Call Down the Hawk (The Dreamer Trilogy, Book 1) (1)

The Raven Cycle is one of my favorite series and Ronan is one of my favorite characters in YA. When I heard that there would be a spin-off series that focused a little more on Ronan (and Adam), my excitement was off the charts. This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019 and I am so happy to say that it lived up to my expectations and beyond. This book is a testament to Maggie Steifvater’s literary genius. That woman has a way with words. Her diction makes words seem like new again. Stiefvater reminds us that language is not a uniform business and that it has many different stunning qualities. The language of this book is eerie, lyrical, beautiful, evocative, and singularly a product of Maggie Stiefvater. Her words are like a tidal wave of humanness wrapped in poetically blunt symbolism. The prose itself is a character and adds character to the overarching narrative. I’ve never been let down by Stiefvater’s prose and Call Down the Hawk is one of, if not the most, shining example of her writing. That’s not to say that her storytelling is easy to follow. Not really. The path Stiefvater chooses to traverse in order to tell this story is an extremely winding one. In fact, it’s a path that diverges constantly among several different characters, only to come back together again in a multitude of different places. And, enchantingly enough, each of those paths are littered with intimate revelations, powerful observations of human nature and the self, and fear of the unknown. It’s all very magical, mystical, and so very nebulous. I should have known better than to expect this book to be strictly about Ronan and Adam. Steifvater has always been about telling all her characters’ stories, and there are several of them. Yes, this book is about the dreamer Ronan, but there are other lives and stories attached to his. And so the book ends up being maybe 25% about Ronan and even less about Adam. Call Down the Hawk is just as much about Declan, Carmen Farooq-Lane, and Jordan Hennessy than it is about Ronan. At first, I was slightly bothered that there weren’t that many intimate moments between Ronan and Adam, but then I realized that was short-sighted. There is a larger story to tell. Ronan and the dreamers are being hunted and the people who are hunting them have dreams and fears of their own. And at the center of all this is a dark, impending cosmic force pressing in on them, forcing all the characters to look the unknown in the face and be very afraid. The best thing about Stiefvater’s storytelling is not just her writing, but her ability to make all her characters seem so human. Each has their own secrets, their own nightmares, their own dreams, their own burdens to bear. They all have conversations with their innermost selves to further explore the world, their existence, and their purpose within it all. I can feel every single emotion that they feel. The author makes it easy to sympathize with Declan, who just wants his brothers to be safe; to sympathize with Carmen, who just wants peace; to sympathize with Jordan Hennessy, who wants a life of her own; to sympathize with Ronan, who wishes to both keep his dreams alive and to have functioning relationships with Adam, his family, and his friends. It took me a while to get used to this new cast of characters, especially Jordan Hennessy, but as I got to swim deeper in their depths, I found myself falling for each of them, no matter what “side” they were on. They are all so very human that it’s hard to ignore all that they are and simply mark them as “good” or “bad.” The ending is foreboding and not at all the ending I expected. It whisks you away to a mysterious place with mysterious figures and an ambiguous future. I’m afraid for Ronan and his brothers, but I’m looking forward to seeing how Ronan will handle this new terror, as well as his new connection to other dreamers and his relationships with his family and Adam. One thing’s for sure though. I’ll never sleep on “dull” Declan again. There is so much more to him than meets the eye and I am FLOORED by these new revelations. All this to say that, yes, this book is fantastic and I love it to bits.

Like many of Maggie's readers, I was sucked in and fell completely in love with her characters from The Raven Cycle. Of all of them, Ronan was my favorite (second favorite was Mallory's emotional support dog - lol). It had been a long time since books or their characters affected me the way my beloved Gansey, Ronan, Blue, and the women of 300 Fox Way had - twisting me around their proverbial fingers and making me ache when the last book ended. I never re-read books. I have re-read all of those many times. All that to say, I literally whooped out loud when I found out there was to be a Ronan-centered series to follow. I was not sure what to expect from this book. "All the Crooked Saints" was something I finished out of homage to Maggie. To complete it, I had to get it on audio and then speed up the play. I just couldn't get invested in the characters. In the end, I was glad I did. It turned out to be a good story with lots of beautiful, whimsical writing. This book, well, it's very different. Different from, "All the Crooked Saints," and different from TRC. It's darker. MUCH darker. There is lots of urgency, lots of violence, lots of death. If I hadn't loved the Lynch brothers so very much in the earlier series, I am not sure how I would have reacted. You don't get whimsical English octogenarians who ramble on about homing pigeons, nor quirky heroines who eat yogurt and love trees. It's all so much more dire than a quest to find a Welch king. But I guess that's the point. Do I love this book? Yes. It has some absolutely FANTASTIC writing. The action does not slow down. Deep thoughts. Everything is balanced on a razor's edge. But I do miss having some time to breathe. I got somewhat confused with so many new characters. By the time Liliana was introduced, I thought to myself, "Oh, no, not another mysterious, deadly person!" But she tied in nicely later. Overall, I loved the book. I have it in both hardback and audio. I have little time to slow down so I would listed to the audio when I was working. The only criticism I have on the audio was Will Patton's accent for Hennessy/Jordan is awful. He could do English old man with Mallory, but his English young art forger was inconsistent and just plain bad. That's okay, though, he was superb otherwise. I recommend this book. Just be prepared for the fact that they're not in high school anymore, and the stakes have rocketed up. I am sad I will have to wait for the next book in the series, but I truly look forward to it. In the meantime, I might re-read, "The Dream Thieves," my personal favorite (where the only worries they had were night horrors and hopped-up dreamers with Northern accents and Mitsubishi Evos - aka, gentler times).

