The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)

by Maggie Stiefvater

[Angie]

04/23/16: Reread! I liked it slightly better than the first time, but still...

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Well, that was a disappointment. After finally starting this series and being delighted by the unique premise, I was super excited to read this sequel. Unfortunately, The Dream Thieves is an extreme case of Middle Book Syndrome (is this even a trilogy?). While The Raven Boys was also slow, it did an amazing job of establishing this adventure that Blue and her Raven Boys would be setting out on. The Dream Thieves was just slow. The plot goes absolutely nowhere. It was a really long detour, and I just don't get it. Or maybe the novelty of the first book simply wore off?
The Dream Thieves, like I said, is very slow and it seems to focus primarily on character development. This will probably work for a lot of readers, but I felt myself wanting to get on with the story. It was nice to get to know the boys better, but I wish something had been happening plot-wise while this occurred. There's also a lot of scenes of each character alone, or in pairs rather than as a whole group like in the first book. At times it was interesting to see the different relationship dynamics, but much more often, I was bored. I was also incredibly annoyed with Adam and found myself dreading seeing his name pop up. He lets his pride get in the way and takes offense to everything! I wanted to learn more about the effects of the sacrifice he made, but mostly we just get pity parties.

We're also introduced to a new character in The Dream Thieves: The Gray Man. He's a hit man, dressed all in gray. He's been hired to find something that allows the user to take objects from dreams. Of course, he and his employer aren't sure exactly what he's looking for, but we know that something is Ronan. During his journey to locate this object of great power, The Gray Man also grows close to Blue's mother. I honestly couldn't care less about this plot thread. It seriously bogged down the entire book. I definitely could have done without some mysterious man trying to kidnap a magical teenage boy. It doesn't add anything to the overall story, and by the end, it felt very disconnected.

The one thing that I absolutely loved about The Dream Thieves was Ronan's chapters (minus The Gray Man). Those parts are almost 5 star worthy. I say almost, because they also don't move the plot forward much at all, and things get too weird and out of place at the end. They're super interesting though! Ronan's ability to take objects out of his dreams is really developed. There's so much more to it than just him falling asleep then waking up with whatever he was holding. It isn't until he meets up with someone else with this ability that Ronan learns the extent of what he can do. I was completely engrossed in these chapters and wanted more!

The Dream Thieves was a huge disappointment for me. It had a ton of potential, but went no where. I was eager to see Blue and the Raven Boys continue their adventure of waking a hidden king, but that's barely ever mentioned. Instead we follow the characters doing their own things, unrelated to the search for Glendower. There's many unnecessary additions to the plot that made it feel long and dragged out, making it hard for me to get through. If it wasn't for the author's imaginative take on dreaming and her development of Ronan, I would have been completely bored and frustrated with this book. I'm hoping the next one reclaims the awesomeness of the first.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.