The Dream Thieves: The Graphic Novel

The Raven Cycle: The Graphic Novels #2

by Sas Milledge (Adapter & Illustrator), Maggie Stiefvater

Full of magic, found family and impossible romance, this stunning hardback graphic novel adaptation of the iconic Raven Cycle series weaves a thrilling plot around a cast of characters that are impossible to forget.

The ley lines around Henrietta have been awoken, and nothing will ever be the same for Blue and the Raven Boys.

As Ronan becomes increasingly entangled in his dreams, Gansey is pulled away from Aglionby and Adam makes new friends, Blue and Noah are stuck in the middle. Wrestling with the revelations unearthed in Cabeswater, along with new rivalries, old anxieties and some ominous new faces around town, the group discover that the magic that surrounds them runs far deeper, and far darker, than they’d imagined.

For there is power in Cabeswater, and the Raven Boys aren’t the only ones looking for it.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Young Adult, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Paranormal, Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2026

About the author

Sas Milledge is a Melbourne-based comic artist and illustrator

Reviews

[Maggie Stiefvater · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is in bad taste to rate your own book five stars

WHEN YOU WANT TO RATE IT ONE THOUSAND STARS!?

we're back, kids, with the graphic novel adaptation of The Dream Thieves, coming next August. Book 2 is so much more insane than book 1, and I promise Sas brought the insanity in the art.

You can pre-order signed copies from Parnassas Books (more details on swag later). Let's goooooo

[lu ☾]

fantastic cover........ gay boy tortured by his nightmares but most importantly by his one million homoerotic friendships

[Miranda Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

"There are three kinds of secrets. Ronan Lynch lived with every one."

So, let me start off with - I am a huge fan of the Raven Boys (novel) and as you can see from my rating, not a big fan of the graphic novel adaption.

Ultimately, my takeaway for the second of (presumably) four graphic novel versions of the series is...*drum roll* disappointed.

I think one of my major issues with this book is that you HAVE to read the original source material and have it fresh in your mind in order to understand what's happening in the graphic novel version.

I mean, I suppose, you don't HAVE to (I'm not your mom, do what you want) but the reading experience is VASTLY enhanced if you have a baseline of what the story is supposed to be - cause gosh dang. I've read this series at least 3x cover-to-cover but it's been a few years since I've read the Dream Thieves, and I kept getting completely turned around.

Furthermore, the original series is really heavy on character development and plot - which isn't a bad thing. It's one of my all-time favorite plots of the freaking world of books.

And the insistence at condensing a beautifully written 440 page book into a 288 page graphic novel... ugh. Things get cut. Often.

Some of the most pivotal scenes, the essential nuances of the story, the sheer essence of the story - its gone.

Adam's rent being covered, Ronan's pining and struggles with faith, the Gansey family pulling together for Adam, Gansey realizing how important Blue is through all of their interactions...I could go on.

I will say - the scenery is gorgeous in this book. The artist was working overtime with the beautiful images on the page...but (again) I still feel disappointed by the interpretation of the characters.

Seriously, a quick google of any of these characters brings up pages and pages of fanart - and what's really cool is how consistent it is. You can tell Ronan from Adam from Gansey despite the myriad of art styles and interpretation.

You throw me any fanart and I'm picking out the characters immediately. You show me a group shot of the graphic novel's version and I'm guessing based on proximity and context clues. Seriously. Why does Noah and Matthew look like they're twins?

What I'm trying to say - the community had a vibe for what we all collectively imagined these characters as...and the book goes very...left-field.

Ultimately, it is so disappointing when one of your all time favorite series gets mangled in the graphic novel adaptation... ugh.

