Review: The Dream Thieves

Book Two of the Raven Cycle
By Maggie Stiefvater
Available now from Scholastic Press
Review copy
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I've been debating how to approach this review for awhile.  I want to gush about it, but I fear that everything I want to gush about would spoil the small, wonderful surprises of THE DREAM THIEVES.

The characterization in this series continues to be almost perfect.  If there's a flaw, it's that previously barely mentioned characters are super important.  Blue's growing affection for Gansey is so well done, as is her growing to desire to kiss and be kissed despite her knowledge of the consequences.  Her family of psychic women becomes more important, including a strange romance for her mother.  Adam, who now has some power of his own, is growing ever more resentful of Gansey's money and privilege.  Noah keeps disappearing, a worrying development.  But THE DREAM THIEVES is really Ronan's story.

Ronan is a tough guy to like, but I tend to like him because the story openly admits that fact.  In THE DREAM THIEVES, he faces his antagonist/foil, the drugged up and wild Kavinsky.  Ronan has secrets, and Kavinsky thinks he knows what those secrets are, but he's often ever so slightly wrong.  Meanwhile, there's also more focus on Ronan and Gansey's relationship, the two of them siblings by choice.  It's terrific.

The plot of THE DREAM THIEVES meanders, and very little of it seems to have anything to do with the hunt for Glendower.  At the same time, everything feels like it has to do with Glendower.  Maggie Stiefvater is excellent at creating a portentous atmosphere and making every other thing that happens seem like it could be symbolic of things to come.  I can't wait to see how this series plays out.

Okay, I did it.  I think I made it through this review without any spoilers.  Now go read the book so that we can spoil it up in the comments!