The Dream Thieves

A book that depends on the revelation of a big mystery: "So-and-so was such-and-such all along!" has a problem, and that problem is what to do for the sequel. This book manages quite handily, though, by delving deeper into the secrets.

This is also a "spotlight episode," a structure I would not have thought would work in a book series, but there you go. Although it keeps the format of jumping between a large cast of characters, the action is undeniably centred around Ronan. I have to admit, I was not a fan of him in the first book because he seemed like the designated 'bad' boy in a boy band, but I was utterly won over in The Dream Thieves, despite the fact that much of his characterization is his Tragic Past.

(Ronan's past is pretty bad. At one point, I wondered, "Can Ronan's life be retroactively made worse?" and then I realized that of course it could, because there were still 150 pages left.)

We also meet Gansey's family, and they are I think, exactly who they would have to be. The scene where they manoeuvre Adam into accepting a gift without him realizing it is beautiful, and shows you where Gansey gets it.

It is palpably a 'middle book', a book that serves the purpose of getting the pieces into place for the bigger events to come, but quite enjoyable.

This book is such a great improvement over the first, while still feeling very much like the same series. I enjoyed it, though admittedly I stopped reading it for a few months in the middle. It's not a particularly gripping read-- it moves at a very leisurely pace for three fourths of the book, and then suddenly everything happens all at the same time to conclude all the loose threads. It's poor pacing that is sadly consistent from the first book to the second, which is a little sad because it means it'll likely show up in the third book as well.

But I do intend to read the third book, and the fourth when it arrives. The characters are interesting and the story is compelling. The series has potential, and shows great growth from the author, even from book to book.

When Steifvater is on, she is on. Her writing of Adam's trauma and struggles with class are incredibly spot-on, they feel real and realistic and are one of the book's major successes in poignance and feeling. She's also very good at subtly writing Gansey's flaws, and making Ronan's motivations seem more complex than just raging anger issues. Blue's emerging sense of identity and maturity is fun to watch. The Grey Man is a hilarious and unexpected source of comic relief and a wonderful subversion of the sleek, cool, collected hitman archetype.

And then there are characters like Kavinsky, one-dimensional villains who are so over-the-top they seem almost to be parodying themselves. Kavinsky gets such morally complex and elegant lines as, "consent is overrated," and, "can we go before I have to get high again," just in case you weren't sure what kind of character he is. I know we were supposed to hate him, but I ended up disliking him not for himself, but because here he was again, taking up space with his tryhand antics when I could read about something more interesting and remotely believable. In a book with magical dreams, undead Welshmen, a dragon, and an actual wizard, the fact that a rude teenager sticks out as the most unbelievable part is notable.

Basically, what I'm saying is that this book-- this series-- is an incredibly mixed bag. I'm willing to stick with it, though, and even recommend it.