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A review by leyvalkyrie
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
5.0
5/5 ⭐️
One of the things I adore most about this series is the amount of well thought-out effort Steifvater puts into her books. On my initial read, many years ago, I didn’t catch it all the nuances.
I love the way that each chapter is told with a different characters perspective in mind, yet it is still fluid. We can still get thoughts and opinions from other characters. It really helps to build this feeling of connectedness between all of the characters.
Another thing I love are the characters themselves. They are wrapped up in each other, they are constantly on each other’s mind but you can also see that the relationships they have with one another aren’t perfect. There is fear, doubt and anxiety and each character deals with it in a different way. Yet, the basis of their friendship has grown so strong, so quickly that they can remain in each other’s orbit despite their fears. It’s such a beautiful thing to read and Maggie’s writing is so well done that you feel as drawn into the friend group as the rest of the characters. The reader can almost imagine themselves as another form of Noah: not fully there but still ever present.
I also like that each of the characters are flawed, yet they aren’t annoying. So many books these days try to write characters as multifaceted but they just end up with irritating protagonists who make me want to DNF the book. There is a real center behind each of these characters, a common drive and hope that can relate them to the reader. Yes you can see their flaws but you can also see their hearts. It’s beautiful.
I also like how Kavinsky mirrored Ronan’s own internal struggle. In the face of his grief over his father’s death, he had to choose whether to end up like Kavinsky, or to become something better. He had to choose himself. I liked the relatability in his struggle. At some point in our lives we all have to decide if we are going to choose ourselves or our struggles. Wrapping the choice up in all of Ronan’s anger and family drama was tactfully done by Steifvater as well. It wasn’t easy to see Ronan’s heart as it is with the other characters. You knew it was there, but the anger, shame and darkness hid it. Reading his story felt like a treasure hunt: you searched with blind faith and were rewarded with a beautiful journey and glorious prize.
Conclusion: another banger.
One of the things I adore most about this series is the amount of well thought-out effort Steifvater puts into her books. On my initial read, many years ago, I didn’t catch it all the nuances.
I love the way that each chapter is told with a different characters perspective in mind, yet it is still fluid. We can still get thoughts and opinions from other characters. It really helps to build this feeling of connectedness between all of the characters.
Another thing I love are the characters themselves. They are wrapped up in each other, they are constantly on each other’s mind but you can also see that the relationships they have with one another aren’t perfect. There is fear, doubt and anxiety and each character deals with it in a different way. Yet, the basis of their friendship has grown so strong, so quickly that they can remain in each other’s orbit despite their fears. It’s such a beautiful thing to read and Maggie’s writing is so well done that you feel as drawn into the friend group as the rest of the characters. The reader can almost imagine themselves as another form of Noah: not fully there but still ever present.
I also like that each of the characters are flawed, yet they aren’t annoying. So many books these days try to write characters as multifaceted but they just end up with irritating protagonists who make me want to DNF the book. There is a real center behind each of these characters, a common drive and hope that can relate them to the reader. Yes you can see their flaws but you can also see their hearts. It’s beautiful.
I also like how Kavinsky mirrored Ronan’s own internal struggle. In the face of his grief over his father’s death, he had to choose whether to end up like Kavinsky, or to become something better. He had to choose himself. I liked the relatability in his struggle. At some point in our lives we all have to decide if we are going to choose ourselves or our struggles. Wrapping the choice up in all of Ronan’s anger and family drama was tactfully done by Steifvater as well. It wasn’t easy to see Ronan’s heart as it is with the other characters. You knew it was there, but the anger, shame and darkness hid it. Reading his story felt like a treasure hunt: you searched with blind faith and were rewarded with a beautiful journey and glorious prize.
Conclusion: another banger.