A small disclaimer before we begin: The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater, published September 17, 2013, is
actually the second book of the planned four-part Raven Cycle. As I may reference the first book in some places, here is a brief synopsis/character summary of The Raven Boys, its predecessor. The actual review begins after the jump. Spoilers ahead!
Blue Sargent is the only non-psychic in a family of women with varied precognitive abilities. She also has an interesting problem for a YA protagonist: she’s been warned her entire life that if she kisses her true love, he will die. Apparently no one’s managed to be more specific about the who-what-when-where-why aspect of that, so Blue has decided to avoid boys altogether as a precautionary measure. Her knack for amplifying psychic readings is not particularly useful to her until she attends a ritual wherein she encounters the shade of a boy who will almost certainly die in the next year, possibly at her hand. The ghost introduces himself as “Gansey.”
Later, Blue meets a group of four boys from Aglionby, a local prep school whose mascot is a raven (hence the title). Gansey, the leader of the grouplet, is on a quest to find a mythical Welsh king named Glendower, whom he credits with saving his life. His search takes him along the ley lines in Henrietta, which amplify magic and may hold the key to unearthing a centuries-old mystery. Blue connects with Adam, a quiet, ambitious boy with a troubled family life.Spoilers! Noah, in the plot twist of the century, ends up having serious ties to the search for Glendower as well, as he was killed seven years ago in another classmate’s efforts to find him. (Yes, one of the Raven boys is a ghost.) Ronan also has hidden supernatural deaths- he is volatile and blunt, but always truthful, except about one thing- the first book ended with the revelation that he can pull objects out of his dreams.
Spoilers! In the climactic scene of the last book, Adam made a trade with the magical forces along the ley
lines in exchange for his and his friends’ lives. That and Ronan’s abilities provide most of the moving storylines in this book, while the search for Glendower takes more of a backseat. Got everything? Probably not, but let’s begin. And yes, if you have not read The
Raven Boys, this review will contain spoilers.
Ronan Lynch can pull things out of his dreams and into real life. In any other book, that would be a good enough premise to carry the entire novel. But no, in Maggie Stiefvater’s The Dream Thieves, there is no single plot point interesting enough to focus on for more than a few chapters.
Instead, we have in this book a hitman sent to find and bring back the “Greywarren” (Ronan), the inevitable consequences of Adam’s decision to promise the ley line “himself”, the end of one romance and the possibility of another (we’ll pretend we were surprised), and Ronan’s life as the son of one extremely gifted man who managed to pass on some-but not all- of those
gifts to each of his children.
The familial metaphors flow fast in this chapter of the Raven Cycle. This book focuses heavily on fraternal love in all of its forms. The Raven boys have, for all intents and purposes, adopted one another. That relationship is explored, as is the difference between the brothers that one chooses and the brothers that one does not. I admired Stiefvater’s willingness to differentiate
between love and liking, especially as it applies to family, and how one can certainly exist without the other.
The emphasis is definitely on brothers, and how that relationship can screw someone up or save them. Or, you know, vice versa
I enjoyed the fact that, as I hoped, Adam and Ronan did lead the book this time around. Those two have had the most interesting
character arcs so far; I only hope that when it does come time to focus on Blue and Gansey, that those two can carry the story with only the force of theirstar-crossed love and also their contrastingly odd sartorial choices.
Honestly, Stiefvater’s treatment of the romantic elements in this story gives me hope for the future. As the foundation of Blue and Adam’s relationship breaks down, her attraction to Gansey comes more to the forefront. Blue received more of a tragic bent in this story as she felt the weight of her prophesy/curse for the first time. Gansey was fleshed out into more of a well-rounded leading man through Blue’s eyes and her interactions with him outside of the Glendower-hunt. I also admire a YA author who can get through two
books with only one kissing scene that involves a main character. The -whole hazy-summer-day, sunlight through-linen-curtains thing did not feel as clichéd as I might have expected (the second participant may have helped), and I like that although attraction is certainly a driving force in some of the storylines, it barely factors in to others.
As I have previously stated, I adore the writing in this series. Stiefvater does an excellent job with character descriptions. She evokes a certain feeling for a character, then extends that theme throughout the book. Some examples: Ronan: sharpness. Adam:
ethereality, otherworldliness. Blue: art. Color. Once she has a metaphor that she likes, she sticks to it, modifying the images to suit the scene in question. It’s a technique that works particularly well when she wants to evoke an image
or a person concisely- all she has to do is reference one part of that character, and we can fill in the rest of their appearance with the comparisons that she has already given us.