[becca ! · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHERE IS GANSEY ON FIRE?
DREAM ME THE WORLD???????????
I WISH YOU COULD BE KISSED???
where is kavinsky’s house?? where is blue and gansey’s nighttime drive…. their phone calls?? gansey’s interception of adam’s long walk, the tricolored car? the other people hunting the greywaren??? ADAM’S RENT? matthew and ronan at the barns… the malory pigeon phone call..?
(comparably small detail to the rest of these but a personal bias… adam eating ronan’s tattoo… i just selfishly wanted that dream sequence visual)

condensed to the point of near incomprehensibility. love love love this series and the passion poured into these graphic novels, and im grateful that they exist!! i will buy every one! but it’s becoming clear that the heart of the story lies in its original book format.

beautiful art, as expected, and i loved how a certain few scenes were illustrated- the imagery of adam’s visions comes to mind immediately (loved the ancient processions!) and the barns. fox way looks great, the paneling of ronan’s second secret…. and noah and blue’s scene at monmouth ❤️‍🩹 lovely! the art invokes all the feeling, where the characters and the story stall and scramble. i think these graphic novels serve as a treat for those already familiar with the story rather than something to go into blind. it just feels like sequencing- things are happening, im along for the ride, but the condensed nature leaves very very little time for the small moments and details that string it all together and make it feel meaningful. the things i listed weren’t even small details, they were huge ones imo, and even they didn’t make the cut. i get it! i was expecting it- maybe just not to this extent.

i guess maybe it felt super ronan centric (in its own attempted, shortened way)- cutting out a lot of gansey and blue’s important romantic developments, which surprised me. but how you can have a ronan story without “dream me the world”is beyond me. i am realllyyy hoping blue and gansey’s drive is included in the next book!

all in all, excited for the visuals of bllb, but yearning for all the yearning omitted from this version of the dream thieves.

[ℬ]

definitely not normal bout this i need it in my hands right freaking now 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing but respect and admiration for the artists and colorists who worked on this project, and the previous installment; the character designs and backdrops are beautifully rendered and capture the aesthetics of the series perfectly. However, the changes made to this novel’s graphic adaptation are…baffling, to say the least, and I say this with recognition of the difficulties inherent in adapting a 460-something page book to graphic novel form.

The changes made to the timeline of events, here, don’t really make sense, and I would argue actually make the book suffer by condensing big moments into little ones and also trivializing character arcs and development. Details that really, really do matter are also absent - there’s no Ronan paying Adam’s rent, for example, or there’s no Ronan and Gansey at K’s substance party. The graphic novel starts with the Gangsey discovering Cabeswater’s disappearance, so you automatically lose all that buildup, but you also lose everything following it that tells you so much about the characters - the Pig breaking down, Gansey calling Declan, Ronan and Adam in the backseat, etc. The infamous boat scene comes out of order, and Adam and Gansey don’t actually go to DC - instead, Mrs. Gansey holds some sort of fundraiser at Aglionby and Adam’s amnesia episode isn’t really there. The rent plotline is replaced with an entrance fee to Mrs. Gansey’s fundraiser of $1300, except Gansey immediately waives it, because Adam is a friend of the family, which is not at all equivalent to the tuition raise/rent bit in the book.

Overall, all sense of how deeply these characters care for one another is lost here, which, in my opinion, completely shoots the whole project in the foot - so much of the allure of TRC is found in its intimacy and found family trope.

[fiona ☁️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

don't get me wrong, i LOVE that these graphic novels exist and it's such a joy to see my favourite story come to life like that!! the artwork goes beyond my wildest dreams (ha). i also understand that you have to make cuts when you adapt a 400+ page book into a graphic novel. but this time there were just too many details/scenes missing or changed that imo are incredibly crucial to the characters and their intricate dynamics. these characters and how much they care about each other are the heart and soul of this story. their relationships and they themselves are all so incredibly nuanced and if you take away even small parts of that nuance, it just doesn't work the same way. there's so much meaning in every line of prose, in every conversation, in everything said and unsaid. if you leave out even the silences, things will get lost. maybe this just proves that to some degree, these books will always be unadaptable, no matter the medium?

although i gotta say some of the things missing are FAR from small: where's the stuff with adam's rent, or his lost time? where's gansey almost losing his mind with worry when adam goes missing? where's the tri-colored car? why was prokopenko seemingly replaced with henry cheng (at least i think it's supposed to be henry? i could be wrong, but then why choose the same last name)?? where are the phone calls between blue and gansey?? where's "dream me the world"???? where the fuck is THE DRIVE?????? anyways, i'm still beyond happy that we get this visualization, but i cannot stress enough how the graphic novels do not replace the magic of the books, so PLEASE only read these if you 've already read the books i beg you

[☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful gorgeous art but…..yikes…. many of my favorite scenes and quotes are omitted and some (admittedly small but) weird story changes ultimately made it lose the magic and the intricacies of the story💔💔💔💔

[Daphne]

Why did the illustration of Aurora hugging Matthew and Ronan actually make me cry

[zora · Rating 5 out of 5]

the magician tarot card on the cover are you kidding me omg

4.5 stars; gorgeous gorgeous artwork🫶🏻🙂‍↕️

[nastyushka ౨ৎ]

the magician tarot card?????? the ronan???? the everything??? FIVE STARS immediately

[cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly giving 5 stars for pure love of the game but in reality the amount being removed from this story is realllyyyyyyy depressing!!!! i understand why they are being condensed but with how much the little moments matter to the story / over arching development of the characters and their relationships, a lot is being missed out on. some of my favorite moments, gone! i need raven king to be either two releases or at minimum double the length, but with all the missing pieces it may not even have a strong enough leg to stand on when we get there…. :( all love to the artists though, even if they made my boy ugly

[dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADAM MY BELOVEDDDD

having adams scenes painted out before me was a legit throat punch because reading it was one thing but actually seeing it was another. i knew this was going to be amazing as tdt is my favorite in the series and it did not disappoint.

all the scenes we know and love (and hate) are included in and i cannot WAIT to read it again once i get a copy next year

[tahaslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

significantly better than the previous book but still suffers from most of the same issues. if you haven't read the original series, these graphic novels don't provide the best summary of the story. it feels a bit disjointed and if i didnt have knowledge of the books i'd be pretty lost. they need to get better with connecting a lot of the non-action related scenes.

otherwise, the art is gorgeous and i had a lot of fun revisiting the story through the illustrations. really enjoyed seeing my guys adam and ronan take center stage with this one.

interested in seeing how the last two books will be adapted for this format!

[bri · Rating 2 out of 5]

went in with No expectations this time around since trb disappointed me so much but GODDDD!!! somehow so much worse. i’ve complained to every person i know about the fact these novels simply do not work in any form other than its original one. everything that makes trc magical is what exists in the quiet moments and where maggie’s writing is able to shine. of course i don’t expect a 1:1 adaptation HOWEVER i do think it gets to a point where it’s just bastardizing the original work. so many wonderfully beautiful scenes are missing and it feels so confusing because?? where is the heart?? you have no sense of how deeply these characters care for one another?? why are we doing any of this?? why does it all matter?? the art is gorgeous so it feels like such a shame to see it wasted on a very weak summarized version of events. would have loved for these to just be illustrated versions of the novels rather than trying to do something new. i can’t imagine my introduction to such a rich and intimate story being through these graphic novels. if anything, these can work as a companion piece to the novels. which also frustrates me because these are able to exist Because of the following trc has maintained these last 15ish years so it feels like a slap in the face when some of the most beloved scenes are just constantly missing.

also secretly feel like there is one big grudge against adam parrish and adam/gansey in general by the adaptation team but that also might just be my adam parrish induced paranoia speaking.

will be back in the not so near future when we get blue lily, lily blue (which will be a shit show since it’s my favorite of the series)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Literally my favorite series, so getting to experience The Dream Thieves in graphic novel form makes me ridiculously happy. I’ve always loved Ronan’s storyline, and seeing his dreams, secrets, and all the chaos surrounding him brought to life visually was such a fun experience.

The artwork is beautiful and really captures the strange, atmospheric feeling of the Raven Cycle. I also loved getting to revisit these characters and this world in a completely different format.

I’m so excited that these graphic novel adaptations exist, and I can’t wait to continue with the rest of the series. 🐦‍⬛🖤

[⋆˚꩜｡ ☆ Sophiii ☆ 𝜗ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll give yall a rhyme: if it’s trc, it gets a five stars from me !! 😋

[kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

needed this. thank you!

