Three mini reviews: The Dream Thieves, The Pirate's Wish, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater 
Release date: 5th September 2013
Publisher: Scholastic 

Goodreads synopsis:

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. 

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. 

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

My thoughts:

The Dream Thieves was everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to The Raven Boys, one of my favourite Maggie Stiefvater books. Brimming full of character development, plot development and Maggie’s characteristically lovely prose, The Dream Thieves was an absolute delight to read. Whilst I was drawn to Gansey, I do have a soft spot for Ronan so I loved the focus on his story in this book, which revealed things about him that had previously been very well hidden and which totally tugged at my heartstrings. I loved to see the development of the Gansey/Blue element, and was unnerved yet intrigued by the emergence of a darker side to sweet boy Adam. The Dream Thieves is a book that invokes every emotion along the spectrum and left me desperate for more. 

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The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke 

Release date: 18th June 2013

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Goodreads synopsis:

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword and their wits. But Naji has unseen enemies, and Ananna must face the wrath of the Pirate Confederation.

Together, they must travel afar, defeat their foes and break the mother of all curses. With all this going on, falling in love would be such a bad idea... All of this and much, much more await, in the swashbuckling sequel to The Assassin's Curse.

My thoughts:

I waited a very long time to read The Pirate’s Wish, despite really enjoying The Assassin’s Curse. Mostly because I couldn’t find it in any bookshop anywhere! Then I saw it in my library one day, and I ran over and snatched it up (no, I literally did) and I read it that day. It was exactly what I’d hoped for. I love how Ananna and Naji are real people: they get moody and sulky and have little bursts of anger and jealousy and all those other messy emotions. I loved what happened with the three impossible tasks and how the ended was so normal, despite this being a fantasy world of pirates and assassins and kingdoms. I liked how it wasn’t fairy-tale, it was real life. Also big shout out to the manticore, who totally stole the show.

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The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (The Wolves Chronicles #1) by Joan Aiken

Release date: (this edition) 2nd August 2013

Publisher: (this edition) Vintage Children's Classics

Goodreads synopsis:

Long ago, at a time in history that never happened, England was overrun with wolves. But as Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia discover, real danger often lies closer to home. Their new governess, Miss Slighcarp, doesn't seem at all nice. She shuts Bonnie in a cupboard, fires the faithful servants and sends the cousins far away from Willoughby Chase to a place they will never be found. Can Bonnie and Sylvia outwit the wicked Miss Slighcarp and her network of criminals, forgers and snitches?

My thoughts:

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase felt very Dahl-esque even though (I’m pretty sure) it was published before Dahl. Full of brave, intrepid and determined kids and with the adults split into kind and helpful, or dastardly and villainous, and that slightly whimsically old-fashioned narrative style, I was completely charmed. The beautiful cover totally helped with that. Full of peril, misfortune and down-right injustice but with a blissfully lovely ending, The Wolves off Willoughby Chase is a perfect children’s book.