Strange the Dreamer

I turned my nightmares into fireflies and caught them in a jar.

3.49/5 stars
I'm about to seemingly hate on this book but I also know I am wrong about everything and you should definitely ignore me and read this book. It's 100% worth the read.

Also I rewrote my review. Used to be a lot different. It's better now.

You see, I'm not really a fan of weird. I like things to be realistic with all its ducks in a row. I need a beginning and a end and some sort of explanation for how things work. This has an end at the beginning. Then it has a beginning. The lyrical writing distracts you from the fact that things just happen for no apparent reason. And this book is so fucking weird.

If we are gonna discuss its weirdness, let's have a break down of the plot. I'll spoiler tag it because I'm trying to do better

•Blue goddess fall from sky and everyone screams bc she blue. They don't really care if she's okay or not. Rude. •Now forget all about that and meet Lazlo. He's like the owl from Avatar the Last Airbender but like not creepy or mean. So nothing like that. •Lazlo was abandoned as a baby by war or something and lived with monks. Monks raised him and some grumpy old monk of a ***** told him stories about this really cool city with ~~~magic~~~•What is that city called? Guess what? no one knows. They did but now they don't because ~~~magic~~~ so now everyone calls it Weep •Lazlo grows up obsessed with this city like that one girl in your elementary school liked horses. •Stuff happens. He abandons the monk lifestyle to become a simple librarian. Which sounds like the life. Sign me the eff up. Why would Lazlo ever leave ?•He leaves. He gets the opportunity to go to Weep bc we need a plot. •Now this is like half of the book already. When we finally get to weep we learn there's like a floating palace above it where there were gods but now they are all dead•But surprise they aren't all dead•Enter Sarai•She's blue and can throw up moths and invade people's dreams. That's all that's really important about her. She does eventually fall out of the sky. See bullet point one. •And surprise Lazlo is ~~~different~~~ and when she invades his dream he can see her•They fall in love after like 5 minutes maybe less i wasn't timing it•The end

Other stuff happens obviously but I think I summed up all the important stuff.

The moths are weird. The magic is weird. Literally everything was weird. Sometimes, all the weirdness would blend together and I would start to wonder if it really is that weird or if it was just me. But no. It's not me.

Literally me the entire reread:



I think what bugs me the most is that the magic system is not built very well. I mean, this is only half of the series so this probably changes in the next book, so I know I am talking way too soon, but I don't feel like I got any sort of a start of an explanation about the magic. These blue people live above the sky and nobody knows how they got there. This girl can scream out moths and I'm just suppose to accept that? I need a sensical explanation okay.

I think my other problem was the characters. Now, this was probably totally just me. I remember loving the characters when I first read this book, but I just wasn't feeling them this time around. Let's discuss, shall we?

Lazlo. Lame. Doesn't do much besides think about Weep constantly.

Sarai. I literally can't think of anything to write about. Besides the whole moth dream thing, she was kinda forgettable.

Minya. One of the only characters with some depth even though she's a major bitch and I hate her

Ruby, Feral, and Sparrow. Literally, these three could have been removed from this book and it would be the exact same story

Thyon The absolute best character. Laini Taylor really shows us what drives him early in the book and sticks with it the entire story. Also, she opens the door to so much character building. He's so interesting. I could have read this entire story from his POV and it would have been so much better. 10/10 stars. Would recommend.

Godslayer I can't remember his name. I can't remember what he did in this book other than slaying some gods 15 years ago and trying to start a cult.

Okay so now let's talk about the worst part of this book. The romance between Sarai and Lazlo. These two bitches are straight from that new Love is Blind show on Netflix. They haven't even met each other face to face and they are proclaiming their everlasting love to one another. I think I ship a paper plate with rock more than I ship those two.



And literally like all three conversations they had sounded like some douche canoe sliding into someone's dms. I ended up skimming over most of their conversations because it was just too much for my forever single heart.

Example:

‘“That's good,” Lazlo breathed. “I was worried.” He blushed. “I may have thought about you a few times today.”“Only a few?” she teased, blushing too.“Maybe more,” he admitted.'