One hugely important element, Ronan’s dreams, is handled with surprising finesse. Stiefvater explores Ronan’s voice
and subconscious more in this book than the last, and the results are even better than expected. For one thing, that first chapter is a punch in the gut. For another, Ronan’s voice is concerned with conveying his exact meanings, which makes for
some fascinating descriptions and feelings. Also, the idea of a character that doesn’t lie gives Stiefvater considerable freedom to play around with deceptive truths and suggestion. What this character doesn’t say is often as important as what he does.
On to the Big Bad: Mr. Gray, as he is called through most of the novel, is exactly my kind of villain. He is overwhelmingly competent and careful, and also has concrete and realistic motivations: three things that I find annoying when neglected. Given that the teenage heroes in this series are also nigh-unbelievably well-educated, and organized, a character who can match them
in brains and muscle was sorely needed. From Gray’s first scene, he shows that he is not only smart and willing to apply force where necessary, but also relatable and even likeable. Stiefvater manages to avoid the “____ with a heart of gold” trope by making sure that the audience knows exactly how not-nice this character can be, then making the argument that he could still deserve love, or
at least some measure of peace. (Also, for the record, may I say that Maura Sargent may have the most questionable taste in men of any fictional character I have encountered? First a guy whom we know only as “Butter Nut,” then a trained killer? Goodness.)
To be placed under the heading of “Unpopular Opinions:” One of my favorite aspects of Stiefvater’s writing is how she handles Noah. First off, his friends are always aware that he is dead. There is no “oh, gee, I almost forgot
that one of us was a ghost!” moment, no pretending that he should go out and get himself a girlfriend or (ha!) a life outside of their friendship and shared journey. He is an integral part of the group, but at the same time he lacks the
outside life that the other characters have, which makes finding new nuances in him a bit difficult. Instead, Stiefvater calls our attention to the fundamental differences between he and the others: he becomes less ‘of this earth’ during times wherein he should feel the most alive. When he should feel warm, he becomes cold. When others flare up, he disappears. I like that a character that could easily become one-note retains interesting characteristics and is still adjusting to his circumstances. The other characters’ growth contrasts his inability to change and move forward, which allows him to experience many of the same frustrations that they do.
Stiefvater does cheat herself out of a major plot point, and that is the lasting effects of abuse on a victim. Don’t get me wrong- we see plenty of psychological scars on Adam, the formerly-abused and currently-overworked corner of their pentagon. (Spoilers! If you do not wish to see a plot point revealed, skip to the next paragraph. Or maybe just stop reading now. I’d like to err on the side of caution, rather than ruin any surprises.) But instead of taking the idea of the abused becoming the abuser all the way through with him, she detours at the last minute and instead explains his lack of control and subtle tendencies toward physical violence as a side effect of the ley line trying to shape him for his needs. Since, by the end of the book, it apparently has done so, I’m not sure that Stiefvater will
revisit that idea. The vicious cycle element of child abuse is often used as a throwaway explanations for the behavior of characters who are already villains, or on their way to becoming so. It’s like a last-minute pity play, something that authors use to try to humanize “bad guys” that they think may be too unlikeable as-is. I would have loved to see it play into the evolution of a
former friend into someone who could, as the result of trading himself (his purpose? His loyalty?), become someone to fear.
Another tiny sticking point: the addition of the obligatory gay character. I love that YA fiction literature has become a place where authors feel that they can explore characters of all religions, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. Issues that were formerly reserved for gritty realistic fiction are becoming more acceptable, and thus people with all kinds of backgrounds can pick up fiction books and immediately identify with the characters inside them.
With that said, I do not love the new trend of authors adding a gay character to the lineup just because they can. Whether they want to feel justified bringing up equal-rights issues in an already solid storyline, or just show how all-inclusive they really are, I have noticed a lot of authors inserting gay or lesbian characters into the background for little discernible reason, aside from attracting more readers. Whether Stiefvater’s addition will actually add anything to the story or provide new and interesting opportunities for characterization remains to be seen. I feel that the LGBT community deserves more than to become a bandwagon for aspiring YA authors to use as a springboard to success, and I hope that Stiefvater treats this element as such. I have faith in her.
(Also, related to that point, my sister would like to state that she does not appreciate the loss of her fictional character crush. For the record, it was enough that he was emotionally unavailable and made-up: her chances with him did not need to be
further complicated by the fact that he just doesn’t swing that way.)
Overall, I enjoyed The Dream Thieves, and am anxious for the next book to come out, mostly so I can clear
up some new theories. This book did not end on the same earthshattering note as the last one, but since that reveal would be almost impossible to top, I am content with this newest addition to Stiefvater’s body of
work.