Call Down the Hawk was not at all what I excepted, but an excellent read all the same. Introducing a new Dreamer underworld villain (The Moderators), Ronan once again finds himself a wanted man for his talents. CDTH retains the dreamy, ethereal quality of TRC and, unfortunately, all of it's narrative weakness as well. Stiefvater continues to put more stock in poetry, aesthetic, and impossibility than making sure her plot and characters are clear and make sense. Like the latter Raven Boys books, CDTH's world building is obscure at best and characters largely appear out of nowhere with unknown relevance to the story. I am hoping that she manages to snag all the loose strings by the end of the Trilogy, but after The Raven King I am not at all hopeful. The Brothers Lynch, on the other hand, do not disappoint. Expanding nicely in a quirky and unique dynamic that is perfectly aligned with their previous characterizations and with plenty of room to grow forms the heart of my interest in this novel. The new characters are eventually likable and interesting but lack some of the immediate pizzazz of characters like The Grey Man and Colin and Piper Greenmantle. Adam's microscopic role is disappointing, but fine. I am a bit lukewarm on this trilogy over all. Given that The Dream Thieves is my favorite TRC novel, I was hoping that the Dreamer Trilogy would resurrect some of that feeling. Though it's been good and interesting in it's own way, it largely hasn't, in my opinion, succeeded in matching the previous Ronan-led novel.

I was super excited but also super nervous to read CALL DOWN THE HAWK! I knew I’d love it but I was also scared to read about new characters and have some focus away from the Gangsey. Thankfully I was able to jump in and start listening to the audiobook right away, super excited that Will Patton was back for the CALL DOWN THE HAWK audiobook too! I’ll admit that it was a little different and maybe slightly difficult to adjust to the new character POVs in CALL DOWN THE HAWK. It wasn’t a bad thing but I’ve re-read The Raven Cycle so many times now that I got used to the different voices there, including those that weren’t the main characters. I had to re-learn how to adjust to a new character AND how to adapt to the new story line that she brought to this new series which again, wasn’t bad but different. I definitely enjoyed Hennessy and the concept of a new Dreamer with a different story very much! What I really loved above all else was how this series continues in the same world but it’s its own series. It’s one thing I love about Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. Now Maggie has… the Dreamerverse? The Raven Cycle established this world, these characters, and this magical ability and CALL DOWN THE HAWK just expands upon this idea even more. Like many other great fantasy authors, Maggie Stiefvater continues to reveal history and backstory like it truly is history and was always there. The new things we find out about existing characters continue to astound me and fold in seamlessly to her existing canon. We get to know side characters like Declan Lynch, who become main characters and expand depths upon depths that we never knew existed. Who knew that curmudgeonly, blah, controlling Declan had so many reasons to be so and there was so much more to him than we realized? I adored getting to know more about him in this book which was quite the surprise! Of course I loooooooved reading more about Ronan and it was even interesting to see more about Adam peripherally through his POV. I actually liked that this focused more on Ronan and the Dreamer side of the story over Adam’s POV and how he was involved in the Gangsey side of The Raven Cycle. The separation made this more of its own series too, allowing new characters to become the focus and take us into the story. Adam’s story wrapped up in THE RAVEN KING and we do see a new character arc come into play, but now that’s more to do with Adam discovering who he wants to be and what he wants to do with his life for the first time and doesn’t really have to do with the magical elements of Ronan’s life. He’s able to be there for Ronan as someone who knows and understands what he goes through but he also needs to lead his own life and write his own story. It makes it interesting to see all of that from Ronan’s perspective too. There’s so much that happens in this book that I feel like I already forgot so much but it was so interesting. Like The Rave Cycle, I immediately just wanted to stop and re-read… but I forced myself not to. I will definitely do a re-read again next year (starting with THE RAVEN BOYS and finishing with CALL DOWN THE HAWK) and I can’t wait to read this book again knowing what I know. I feel like it’s been so long since I read a new book in this world (three years since THE RAVEN KING?!) and it’s so special to be able to read something new with super fresh eyes and I’m equally excited to read it again and pick up everything new that I missed the first time around. You know it’s a fantastic book when you already can’t wait for the subsequent re-reads.