“Do you still think i'm a... A singularly unhorrible demon?” “No,” he said smiling. “I think you're magical, and brave, and exquisite. And I hope you'll let me be in your story.”In a plethora of fantasy books, this books singularly stands out with its amazing writing, the plot, the narrative, the characters and the emotions they portray - all the while still being magical.The story started with Strange being captivated by books and by the mysteries of the city of Weep - the Unseen City. Through the first few chapters, we realize that Strange is possibly the only person who is still interested in the city of Weep, more than anything else, so much so that he doesn't even care if he gives the secret of alchemy away to someone else. Also solidifying the fact that he's a selfless person who helped someone without ever looking for a ‘thank you'. The author really makes him grow as a person in the short time-skip we get before reaching the city of Weep.Sarai's narrative was very lonely and sad to read through. She could do that dream thing that Inan from [b:Children of Blood and Bone 34728667 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) Tomi Adeyemi https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516127989s/34728667.jpg 55911580] could do, on a different level. So all the times they called her the ‘Muse of Nightmares' made me feel a bit annoyed at the people (looking at you, Minya) who made her think her powers were a curse. She could control people's dream, good or bad. She has powers over the Dreamscape, not just nightmares. All the other characters in the book were also very interesting to read. The story was told in bits and pieces by both the sides - Humans and Godspawns. So until halfway we were trudging around this morally grey area where it was hard to discern which party was the villain, and which the victim. As the story progresses, we realize that both parties have been victimized by the other, both having done good and bad, none have moved on from the past and know no other way to resolve a situation than a Carnage.Eril-Fane and Minya were two very interesting characters to read. The way the story unfolded for the both of them - the horrors they both went through, the horrors caused by the dead Gods, and the horrors that one of them was ready to cause as revenge. SpoilerThe dreamscape sequences between Strange and Sarai were so cute. This book had one of the best kiss scenes I've ever read :) The relationship between the both of them was amazing, and the way they grew and opened up to each other was very realistic and didn't seem forced or just to advance the plot. The way everything just flowed together at the end of the book was so seamless, starting with Strange's revelation to the freaking cliffhanger that I expected during half way in the book. I cannot believe that this whole time the ending of the book was in the prologue. Who does that?! I remember screaming really loudly when I finished this in the middle of the night. October 2 cannot come fast enough.The ending was heart wrenching to read. Starting from the description of the fall to the death to visiting the Citadel, and the final trade that was made. The amount of possibilities this opens for the next book are limitless, but I can't help but hope that they can undo this ending somehow. At least, I think it's hinted in the summary for the next book [b:Muse of Nightmares 25446343 Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2) Laini Taylor https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518636521s/25446343.jpg 45210112]A list of things that made this book a joy to read:- The book's hardcover, which enticed me to buy it.- The protagonist being a librarian who lived and breathed books.- Strange's witty replies to the people who tried to insult him or make him feel bad about himself- Sarai's powers- Strange and Sarai's date inside his dreams :D Favorite part!- Did this book just give me the best proposal line ever?- The way Strange could control his dreams so vividly that at one point I thought his powers were gonna be related to the that girl they mentioned in the beginning who could bring things out of her dreams. I still feel like he's gonna have more than one power, because he could control his dreams, and he was not blue like the others.- The book's narrative- I liked Eril-Fane more than I expected. He was such a complicated character who had gone through so much that he had become a shell of his former self, who still wanted to do right by his people while trying to make up (?) for the Carnage he caused. I wanna read an account of the Carnage and how he started it all from his perspective. Fingers crossed for this in part two.- Ruza and Strange's small interactions.- How at the big revelation at the end of the book, people are conflicted if they should still be seeing Strange as a friend or a threat because they had become close to him in the short time they all spent with him.

Exactly the otherworldly fantasy escape I needed right now. I forgot how enjoyable Taylor's writing is, and though it was sometimes overwrought and in need of editing in her first series, it feels lush and precise here, and at 525 pages I didn't feel bored once. The audiobook, performed by Steve West, is ear-dessert, just so well done. I toggled between the book/audio and always heard what I was reading in his voice. Will definitely be adding Part 2 to the top of my to-read pile.

Laini Taylor is one of my favorite authors due to her imagination, characters, and phenomenally beautiful writing. Strange the Dreamer has all of these qualities and was immediately captivating; however, I did feel that it lagged at times in the second half. Despite that, it is an excellent book and one of my three favorite 2017 releases so far!

Rating: 8.5/10

Full Review on My Website

This book took me forever to read and that is mostly because I wanted to take the time to savor this amazing story. Laini Taylor did not disappoint with this new series. I loved this world and the characters. It took a bit to get into this story and you do not meet the other main character until over 100 pages into the book. But once you meet them and their separate stories start to converge, you really get invested into the story.

Laini Taylor is beyond talented when it comes to writing. Her style is very poetic and it is so easy to place yourself in the world and experience what the characters are experiencing. The way this book ended has me ready for The Muse of Nightmares right away and I hate that I have to wait another year.

okay, why do i feel like there was definitely some wasted time after finishing this book?

i loved the build up so much. it was great to hear lazlo's beginnings, as well as sarai's, but all of that felt ancillary or irrelevant at the end, which is frustrating, especially as an audiobook (and a particularly long one at that). there were too few triumphant moments drowned out by parts that honestly could have been left out.

i'm interested in the next book if there's a promise of all of that backstory having relevance.

