A Review of The Dream Thieves

After their encounter in Cabeswater, Blue and her new misfit friends from Aglionby Academy, can't quite move on. Gansey is more determined than ever in his quest for Glendower, Adam is become more sullen and removed from his group. Blue is struggling to figure out how she feels about Gansey, Adam and all the events happening around her. And Ronan's dreams are becoming more aggressive and more vivid with every passing day. 

The Dream Thieves is the second book in the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. I read and reviewed The Raven Boys, the first book in the series a few months back. I really enjoyed the first book and was disappointment when it ended. I was looking forwarded to seeing what Blue and the other characters were up to next so I'm excited that I was able to read this book so soon. 

The plot picks up almost exactly where it left off in the last book. This makes sense, as the characters on a definite one-year timeline  for the end of the series. I'm always relieved when things books start this way, as I worry that with time passing, I'll have missed out on events that the author decides only need to be covered via summary. I often disagree... However, with the book picking up exactly where it left off, with a little help, I was able to easily jump back into the series after being away from it for a while.

The new elements introduced in the plot were often unexpected, but a welcome change. The entire story in the last book focuses on Glendower and many o the new plot elements in this book feel unrelated. At times I'm relieved for the change of subject, as it's fun to learn new things and experience new events rather than having an author just rewrite the previous events. Other times, I was frustrated that the plot wasn't moving along faster. It's very possible that everything that happens in this book is directly related to the plot, though it sometimes doesn't feel that way, but I won't know for sure until I finish the series. 

While most of the first book was in Blue's perspective, the second book definitely switches to Ronan's perspective. I guessed somewhat that the book would focus more on Ronan, based on the title, but I didn't expect the entire tone of the book to change as much as it did. Blue was inquisitive, sarcastic, sometimes comical but mostly eager and made for a lovable focal character. Ronan is more guarded and difficult to read, making this book more detached from the last one. It also makes for a significantly darker book. I'm not sure which tone I like better for the story, but it was certainly an abrupt change so early in the series. 

The Dream Thieves is the second book in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle series. This book is darker and much different than the first book, The Raven Boys. I definitely enjoyed the plot of this book, but it feels like it deviates often from the original story. I'm looking forward to seeing if everything eventually comes together at the end of the series and will definitely be reading the next book in the series.