SERIES REVIEW: Strange the Dreamer + Muse of Nightmares, by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
on March 28, 2017
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Epic, Romance, Paranormal, Family, General, Social Themes, Friendship, Action & Adventure
Pages: 544
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Goodreads

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2) by Laini Taylor
on October 2, 2018
Pages: 528
Amazon||The Book Depository
Goodreads

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

i read Strange the Dreamer nearly a year ago, but i remember the experience so vividly. laini taylor’s writing is SO BEAUTIFUL. i had to stop every few paragraphs and pages to simply admire the way she crafts sentences. HOW?! i read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the first book of her other series, years ago and thought it was oooookay. BUT Strange the Dreamer is honestly a dream and the writing is like nothing i’ve read before. it made me fall back in love with words on pages. it’s truly an experience.

aside from the writing, my (other) favorite part was definitely the setting. the fantasy world is whimsical, magical, and completely its own. i’ve never read of anywhere like it and i can imagine it right off the bat. there are dreamers, warriors, gods, children of gods and humans (not like the percy jackson demigod thing – these kids were called “godspawn”) and they’re blue (like avatar blue). the words build the setting; the characters build the setting; the setting itself is magical and strange.

the icing on the cake is THE CHARACTERS. we have lazlo strange, who is shaped by words and the definition of a stranger dreamer. i mean, his nose is crooked because a book fell on his face so he is literally shaped by words. then we have sarai, who is a dreamer in the sense that she literally goes into dreams. the first book is lazlo’s story, but the second is very clearly sarai’s. and i love these characters so much!!! they’re beautiful, unique, and imperfectly perfect!!!! in addition to the leads, the side characters are also so wonderful!! there’s definitely more character development in the second book and by the end, i’m feeling for all of them – even the so-called antagonists. there are also more characters introduced in Muse of Nightmares. i’m always hesitant when there are new people in sequels, but i absolutely adored their side story. it also ties everything together really well.

overall, this series is fantastic. (i love duologies!!!) laini taylor’s writing!!!! makes me very emotional. the story itself!!! makes me very emotional. the characters!!!!! make me very emotional. it’s one of those books you take your time to savor and finish feeling like you stepped out of another world. i mean, that’s what books are supposed to make you feel but this reaaaaally makes you feel that. this has become one of my favorite series of all-time and i would highly highly recommend it to anyone who likes words.

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