Call Down the Hawk
By: Maggie Stiefvater
Call Down the Hawk is the start of a sequel series to the Raven Cycle. So please keep that in mind if you still wanted to read the Raven Books first- there’s going to be spoilers for those books in this review!
My favorite Raven Boy Ronan returns and things are 50-50 for him. His relationship with Adam is going well but well, that’s about it. As we learned in the Raven Boys Ronan dreams things to life- huge things like forests and his younger brother compared to relatively smaller things like fast cars.
He can only really control the dreams at his farm and if he doesn’t dream he becomes buried in a pile of black goo called dream wash.
Meanwhile a mysterious figure is invading not just his dreams but is being whispered about in those strange circles. Declan and Ronan tangle with a pair of sisters mixed up in the dreaming and the forgery world and there’s a young dreamer assassin hunting down dreamers with shady government backing as they will apparently bring about the end of the world.
That is definitely the story-line I feel is weakest. Didn’t care for the assassin though she’s slightly better than some of the others in the group. Not big on the strange visionary she picks up. And it makes the end a little strange. I honestly would have been fine if this was just the brothers Lynch (cause we do get a lot more Declan and Matthew) and the sisters Hennessey.
But I liked that stuff enough that it covered it. I have always loved the dream power and we see it in great display here both for good and ill. How Ronan can use it for a strength but also the weaknesses that it causes and does to people.
Blue and Gansey are mentioned in passing (which was fine.) Thinking about it I actually liked what she did with the Ronan-Adam relationship. He is off at Harvard so he’s not in the book a lot which bummed me out at first. But they’re solid and making it work. Adam worked hard to get into Harvard (and we see he’s doing well even if he is lying about his past) and Ronan is proud of his boy even if he wishes they could be closer.
Plus I’m guessing Adam will have a bigger role in future books.
Be warned in here for a suicide in front of a child replayed often in that characters memories/dreams.
So all in all Call Down the Hawk was a mixed bag. Loved most of the characters, the world and power, and the relationships. Did not care for the larger plot. But still I’m in it for book two at least.
Recommend: Yes.
I don’t think you need to read any of the Raven Boys first if you don’t want. You may miss some stuff… “Who’s Opal?” But it catches you up quick enough.