Strange The Dreamer & Muse Of Nightmares

Over a period of about fifteen days – not consecutive, just altogether, I read Laini Taylor’s Strange The Dreamer duo-logy. Ultimately I read it to work on my Netgalley queue zero goal, but my goodness am I glad I did. I forgot just how glorious Taylor’s way with words is. I forgot just how easy it is to fall into her stories and fall in love with her characters.

Strange The Dreamer is the first in the duo-logy – followed by Muse Of Nightmares. In Strange The Dreamer, we meet orphan Lazlo Strange who is destined for greater things. He begins life raised as a war orphan in a monastery. Then he ends up working for the library. And then, finally, he goes on a great journey to Weep to find out what happened to the mysterious city as well as to help save the city. In Weep, there is a citadel that blocks the sun from the City. It is almost a monument to the horrors experienced by the city under the reign of the mesarthim, most scary of all, Skathis. What remains from the mesarthim are the godspawn, including Sarai, the actual muse of nightmares.

And so, these two books take you on this incredible journey to redemption and forgiveness, ultimately. It’s intricate and imaginative. Taylor puts so much detail into these books. It is easy to imagine the world of Weep, as well as the world beyond Weep. The detail just put into bread is wonderful – but also mouthwatering. I feel like I can picture it completely.

As for the characters, Lazlo is soft. He has a kind and gentle soul and bends always towards doing the right thing. What a pleasure to see him fall in love and to see him discover something special within himself. Seriously I don’t know how you would come out of reading these two books and NOT like Lazlo. Sarai, too. She’s a pivotal, key character. Her power of entering dreams is interesting. I found that I really rooted for her and absolutely just loved her actions in Muse Of Nightmares.  The great thing about Muse is that we get further context with the story of the two sisters – Kora and Nova.

I absolutely will not spoil in this review of the duology. I just feel like you have to review these two books as a set. You should also read them both somewhat close together, so as to have a full appreciation for the story. I genuinely enjoyed my time with both books – even when I felt a little antsy at the length. It is a story well worth getting absorbed in.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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