*spoilers for the entirety of The Dream Thieves.
Even though a large part of the series in Blue’s curse (if she kisses her true love, he’ll die), the book explores many other kinds of relationships outside of romantic, whether they be friend or familial or somewhere in-between. The dynamics of the group (Blue, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah) are the backbone of the books as the teens navigate the strange happenings of their quest for a dead Welsh king, Glendower. In this installment, the relationship between brothers features most prominently: Ronan and his brothers, Declan and Matthew, the Gray Man and his brother, and then the brotherly relationship between Ronan and Gansey.
There is no shortage of tension between Ronan and Declan. The two can hardly be in the same space without going for each other’s throats. On one occasion, Ronan literally scrambles into the backseat of the Camero, pretending to fall asleep just so he can ignore him (124). Completely opposite, both brothers adore the youngest, Matthew, who acts as the glue of the family. The only time the three of them are together are during church, and Matthew’s the only reason Ronan will sit anywhere near Declan. Their family is full of secrets unevenly distributed–including their dreamed up mom–and lies are part of why such a deep fissure exists between Ronan and Declan. Unlike Matthew, Declan already knows of Ronan’s Greywaren status, yet even Ronan finding out Declan knows does nothing to smooth the relationship.
When they return to the Barns, Blue questions Gansey’s familiarity with the place. “He didn’t say what Ronan was thinking, which was that Gansey was far more of a brother to Ronan than Declan had ever been” (154). There are multiple instances in the novel that speak to their relationship, both past and present. These two characters have known each other the longest out of the group, and Gansey occasionally reminds himself to remember the Ronan before, the “other one” that isn’t dangerous and hollow inside (134). Gansey and Ronan have spent countless nights both awake due to their insomnia and countless days searching for Glendower together, and despite their bickering and disagreements, would pretty much do anything for each other.
We don’t get much on the Gray Man and his brother. We don’t even get the Gray Man’s brother’s name. All we know is his brother was a sociopath who was cruel and violent towards him, and that the Gray Man eventually kills him so he can live freely without his brother’s threatening existence chasing him out of Henrietta. Despite this, we know it was the concept of brothers that took away any remaining consideration of kidnapping Ronan (381), perhaps commenting on the notion of family as blood versus choice. However, Maggie Stiefvater doesn’t appear to prioritize one kind of family over another. Each relationship is explored and developed, complicated and tangled.
Beyond brothers, these kids create their own kind of very messy, very dysfunctional family. Of course, Blue’s the only one who knows about Gansey’s approaching death, so that might put a bit of a damper on things.
I’d love to hear other’s thoughts on family/friend dynamics in this book, since I know there’s a ton more to say than what I’ve discussed above.
Reading Young Adult Literature 
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