I'm incredibly sad right now, because I finished this book last night, and I know it's going to take some time until there is another one to read. I first read the Scorpio Races many years ago and I was blown away by the lyrical descriptions, lovable but oh-so-human characters, and engaging plots this author creates. I've re-read that book and highlighted key passages a number of times, and then read the Shiver series, and finally came to the Raven Cycle books. I don't know why I hesitated to read those, maybe I thought they were more YA, but I absolutely loved them. I've been waiting for this book for months and it did not disappoint in any way. There is a new complexity to Maggie Stiefvator's storytelling here and in her most recent novel. The mystery unfolds as a compelling and urgent backdrop to the characters I loved from The Raven Cycle. It feels more adult, yet still infinitely approachable, entertaining and literary. I can't wait to read it again. It's certainly not required that you read the other Raven books to love this novel, but I do recommend picking them up and enjoying them either before or after you read this, since these characters have more stories to share. I'm planning to start from the beginning and read them all through now. Brava Maggie. Thank you for another amazing book. If it was a paperback I would wear its pages thin and cover it in coffee rings, assuming I ever set it down.

i admit to feeling a little leery of this spinoff series; having loved the Raven Cycle, I was concerned that this might not measure up, and might not pack the power and imagination of the original. I’m thrilled to say that I had nothing to fear. If anything, I loved this even more! Though I was a bit annoyed at the new characters in the beginning (I just wanted more Ronan and Adam), they all grew on me and it was intriguing to see how Stiefvater developed their shared story. As I counted down the last 100 pages, I was caught between wanting to finish the book so I could see how it ended, and wanting to slow down so I could prolong the reading pleasure longer. The writing is Stiefvater at her best; she has combined her usual inventive imagery and stylistic elements with a new depth of clarity and patience in storytelling. I was so sad to read of her long illness in her endnotes, and glad she’s feeling better!

The Raven Cycle has been one of my favorite series since the first book. This start to the next cycle did not disappoint; I actually put off reading it for a while because I already knew I'd be sad to have to wait for the next book. This cycle is not really a sequel to the other books--they help in order to understand all the characters, but this book will still draw you in even without having read those. But the novella Opal will help you understand some of the terms (nightwash) and issues the Dreamers deal with in this book. At first, I was a little sad to not see Blue or Gansey, but being able to really dive into Ronan's (and Hennessy's) powers kept me turning the pages. I also enjoyed being able to learn a lot more about Declan and what makes him tick, and how he's also been involved in this secret, magical world from the beginning. Seeing a bigger dreamer world than just Ronan and a couple others from the first series was riveting--seeing how being a dreamer translates based on a person's personality, and seeing their own struggles with their dreams was really well thought out. I wasn't actually very happy with Adam's character here, but also considering how hard he worked to escape his roots, I guess it wasn't surprising. I personally think Ronan can do better, but it is what it is. The Visionaries were a nice twist, but they definitely need a lot more explanation to really understand them. The time-travel aspect of the Visionaries confused me, and I didn't totally follow how visions kill the people around them, or eventually, themselves. Those were the hardest chapters for me to read. Carmen was a good character; I felt her moral struggle during her hunts and sympathized with her (even when I hated what she was doing). Jordan might possibly be my favorite character from this book, and I'm really glad she and Matthew will get to learn more about themselves. There's a lot thrown into this book. I can understand some other review frustrations about having too many new characters, too many unanswered questions, too many magical mysteries. But it's a series--it wouldn't make sense for everything to be explained in the first book. Additionally, the pace and path laid out kind of mimic the first book in The Raven Cycle. So much was unexplained in that first book that I remember panicking the closer I got to the end. I have complete faith that things will become better understood as the series goes on.

Here’s the thing about this book: You shouldn’t read it without having read the Raven Cycle first. But. . . you might be a little let down if you read this after having read the Raven Cycle first. I mean, I guess you could read this as a first book in a new series. It does have that #1 in the series info and all. But I don’t think you should. Your introduction to Ronan Lynch in the Raven Cycle is a legit EXPERIENCE. Learning about who he is in that series is the way to go. It’s a slow gradual thing and it’s awesome. (Your big intro to him in this book is a POV chapter from him and I’m telling you - it’s just not as good.) BUT. If you’ve read the Raven Cycle and are already in love with the characters. . . you might suffer for awhile when you start reading this book. I kinda did. First of all, you’re going to miss a lot of the old characters. Yeah it’s a “new” series so we just need to get over it already and get our mind right but hey it’s gonna happen and you’ll be bummed out. YOU WILL. On top of that, we’re introduced to what feels like at first to be waaaaaayy too many new characters. And the thing about new characters is that you just don’t care about them until you start caring about them. And it took me a LONG time to start caring about them. I’d get impatient and bored during chapters that weren’t from our old familiar characters. I’d put the book down a lot and go do something else. I’d feel like putting it aside like, permanently. I’m glad I didn’t. I can’t really pinpoint when or how it happened, but I did eventually start getting invested in a couple of the new characters and their storylines. Plot-wise, there’s just enough here to keep me interested, but I’m not exactly blown away yet. And this book ended at a really weird place if you ask me, and left me feeling a little annoyed and thinking like, seriously? Also: — if you know from other books you’ve tried that you don’t like Maggie Stiefvater’s writing, this book isn’t going to magically get you to start liking it. You can either deal with it or you can’t. Side note: I like reading about Ronan from other character POVs more than I like reading his own POV. I just do. 3.5 stars (and rounding up solely because of a certain specific character!)