Review Detail

Excuse my theatrics, but I want to marry and have children with this book.
Maggie Stiefvater's "Raven Boys" sequel "The Dream Thieves" hasn't just got the most awesome title in the whole history of anticipated sequels, but it also properly delivers. It's an uplifting, yet eerie conundrum of point of views, a mix of light and dark places, and it completely manages to effortlessly suck you into the magical world of Henrietta and Blue and her Raven Boys once more.
"The Dream Thieves" picks up where its predecessor left us hanging, coaxing us into the quest for Glendower on a hot and sweaty summer's day. I did not think this book’s magic was able to get more powerful, but it most certainly did, especially with adding more of Ronan’s point of view to the story. There’s still the humour I so loved with the first book, but it’s going to darker places with a more proper introduction to Ronan’s and his brothers psyches, and his relationship with Aglionby Academy student/criminal Kavinsky. Stiefvater manages to paint a fine line between the lighter and darker thoughts of her characters, even more so with a new villain, the ominously named The Gray Man, a nameless hitman who’s out for the Greywaren and his dream objects.
There’s a decent amount of romance going on (as much as I love the Gansey/Blue relationship, it’s definitely and thankfully not just about them); what stands out about this sequel is that it puts the quest’s darker side to the foreground, and the doubts and insecurities this adventure brings out in our characters. There’s tumult for everyone - Blue’s own search for her something more, Adam’s dealing with the consequences of his choices from the first book, Noah’s longing for liveness, Gansey’s fear of losing his friends and himself in the process of finding his Welsh King, and of course Ronan’s job to keep his brothers safe from his ever-unravelling history and present.
“The Dream Thieves“, even though it can be downright depressing at some points, always manages to keep up that peacefulness that “The Raven Boys“ set out on. It’s still a hopeful story of friendship and loyalty, highlighting real struggles that every relationship would deal with. Once more, the prose is incredible, hilarious at one point, and then hounding the next, creating some serious tension that will keep you from putting this down once you’ve started. The characters remain real and vulnerable, but their struggles and how they ultimately live up to them or not are fascinating to observe. This book is a big puzzle box when it comes to twists and turns, so be prepared for Cabeswater and some serious power blackouts and surges in both the plot and our five favourite characters lives!