竊夢者

 I didn't like this quite as much as the first book in the series, but I don't think it is actually any worse of a book.  The tricky thing with second books is that, even when they step everything up (and this absolutely did, don't get me wrong--it was beautiful, everything that happened here), they aren't the first book. I don't always feel this way, admittedly, but sometimes just being introduced to a series is more important than anything but a (very good) finale--it gives me more intense emotions, and it is easier to hook me.  The Dream Thieves is about Ronan, and it handles his rather startling announcement at the end of book one in full force. In addition, everything else is stepped up to eleven. There's magic and mayhem, the legends and search for a legend and all the curious mythology built up around the town of Henrietta (which is going on my list of favorite fictional towns, let me tell you) is lovely, and the villains--let's just say there are more than one, and the most menacing is probably not the most infuriating.  Exploring the entirety of Ronan's gift, and his father's gift, was fascinating, and there is more Glendower and more weirdness and more exploring of everything that made me love the first. But, again, for some reason I can't explain this didn't touch me quite as deeply.  Some of this might be Ronan, who kind of takes center stage for a large chunk of the book. He is fascinating and dark and complex and well-written, but he's also kind of a dick, and even when you're rooting for him, you're faintly annoyed with him. I'm not really a "bad boys" kind of girl, and Ronan is, for all that he is not stereotypical in almost any way, decidedly of the "bad boy" variety, so I enjoy his snarky commentary and yet am annoyed by his inability to handle things like most people. Blue continues to be a lovely insight into two different groups of very odd individuals: the psychics at 300 Fox Way, her family (for better or worse), and the titular Raven Boys themselves, who have accepted her into their ranks (again for better or worse) and continue to fascinate and frustrate her in equal measure. She's just enough of an outsider from both groups for her to see things a little more clearly, and just enough of an insider to have insights that give depth to the understanding of both groups, so it's fun to be in her head and see what's going on there. She's not the only character who we get free head rides from, though, and that's part of what lends this book the depth it has. I feel like I keep overusing the word "depth" throughout this review, but it's hard to explain it in any other way--the cast and legends and place are remarkably three-dimensional and full of shadowy corners and the kind of layers that come only in real people in places or in excellently-written books. It's hard not to believe in Glendower, in dream thieving, in the corpse road and everything that it foretells. Then there's Gansey. I think I kind of have a crush on Gansey. Gansey is kind of amazing. It's been a bit since I had a character that made me get all fangirl-y and ridiculous, but I kind of am here. I can't describe him even remotely objectively, so I'm just going to state that I think he's clever and brave and reminds me of a knight of old on a quest, this time for knowledge, and that's about all I can manage without sounding insane, I'm afraid.  I am ready for the next in this series and at the same time afraid, because I don't quite want this story to end, I'm not quite ready to let go of these people and this place and the legend of Glendower, and it's hard to admit it has to come to an end eventually. 

omg it's soo good, and i never thought i would be sad over kavinsky's fate

Mit jedem Tag, den Blue mit Gansey verbringt, fällt es ihr schwerer, sich nicht in ihn zu verlieben - obwohl sie weiß, dass ein Kuss von ihr der Grund für seinen nahen Tod sein könnte. Sie ist fasziniert von seiner leidenschaftlichen Suche nach dem verschwundenen König Glendower, und in der knisternden Hitze des Sommers kommen Blue, Gansey und die Raven Boys diesem Ziel immer näher. Vor allem Ronans Fähigkeit, Gegenstände aus seinen Träumen in die reale Welt zu bringen, lässt die Lösung greifbar werden. Doch das Spiel mit der Traumwelt ist gefährlich und Blue und ihre Freunde sind nicht die Einzigen, die sich ihre Wünsche herbeiträumen wollen.