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

the fact that so much was cut out is kind of repugnant 🤞

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ronan’s 🗣️ second 🗣️ secret 🗣️ was 🗣️ Adam 🗣️ Parrish 🗣️

[talia ♡]

give it to me gay boy!

[sarah]

this is incredibly serious to me

[abby ✧.* · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE the graphic novel adaptations, i love being able to see them how the author sees them and whilst the books immerse me in henrietta anyway, the graphic novels immerse me in an entirely different way

[Sofie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think the value of this book for me lies not in the content itself but in 1) how it gets me thinking about the raven cycle and inching ever closer to a reread and 2) the experience of going to the release event and hearing maggie and other fans talk about these books. apart from that, i think these graphic novel adaptations are baffling bc this story is fundamentally ineffective in this format. so much of the incredibly unique and memorable feeling that you get from these books is due to the prose and the interiority and the act of conjuring the settings and characters and fantastical actions yourself. when i was reading these books, i was fully 100% bought in and truly immersed regardless of how confused i was sometimes by the imagery as written on the page. but sometimes that felt like it was the point!!! so to have the graphic novel attempt to spell it out (not very well either) in these static visuals feels like it’s keeping me at arms’ length from the story rather than enveloping me in it. these books are just so wispy to me, so atmospheric, so dreamlike (which is most certainly the point in this book in particular!!!!!!) that i just cannot imagine anyone picking up this version of it for the first time and feeling even a fraction of the wonder and intrigue that i did. idk maybe there’s a world in which these books COULD be adapted in this format, just with a different artist with a weirder style maybe??? but as it is, the experience of reading this is like hearing the muffled sound of your comfort song playing from another room. i’m just gonna go to that other room. this is a recap of the dream thieves with serviceable pictures, and more than anything else, it just makes me want to reread the og

will i buy the other two books when they come out? yes yes i will. but like i said, half of the value is in seeing maggie for the release so. not exactly a glowing review of the book itself

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're back with gangsey searching for this dead welsh king and oh, I'll never get tired of this story. They are hands down one of my favorite found families, if not my absolute favorite. reading this adaptation just makes me want to finally do my reread of the series. I miss being with these characters so much 😭

The graphic novel does a good job summarizing overall what happens in this sequel, that being said I do highly recommend that you should read the series itself first if you've never read the raven cycle before!! I feel like it is difficult to decide what to keep and what to scrap when it comes to an adaptation, especially when there is limited space of telling a story, so I was a little bummed when a few of my favorite scenes were omitted, but at the same time I understood it. It's not possible to keep every detail, but at the same time I had wished the graphic novel was a tad longer.

The artwork was absolutely gorgeous as usual, and I can't wait to see how everything looks in color once my preorder arrives. The raven cycle will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Thank you penguin teen for the arc and gifted copy! <3

Out THIS TUESDAY, August 4th!!

[natália ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

RONAN'S SECOND SECRET WAS ADAM PARRISH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing more alive in the universe than this graphic novel. Magic is real and art is preserved and the meaning of life is four boys and a house of psychic women.

[sj]

the art is wonderful… but a little heartbroken that so many lines/scenes were cut or changed :( what especially comes to mind is the situ with adam’s rent, and adam’s lost time when he’s walking. both so central to adam’s, ronan’s and gansey’s characters so a little baffled. i can’t believe the calls/drives with blue and gansey didn’t make it!!

that being said, no hate to milledge. the art is sooo incredible and being able to see the characters is a dream

[rachelle]

somebody sedate me

[mels ⋆˚࿔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the graphic novels. They really display a different side of the story along w details/easter eggs you might’ve missed in the novels. Seriously, i love this series and the graphic novels are just perfection. Beautiful depiction of the characters and the art in general is just stunning. Story-wise, i believe that the dream thieves might be my fav book of the series yet unless the last two can top it, which i doubt. Regardless, i am so ready for the next one. Only thing that kinda bummed me was leaving out THAT gansey x blue scene THOSE WHO KNOW KNOW

The pynch scenes got me emotional though oh myogd