to love Declan as much as I did here, Stiefvater did a good job of humanising him in the eyes of both his brother and the reader, continuing on from The Raven King.
Ronan spends his entire page time trying to find another dreamer and being very in love. (which is very funky of him) He’s a lot more ready to, or is working through his trauma and he’s grown up a lot in the gap between The Raven Cycle and The Dreamer Trilogy.
Matthew, a fairly minor character has a realistic reaction to finallyfinding out he is a dream and I hope he has a proper arc/existential crisis coming to terms with it (that’s sounds cruel, I just want him to be fleshed out.)
On the Jordan/Hennessy side of things, I thought Stiefvater conveyed Hennessy’s fear. She’s a character I didn’t fall in love with but do solidly like. Jordan however, embodies Hennessy’s frustration and her arc ofwanting to break away and form her own life Was relatable, though overshadowed by Hennessy and Declan’s arcs. (I’m desperately hoping she doesn’t just become a tool for Declan’s character development. I’ve had enough of the “woc helps white boy fix himself” trope for three lifetimes)
Farooq-Lane’s role seemed fairly pointless until about halfway through and she doesn’t even meet any of the other main/supporting characters until a dream (I think) at the very end of the book. She’s the sister of a dreamer and works for an organisation that hunts them down but she’s unsure of her place in it. Can’t wait for the part of the next book where she breaks free with help from her love interest.
Once again I love how Stiefvater writes romance, it’s sweet and has actual chemistry instead of the weird and creepy “passion” of the other big YA writers (although I think this is NA?).
It had the same charm as Umbrella Academy s2—the plot could get a little “eh” at times but they’re doing the stupid things as siblings now.
The Dreamer Trilogy is darker than its predecessor but that doesn’t take from its charms. It splits its focus between three semi-separate plot lines (following the Lynches, Hennessy and Farooq-Lane)
On the Lynches front, I’ll admit I was not expecting to love Declan as much as I did here, Stiefvater did a good job of humanising him in the eyes of both his brother and the reader, continuing on from The Raven King.
Ronan spends his entire page time trying to find another dreamer and being very in love. (which is very funky of him) He’s a lot more ready to, or is working through his trauma and he’s grown up a lot in the gap between The Raven Cycle and The Dreamer Trilogy.
Matthew, a fairly minor character has a realistic reaction to finally
On the Jordan/Hennessy side of things, I thought Stiefvater conveyed Hennessy’s fear. She’s a character I didn’t fall in love with but do solidly like. Jordan however, embodies Hennessy’s frustration and her arc of
Farooq-Lane’s role seemed fairly pointless until about halfway through and she doesn’t even meet any of the other main/supporting characters until a dream (I think) at the very end of the book. She’s the sister of a dreamer and works for an organisation that hunts them down but she’s unsure of her place in it. Can’t wait for the part of the next book where she breaks free with help from her love interest.
Once again I love how Stiefvater writes romance, it’s sweet and has actual chemistry instead of the weird and creepy “passion” of the other big YA writers (although I think this is NA?).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Death