THE DREAM THIEVES // Things that go

Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

As with THE RAVEN BOYS, by Maggie Stiefvater, I listened to THE DREAM THIEVES on audiobook. The amazing thing about Will Patton’s narration is that I could still hear it in my head as I read the book through the second time, and it encouraged me to read more slowly, to savor the word choices and the sentence structure. 

The Characters. 

While I already discussed Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Noah in my review of THE RAVEN BOYS, there are other characters I need to list as well. Because even though Stiefvater’s writing is filled with plot and mystery and tension, it still feels as though it’s the characters that drive it. 

Kavinsky // I don’t know if Kavinsky counts as a full-on antagonist in this book, but he certainly doesn’t make life better for Blue and the raven boys. He acts almost as a foil for Ronan, not because he is what Ronan is not, but because he is a polar opposite of what Ronan wants to become. 

The Gray Man // The Gray Man is a hit man. He is characterized by his lack of characterizing features. If I said I want to be him when I grow up, would you promise not to tell the police? He is the most well-rounded-without-being-overstated assassin character I have encountered in a while. He is a person who happens to be a hit man, rather than a hit man who happens to be a person. 

The Cars // THE DREAM THIEVES, more so than any of the other books in the Raven Cycle, is about cars. We have the Pig, Gansey’s ’73 Camaro, which has its share of mishaps and time-loopy weirdness. We have the Gray Man’s champaigne disappointment, a depressing rental car that features frequently. And we have Kavinsky’s white Mitsubishi Evo, which is a phenomena all its own. As an honorable mention, I can’t forget to include Ronan’s BMW. Basically, this book is a celebration of things that go, and I could not be more pleased (well, okay, I would be more pleased if Stiefvater had thought to include a Lamborghini). (Side note: There’s a dentist in my area who owns a yellow convertible Lamborghini, and I’ve seen it twice. I’ve also encountered a silver one in the wild. *dies of happiness*) 

Declan // Ronan’s older brother is a piece of work, and I’m still trying to map out the family dynamics, specifically the shared tension he and Ronan bring to the table. (Side note: There’s a Declan who goes to my church, and every time someone says his name, I flash back to the Raven Cycle. This is perfectly characteristic of how, even with more minor characters, Stiefvater’s writing leaves a mark on your consciousness.) 

Persephone // I love Persephone. That’s not to say I don’t like the others who live with Blue at 300 Fox Way: Maura, Calla, Orla, Jimi. (And I plan to talk about them in a later review.) But Persephone has always stuck out as my number one favorite. She is flaky and distracted, wise and perseptive, sad and cryptic. She seems simultaneously childlike and world-weary. 

In Conclusion. 

I’m finding that Stiefvater is neck-and-neck with Ray Bradbury for the title of "Liz’s Favorite Author" (which is, as you know, a prestigious position *cough cough*). I’ve also decided that, while I already own the whole Raven Cycle in hardcover, I want to purchase the set in paperback as well so I can go through and *gasp* underline and annotate and pull apart the stories so I can see how they tick (and hopefully learn more writing theory as a result). I plan to do this with THE SCORPIO RACES as well. 

What about you, my little coffee beans? Have you read THE DREAM THIEVES? What is your favorite Stiefvater book?