Taylor builds a fascinating world filled with enduring characters. Lazlo Strange is a man who grew up not being wanted, building a life within the words and pages of stories about a real city turned legend filled with magic and monsters that no one has had contact with in over 200 years. He was abused and discarded his entire life, but still maintained an innocence and compassion not usually seen in abused orphans. Something happens one day that, of course, changes his fate and he finds himself actually (finally) in the world he's read about and imagined his entire life.
At first, the writing felt over-saturated with weird metaphor and flowery language use but once I got to know the characters and the world, it fit and was a really enjoyable read. The ending, however, was a bit rushed and obviously tailored for a sequel with some character development (mainly Ruby's mentality and Sarai's fate) I can see many female readers not enjoying.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness. I am truly awe inspired by this wonderful book that I've just read. I had heard wonderful things about Laini Taylor's Strange The Dreamer but they hadn't quite prepared me for what I was about to read. From the opening chapters, it was clear that this was going to be something very special.

Firstly, there is the beautiful writing. This book is sizeable at nearly 500 pages and it's not just that but the fact that you don't want to rush reading this book. The whimsical writing is so descriptive and colourful and beautiful that you want to take every last bit in. From the opening chapters we become swept away in the world of Lazlo Strange, the young foundling who leaves his monastery life to become a librarian in the city of Zosma. Destined to forever be a lowly librarian, helper of the scholars he hides a mind that is special because Lazlo is a dreamer and from his very early years he has been fascinated by the magical city known only as Weep. It did have a different name but years ago the name just disappeared from everyone's minds and now no one knows what it used to be called or why no one remembers it. Lazlo believes in Weep though and is desperate to know what happened, it's his dream to go and to understand more about the city.

One day a delegation of warriors from the lost city arrive in Zosma and offer the chance for a select few to travel with them to Weep to see for themselves what has gone wrong with the city and to help them put it right. Lazlo volunteers to go and suddenly he goes from being just a lowly librarian to someone with an expert knowledge in the city they are going to study and his opinions are valued, he's no longer a lowly orphan but a scholar in his own right.

As we reach Weep we begin to understand a little of what has happened there. Our characters expand and we meet Sarai, a young girl trapped in a palace above the city of Weep. We learn about why she is there and why she cannot leave and the people whom she lives with. Over the course of the book her world will collide with that of our dreamer Lazlo with some beautiful results that may just save the people of Weep, but at what cost.

This book was absolutely beautiful, I loved Lazlo so much. He was such a wonderful character to read, he was noble and good and his imagination flew off the page and into your mind as a reader and it was a joy to share his story. The world Taylor builds of Weep and its inhabitants is both rich and exciting and is unwound so well throughout the story when we begin to understand the story in full we still have delicious mysterious to unfold and an ending which is both awe-inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. The link at the end of the book back to the start took my breath away, it left me in pieces, it has been a long time since a book had quite that same effect on me.

I'd say I took about 5 days to read this book, I just couldn't rush it. I wanted to savour every bit in case I missed something. I swapped between the audio and physical books and found the audiobook just as enjoyable and it was narrated really well and so I could highly recommend this to those who prefer this format. Although I knew I had a huge TBR pile and had lots I wanted to read I still felt bereft when I finished this book, I wanted more of this world and its characters. I cannot wait for book 2 in this duology to be released as if it promises anything like as much pleasure as I gained from this book I'll be one happy reader.

“She was young and lovely and surprised and dead. She was also blue. Blue as opals, pale blue. Blue as cornflowers, or dragonfly wings, or a spring???not summer???sky.”

The writing is beautiful. The worldbuilding is so stunning. It lost my interest a bit at the end, I think, because it was a bit too YA for me. But it's a solid book nonetheless.

“On the second Sabbat of Twelfthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl fell from the sky. “

Oh, dit was gewoon geweldig.
Dit verhaal was zo ongelooflijk fascinerend met zo'n origineel uitgangspunt. De wereld en zijn opbouw is van topklasse en wonderbaarlijk vreemd, met goden, geesten, magie en een stad verloren in mythen.

“As for fairy tales, he understood that they were reflections of the people who had spun them, and were flecked with little truths - intrusions of reality into fantasy, like toast crumbs on a wizard's beard.”

Vanaf de eerste woorden raakte ik verslaafd aan de ongelofelijk mooie schrijfstijl. Zo sprookjesachtig en lyrisch.

“Sometimes a moment is so remarkable that it carves out a space in time and spins there, while the world rushes on around it.”

De personages zijn ook enorm goed uitgewerkt. De manier waarop deze auteur er in slaagt om je empathie te laten voelen voor elk individueel hoofdpersonage, ook al haatte je hen een paar bladzijden eerder, is echt wonderbaarlijk.
Mijn enige kritiek zou zijn dat dit boek een insta-liefde heeft, maar vanwege de mooie manier waarop dit werd geschreven, is het heel gemakkelijk om dit te vergeven.

“You're a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable. Something beautiful and full of monsters.”

Vreemd om te zeggen, maar ik ben zo blij dat ik dit niet heb gelezen toen het oorspronkelijk uitkwam, want dat einde was echt hartverscheurend en ik absoluut moet weten hoe het verder gaat. Gelukkig hoef ik dus niet wachten om het vervolg te kunnen lezen!