Maggie Stiefvater's second installment of her Raven Cycle series, The Dream Thieves was the answer to all my hopes and dreams this year. I will try not to be bias, but I love Stiefvater's world in this series. The characters are rich and well rounded, the drama is crucial to what is happening, and the ever evolving stories of the Raven Boys is some what addictive and exciting. Why were there not any Raven Boys leaving near me when I was Blue's age?
In the first book, The Raven Boys, the reader is introduced to Blue Sargent, daughter of the local psychic and completely devoid of any psychic ability, except that she can make others' energy stronger, she's like an antenna. Thrust into this world of Virgina old money and magic, the reader learns of the Aglionby Prep School for all the old money sons. Not only do we have the dynamic of the Southern blue blood versus the everyday person, but also MAGIC!!!
Our main characters are Gansey (old money/leader of group/obsessed with Ley Lines), Adam ("white trash" trying to get a better life), Ronan (old money/shark like), Noah ("smudgy"/never hungry/cold hands/shy) and finally Blue (will kill her true love with a kiss/antenna for psychic energy/the missing link to the group.) Blue unwittingly meets Gansey in the cemetery during St. Mark's night, where the soon to be deceased march along and Blue's mother or aunt record the names of those that will pass away in the up coming year. This creates a catalytic journey in figuring out if Blue has something to do with Gansey's death or if there is something bigger going on.
The second book, The Dream Thieves, delves even further focusing on another one of our Raven Boys, Ronan Lynch. (I just smiled like a shark, or the Grinch just typing his name.) Ronan is by far the best bad boy character out there. He boxes, he looks like a shark, and he has a pet crow... named Chainsaw. Come on, you know you kind of love him too. Ronan has been hiding something from us, from everyone. Something that might have killed his father, that could be the reason why Ronan and his brothers are not allowed back home, something that could become very useful to Gansey's quest.
"He shuffled the keys from dream to memory and back again, and then he closed his palm around them. He felt teh soft leather and the worn edge of the fob; the cold metal of the ring and the trunk key; the thin, sharp promise of the ignition key between his fingers.
Then he woke up.
When he opened his hand, the keys lay in his palm. Dream to reality.
This was his thrid secret."
Bam! I just told you the secret... not the whole story, and that secret is delivered very, very early on, so don't fret. Ronan is an interesting character and the story behind his father and his family is positively awesome. As amazing as he is and his story, Ronan is not the only one with this capability so watch out for that surprise. Also, be on the edge of your seats for more Blue/Adam/Gansey drama. Blue still has the curse, thus far, but things are getting semi-serious with Adam, so why is she noticing Gansey in a new light? And who gets kissed in this book?... dun dun dun!
To repeat a sentiment from a blogger/reviewer on Goodreads.com,
"There isn't any way for a single review to do justice to this book, but this line from The Dream Thieves sums up its own story rather nicely:
Magic was real, magic was real, magic was real."
Nicely put Wendy Darling!
5 stars all the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment