Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…
This is a story about a boy tormented by his dreams - filled with dark creatures and breathing nightmares that have turned him into the person he is today. Meeting Ronan in The Raven Boys was the start of a character I knew I would come to love. In this second installment, we focus on this lovely boy who wears his scars like a crown whenever he walks into a room. Because I gravitated towards the character of Ronan so naturally in the first book, I expected a lot once the second book arrived. Hot on the heels of the last book, I rushed to the bookstore and demanded the rest of the story.
However, once the dust was settled and I could finally dive into this world, I found something completely draining. Ronan was a lot to handle. Impulsive, explosive, and downright naive at times. He had reasons to hate the world - his dad made sure about that in my opinion - but there comes a time where enough is enough. I saw a glimpse of the real Ronan and I loved Maggie for those snippets but most of the time he was just Ronan being Ronan - living up to the bad boy status with no fucks to give. I wanted to see growth, real growth. Not the tiny growth we saw once the book wrapped up. I wanted to go on this roller coaster with the knowledge that once everything was said and done, Ronan would walk out of this a new man.
Like I said - I only got a glimpse of that vision. Once I was done, I realised that nothing truly came from this story. I understood Ronan much better but he was still going to be Ronan. The team were still battling their demons, both large and small, and together, they got through it. Their bond grew as time passed but overall, The Dream Thieves seemed like a filler book - one to keep us preoccupied while we grew the nerve to tackle the final two books.
“And Ronan was everything that was left: molten eyes and a smile made for war.”
Despite my disappointment in this book, I was fully enthralled by this world. Maggie kept pulling me closer, wanting to learn more as every page passed. The world she created intrigued me to say the least - I found myself mirroring Gansey, needing to know more and needing to find the Raven King at all cost. I wasn't a mystery fan because I would over-analyse all the clues and end up with a dizzying headache. But the clues were subtle and promising, leaving room for more in the last two books.
I enjoyed this book enough to immediately grab the third book. However, beware - you may find yourself growing slowly frustrated with the slow plotline and character growth. But you'll have to push through because there is so much more to come.
Who was your favourite character?
