Review + ARC Giveaway: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 17th, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic
Page Count: 448
Source: ARC from BEA
Rating: Maggie Stiefvater's created this world that I step into and never want to leave. No. Seriously. Book. Why do you end?

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

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...

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

THE REVIEW

It's summertime. Adam has a new bond with Cabeswater, Ronan has just admitted that he can take things out of dreams, Gansey is still trying to find Glendower, Blue is as confused by these Raven Boys as ever and Noah's still a ghost. One who flickers in and out of existence, mind you, because Cabeswater also seems to be flicking in and out of existence. Which is really not good in general, not just for Noah. Also, there's this guy, The Gray Man, who's joined the adult end (AKA: Maura, Calla and Persephone) of everything that's happening. Although he's kind of a hit man. So we'll see how that goes.

Let's break this down:

You know when someone explains a magic trick in a TV show or movie (I'm currently thinking of The Mentalist) and they're all like: "A good magician is skilled in misdirection and slight of hand"? Well, Maggie Stiefvater is really, really good at misdirection. Which you might also call plot juggling. Basically, what I mean is, there's so much awesome going on in this book that my brain doesn't have a second to stop and think or question. I never have any idea where this book is going or what's going to happen next. It all just happens and it WORKS.

Not to mention, all this magic misdirection is happening when there's REAL MAGIC also fitting itself into the world building/plot. I like the magic in this book because it just is. There are no magic words to summon it, nor is there a logical reason or a true history behind it's existence. It's natural and somehow completely believable. Even though I don't totally understand what's going on all the time. Like, what happened to Adam in the last book and this one? And how is Ronan controlling these dreams? If I had to figure all this stuff out I'd probably just give up because WHOA. Whoa. 

But aside from the amazing world building and plot juggling in this book, there's also a lot of character juggling. I mean, there are at least 5 main characters in this book - Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam and Noah. You could maybe cut Noah, but I wouldn't. One might also call The Gray Man a main character. He has his own chapters and kind of is the villain of the story. And I'm totally invested in who he is and where he comes from. Then again, I'm totally invested in all of the characters in this story. Which seems impossible, since there are so many, but I feel like each character's personality and backstory is kind of hinted to with one sentence or a paragraph or two throughout the story. These sentences and paragraphs might not be enough to paint the full picture, but they do hint to the picture and allow the reader to imagine the rest.

I also can't write this review without talking about the relationships between all of the characters. The complicated balance between our four Raven Boys. How Blue relates to each of them. How all five of these people deal with their family situations. The love polygons. (Triangle? Square? I DON'T EVEN KNOW. And I love all of it. Which is weird because I normally hate love polygons.) This book is just so intense and that's because of these relationship. And the kissing. Or near kissing. I... well, all of my insides twisted at the actual kissing and the near kissing and, and, and... basically I have no coherent words for the intensity of this book.

Don't worry, though, about me not having words. Because Maggie Stiefvater does. I really don't think I've ever read such brilliant prose. That's definitely part of what makes all of the juggling work so well (well, that and the exhaustive amount of research that probably went into the writing of this book). I've never read a book that simultaneously lulled and excited me. (Don't worry, guys, this is not the kind of book to put you to sleep. I promise.)

I honestly can't believe all of the facts, feelings, juggling and stunning prose that make make up this book can fit into 448 pages. It's completely and totally unreal to me. And yet, this happens every time I read a Maggie Stiefvater book. So, let's just call me a fangirl and let's call it a day, shall we?

The long and short of it?

Plot: This is the kind of plot that will keep even the most astute readers on their toes. Oh, and it's awesome.
World Building: All of the juggling and all of the misdirection make for the most amazing world building there ever was. I honestly believe that this is what life is like in Henrietta. Or at least some other part of the world.
Character Development: This book is Ronan's book and I so enjoyed figuring him out and watching him piece everything together. That being said, I also loved everyone else's character shifts. Adam and The Gray Man especially.
Prose: Perfection.
Would I Recommend This Book?: This series is for anyone who loves paranormal, (urban) fantasy, beautiful prose, thorough research that leads to a solid plot foundation and wonderfully dynamic characters.

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE.

I got an ARC at BEA but I'm also buying a finished copy of this book because I love it so much. Which means... ARC GIVEAWAY TIME.

GIVEAWAY RULES

~ To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. DO NOT enter using the comments.

~ You must be 18 years or older or have a guardian's permission to enter.
~ The winners will be chosen randomly. Once chosen, the winners will be emailed. They will then have 48 HOURS to respond, otherwise another winner will be chosen.
~ The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL - that's right. This is the VERY FIRST giveaway where I'll be forking over the money for shipping and so I'm feeling generous.
~ I reserve the right to disqualify anyone who tries to cheat the system. I WILL be checking the winning entry.

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