Book Review: Call Down the Hawk

Call Down the Hawk was so incredible, friends. I had high hopes before I started it, and this novel smashed through the glass ceiling of every single one of them in an impressive way! I’m still struggling to articulate all the things I loved about this book (and I feel like I’ll continue to add to this list when I reread it), but I wanted to share at least a couple of initial reasons that Call Down the Hawk snuck onto my favorites list right at the end of 2019.

Before we get into why I loved this book, I’ll briefly tell you who it’s about. The book follows three individuals: Ronan Lynch (a dreamer who can pull things out of his dreams [and who is one of the Raven Boys from the Raven Cycle, and my personal favorite]), Jordan Hennessy (a thief looking for a specific dream object) and Carmen Farooq-Lane (a hunter who goes after dreamers). That’s all I’m going to say about the story, mostly because it’s always preferable (to me) to go into a Stiefvater novel without knowing too much about the actual plot.

Now, I will mention, like Stiefvater’s other series starters, Call Down the Hawk begins with three different perspectives that appear to be connected by only the barest of details. But that always ends up being a deliberate narrative choice on Stiefvater’s part, as she slowly reveals the bigger picture with every single chapter. If you, as the reader, are willing to allow the story to unfold as it will (which is honestly the kind of reading experience Stiefvater’s storytelling style lends itself best to), it always pays off by the time you get to the end. The conclusion you can make here is that Stiefvater novels are written in a way that is entirely unique to her as an author, and it’s fully trained me (as a fan and reader) to know what to anticipate when starting something new of hers. And I loved every second I spent devouring this story, so that’s one half of the reason that this is a new favorite.

The other half of the reason this is a new favorite is how much I enjoyed the characters (and their relationships). Stiefvater always does an impeccable job with her character work, creating people that feel so real in how excessively unique they happen to be. I was already predisposed to like this story because of my love for Ronan Lynch, but it was still impressive to see how Maggie further teases out more of Ronan’s character with the new experiences he faces. She somehow succeeded in making me love him even more than I already did (and that was already a hell of a lot)! I also really enjoyed getting to know the other characters, specifically Declan (we get more insight into his personality and motivations) and Jordan (who I really, really, really love). And, of course, it was an absolute treat to see some familiar faces appear throughout the tale too!

I was so impressed with Call Down the Hawk. Stiefvater delivered for me on so many levels – a compelling plot that made it nearly impossible to stop reading once I’d started, characters that I adore with my whole heart, and an invitation to get emotionally invested in the outcome of this book (and the rest of the series). It was immediately a new favorite read, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy #1) was published on November 5, 2019 by Scholastic Press.