The ley line has been awakened, but the Raven Boys have a new slew of troubles -- nightmares, vanishing energies, and a mysterious hit man. 
 But don't worry. While Maggie Stiefvater unveils new problems in "The Dream Thieves," she also deftly dovetails them into the subplots of the first Raven book, such as Ronan's magical dream abilities or Gansey's search for the mythical Glendower. While nothing is really resolved here, the subplots progress far enough to entrance the reader, and promise strange and magical things for Book Three. 
 Blue and the Raven Boys (wouldn't that be an awesome name for a band?) are still on their quest for Glendower, especially now that Adam has wakened the ley line. But now the line seems to be going wild, blinking out and surging ay random. This is also disrupting poor Noah, who keeps blinking out, and causes erratic behavior from the increasingly-troubled Adam. 
 But the most unrest comes from Ronan, whose abilities are becoming more intense, especially as he starts acting recklessly around the school monster, Kavinsky. Then a clandestine trip back to the family estate reveals a shocking secret about his family -- and that secret may not only reveal the truth about Niall Lynch's murder, but of Cabeswater itself. 
 And because we need a solid one-book storyline to ground the floating plot threads, a hit-man known as the Gray Man comes to Henrietta. His goal: a mysterious Lynch family artifact known as the Greywaren. 
 In "The Raven Boys," Maggie Stiefvater conjured a number of subplots -- Ronan's dreams, Glendower, Adam's troubles, Gansey's impending demise. But it's only in "The Dream Thieves" that they start to weave together into a truly unified story... well, almost. It deals mostly with the subplots other than Glendower, with the promise that the Raven King will be the third book's focus. 
 And Stiefvater's writing is absolutely exquisite, full of glimpses of wild savage beauty and darkness ("It was full of things from his head, beaks and claws and flowers and vines stuffed into screaming mouths"). It can hop from shadowy, terrifying things (the night horrors) to scenes that border on whimsy (Blue and the Boys investing all of Niall's "dream things"). 
 While Gansey and Adam are still important figures, Ronan Lynch really takes center stage in this story -- Stiefvater explores every nook of his mind, from the flapping crow-like demons he accidentally pulls out of his dreams to his fierce love for his mother and younger brother. Especially touching is his relationship with Gansey, which is finally defined and fully realized in a way that feels wholly organic. 
 There's not a lot of romantic movement with Blue, Adam and Gansey, but there is a cute little subplot about Maura dating the Gray Man. In fact, the Gray Man receives a surprising amount of development for a villain, with Stiefvater exploring how he thinks on a day-to-day basis, and what might inspire him to change. 
 The biggest problem is Kavinsky -- while he provides a pretty epic twist, he's a thin, underdeveloped mass of devilish nastiness compared to the other characters. I would have liked a bit more motivation beyond, "I'm a selfish cruel psychopath." 
 "The Dream Thieves" is a strong follow-up to "The Raven Boys, exploring one of the more tormented characters of the trilogy. And Maggie Stiefvater leaves you desperately hungry for the next chapter.