The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves (2013) Maggie Stiefvater

Right. Now I know why I put off reading this, even though I pre-ordered it.

It’s book two in a projected four book series.

(sigh)

However, once I started listening to Raven Boys, I had to finish re-reading it, and then I had to read The Dream Thieves, because I wanted to spend more time in this story.

“So what you’re saying is you can’t explain it.”
“I did explain it.”
“No, you used nouns and verbs together in a pleasing but illogical format.”

First, this is very much Ronan Lynch’s story. You remember Ronan–the destroyed, rude, nasty boy who Gansey liked and cared for, but no one quite understood why.

“And you, Ronan,” Niall said. He always said Ronan differently from other words. As if he had meant to say another word entirely — something like knife or poison or revenge — and then swapped it out for Ronan’s name at the last moment.

It’s a long journey, but you understand why Gansey was so patient with Ronan for so long.

Ronan is damaged. We knew that from the first story. He was the one who found his father’s body, the day of the murder.

He and his brothers are forbidden to return to their home, by the will his father left. He and his brothers are left only with each other–and that’s not much to be left with.

This is where Gansey and Blue start to fall in love, as we knew they would from the beginning.

But, of course, in the meantime, Gansey is Gansey.

Gansey contemplated whether he could dive for the object. The first thing that occurred to him was his teal polo shirt — it would have to be removed. The next thing that occurred to him was his chinos — could they be removed in the presence of all these females? Dubious.

He really is almost an alien.

And Adam has to live with pressing charges against his father, being on his own, and sacrificing himself to Cabeswater.

And other stuff.

After a moment, he calmed enough to see how his anger was a separate thing inside him, a dingy, surprise gift from his father.

Noah is present, but plays far less of a part than in the previous story (in many ways, the previous book was his story as much as it was anyone else’s story).

But mostly it’s such a fun read. There were so many bits I adore stumbling upon, like this:

Blue turned it slowly to read each side: hyacinthus, celea. One side was blank. Gansey pointed to each side for her. “Latin, Coptic, Sanskrit, something we don’t know, and … this is supposed to be Greek. Isn’t that funny that it’s blank?”
Derisively, Ronan said, “No. The ancient Greeks didn’t have a word for blue.”
Everyone at the table looked at him.
“What the hell, Ronan?” said Adam.

That is an honest-to-god true fact, and amazing and fascinating and marvelous it was out in there.

There were so many bits that reminded me of other things: of Tom Waits, of The Princess Bride, and then there was The Gray Man.

I really love Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series, and my favorite book is Small Vices, where Spenser goes up against a hit man, the Gray Man. If this wasn’t a nod to Small Vices, then it’s a very eerie coincidence.

I really love this series so far. It’s marvelous. Despite the fact that it ended on a cliff-hanger. (It didn’t make me as mad as it could have, because I was expecting it.)
Rating: 9/10

Published by Scholastic Inc.

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