Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater Narrator: Will Patton
Series: Dreamer Trilogy #1
Published by Scholastic Audio on November 5, 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Length: 13 hours, 45 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.
And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.
Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.
Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.
Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. .
The Raven Cycle is one of my favorite series ever, so I was both excited and really nervous to read Call Down the Hawk. This is the first book in a brand new series but I don’t think that the enjoyment level will be the same, or that all of the Dreaming stuff will make as much sense, if you haven’t completed The Raven Cycle series, plus it is a wonderful experience and if you don’t enjoy that series you are not going to enjoy this one.
Ronan grew on me through the Raven Boys series, but this isn’t a book just about him. Call Down the Hawk is a book about all the Lynch boys, secret societies, Dreamers, Dreams and the possible end of the world. It was really a fascinating story that I think only hits the tip of the iceberg of what this series is going to turn into.
I was nervous this wasn’t going to live up to the series before it, but it is just as wonderful in a completely new and twisted way. It has so many great new characters and I’m loving all the time in the dream worlds and meeting new dreamers as well as the people that are hunting them down. It’s one of those books that you get to see things from multiple sides and so no one is all good or all bad, they just have different motivations and think they are doing the right thing. I really love the various shades of gray so far.
The story was captivating and one of my biggest surprises was Declan, the oldest Lynch brother. I kinda hated him in the Raven Boys but getting to know him in this series was eye opening to the deeper character there. I love the mystery surrounding this new plot and the factions that are involved. I’m really hoping there is a team up of sorts down the road but right now it is too soon to tell.
Since I loved the first series so much, I was sad not to get more cameos. There are a few mentions of characters from the first series and what they are up to now.
This was a great opening book that set up the overall feel of the story, introduced the players, posed some dangers and made me want to dive into the next book in the series, which isn’t out yet. I was so happy to step into the story Maggie Stiefvater is dreaming up for us and I for one will be ready to read the next book on release day.
“He sucked in more longing with every inhale, he exhaled some of his happiness on the other side. How miserable.”
It felt like sadness was like radiation, like the amount of time between exposures was irrelevant, like you got a badge that eventually got filled up from a lifetime of it, and then it just killed you.
“You are made of dreams and this world is not for you.”
Narration:
Maggie Steifvater’s prose is one that I personally adore, it’s almost like the book is meant to be read aloud and listened to. I always get her books in audio because they are just that more enjoyable in that format and Will Patton does a stellar job with the performance as always
Listen to a clip:
About Will Patton
William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series Falling Skies. He also appeared in the films Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds and The Punisher. He appeared opposite Kevin Costner in two films: No Way Out (1987) and The Postman (1997). He won two Obie Awards for best actor in Sam Shepard’s play Fool for Love and the Public Theater production of What Did He See?.
About Maggie Stiefvater
All of Maggie Stiefvater’s life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you’re a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she’s tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She’s made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Robin Audio20
The only book of hers I have read was Scorpio Races. I LOVED it but then it was narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham so I definitely recommend audio for it. I think I would read the Raven Boys first which has been on my tbr for a few years now.
Love the Scorpio Races. That was my first book by her too. Definitely do the Raven Boys series first, it is crazy fun and the narration is great on it.
I did read series by this author but it was so long ago
She has a few other series. One is about faeries and it was her debut the other was an interesting take on wolves the Shiver series. I enjoyed the Shiver series but Raven Boys is much better inho
I added some of her books after loving The Scorpio Races. I really need to find time to get to them.
Definitely do the Raven Boys if you get a chance. It is one of my favorite UF series
great post. i love that fabulous cover. i don’t think i’ve read any of her work, but i’ll be checking her out
I love most of her stuff. She is really inventive and The Raven Boys was a fantastic series. I’m glad I read it before this but I love that Call Down the Hawk is just as inventive and cool.
I have this book but have heard that I need to read The Raven Cycle series first, which it sounds like you agree with. I can’t wait to read it though – it just sounds so good!
Yeah you could read it without reading the other, but I think a lot of the nuance would be missed since so much of the worldbuilding was done in the other series. I’m not sure it would be nearly as enjoyable or Ronan as likeable.
Great review! This is on my TBR.
I recently read The Scorpio Races and while I think there were a couple of plot holes that I minded a bit about – I just love her atmospheric writing and descriptive prose, which is remarkable. So I am seriously considering The Raven Boys:)). Thank you for a great review, Anne:)