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barefootbeauty99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Child death, Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death
Minor: Classism
nyree42's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Beautifully written, magical and hopeful yet challenging and dark story about mysterious people with otherworldly and dangerous powers, and the city who fears them. Glad I read it when the second book is available to pick up immediately, since it ends on a cliffhanger.
On the negative side:
Note that the adult/minor relationship tag refers to a 20-year-old in a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old, which I personally think is close enough in age to be acceptable in the world of this story, although other readers may not agree, as in our real world it seems rather sus for a 3rd year college student to be dating an 11th grader in high school.
There are also descriptions of a sexually active 15-year-old with their teenage lover, plus mentions of another young couple who are sleeping together. All the teenage sex, despite not being graphically described but only alluded to artistically, was rather off-putting because an adult writer should not be encouraging her adolescent readers to engage in sex - it leads to consequences like STDs/STIs, unwanted pregnancies, and emotions that are too complicated for most young people to understand.
This inevitably results in broken hearts and emotional trauma in the majority of cases, which then leads to some (or many) people having difficulty finding love as adults because their teen romances ripped a hole in their heart they've not been able to repair so far. For real, I know people in their 50s who still haven't recovered from their adolescent entanglements and that's why they are single today... and that's why their would-be partner is also single. These are consequences that resulted in the unhappiness of two people (much like Eril-Fane and Azareen in this book, although in their case they had no choice in the matter).
So if you're a teenager reading this review - don't be inspired by the exploits of the young lovers in this book, and instead wait until you're older to chase... "that." You'll have more of a chance to mature and develop so that you also meet somebody mature who can give you the true love you'll want to receive and give in return.
On the negative side:
Note that the adult/minor relationship tag refers to a 20-year-old in a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old, which I personally think is close enough in age to be acceptable in the world of this story, although other readers may not agree, as in our real world it seems rather sus for a 3rd year college student to be dating an 11th grader in high school.
There are also descriptions of a sexually active 15-year-old with their teenage lover, plus mentions of another young couple who are sleeping together. All the teenage sex, despite not being graphically described but only alluded to artistically, was rather off-putting because an adult writer should not be encouraging her adolescent readers to engage in sex - it leads to consequences like STDs/STIs, unwanted pregnancies, and emotions that are too complicated for most young people to understand.
This inevitably results in broken hearts and emotional trauma in the majority of cases, which then leads to some (or many) people having difficulty finding love as adults because their teen romances ripped a hole in their heart they've not been able to repair so far. For real, I know people in their 50s who still haven't recovered from their adolescent entanglements and that's why they are single today... and that's why their would-be partner is also single. These are consequences that resulted in the unhappiness of two people (much like Eril-Fane and Azareen in this book, although in their case they had no choice in the matter).
So if you're a teenager reading this review - don't be inspired by the exploits of the young lovers in this book, and instead wait until you're older to chase... "that." You'll have more of a chance to mature and develop so that you also meet somebody mature who can give you the true love you'll want to receive and give in return.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Racial slurs, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, War, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
artabria's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
El soñador desconocido es el primer libro de una bilogía que nos sitúa en un mundo donde un día, de repente, todos se olvidan de la existencia de una ciudad... Y no sólo eso, sino que se nos dice que años antes todo el mundo se había olvidado del nombre original de la ciudad y ahora todo el mundo llama a esa ciudad Weep.
Nuestro protagonista es Lazlo Strange, criado en un convento de monjes y que ya de adulto lo conocemos como bibliotecario en la principal biblioteca de la capital. Todos los que conocen a Lazlo lo consideran un soñador, más preocupado en leer libros y conocer las historias que se encuentran entre esas páginas que en relacionarse con el resto del mundo.
La historia comienza verdaderamente cuando la capital recibe a un grupo de visitantes inesperado: los habitantes de Weep, encabezados por el hombre que ha liderado la revolución de la ciudad que ha acabado con la vida de los dioses, y que necesitan su ayuda con un misterioso proyecto.
A lo largo del libro, Lazlo irá conociendo más detalles acerca de los terribles eventos que tuvieron lugar durante los años de reinado de los dioses... y de los terribles eventos que tuvieron lugar cuando estos fueron derrotados, porque hay este libro tiene un segundo punto de vista: Sarai, capaz de entrar en los sueños de otro e hija de una de las diosas y superviviente de la masacre que se llevo acabo sobre los niños nacidos de dioses y humanos (mencionar como trigger warning que, si bien no es en ningún momento explícito, se deja muy claro que todos estos niños son fruto de violaciones).
Otro personaje es Minya, la mayor de los supervivientes y capaz de controlar los espíritus de los muertos, y que ha quedado marcada por la masacre a la que sobrevivió, tanto que su sed de venganza la ha transformado en una persona increíblemente manipulativa y que solo desea la destrucción de la ciudad que acabó con sus hermanos.
Los dos temas principales del libro giran en torno al miedo y la venganza: por un lado, el miedo que se ha apoderado de Weep y que ha llevado a la masacre de niños inocentes por temor a que el poder que tienen los lleven a ser igual de crueles que los dioses cuando crezcan, así como la sed de venganza que les lleva a eliminar cualquier resto de estos dioses.
Por otro lado, también nos encontramos con el miedo de los supervivientes de la masacre, que temen el día en que los habitantes de Weep vuelvan para terminar con ellos, pero también nos encontramos con Minya usando sus poderes para negarles la paz a los muertos de Weep y que manipula a Sarai para que ésta use sus poderes para que convierta en pesadillas todos los sueños de los habitantes de la ciudad.
Este primer libro me ha gustado, y estoy deseando leer el segundo libro, pero me resisto a ponerle cinco estrellas hasta que lea el segundo libro. ¿La razón? En la trilogía de Hija de humo y hueso, la autora terminó el último libro con una escena que se puede resumir en un “Continuará...”, y hay detalles que nunca se nos explican.
De hecho, una duda que me suscita este libro es si la autora, Laini Taylor, tiene algún plan para conectar sus libros en un multiverso, porque se nos mencionan a los mismos seres alados que aparecen su trilogía anterior.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Child death
jg93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual content
lizzie24601's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy SHIT this book is so good. Incredible worldbuilding and a memorable cast of characters. It takes a bit of time for you (and Laszlo) to figure out what this book is actually about, but god, sharing that discovery with the protagonist is so worth it. It's got it all - magic, adventure, romance, rivalry, politics, and... the moral dilemma of how much empathy you should give to people who did terrible things, and their descendants who could do the same.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, Rape, and Slavery
Minor: Blood
jameselias's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Sexual assault
seforana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
NO! What do you mean "To be continued"!?!?!
I knew there was a sequel, but I was not expecting the first book to end on a CLIFFHANGER!
At least it's already written and published... But I didn't plan to read Muse of Nightmares this month, or even this year? Guess I need to squeeze it in somewhere in April.
Because this was SO good. Much longer than I had expected tbh, but I also couldn't put it down.
I loved the writing and world building, they are phenomenal. I also loved the plot, but this is definitely more of a "the journey is the reward" kind of story (only without the reward because it ends on a cliffhanger!!!). Yes, I want the plot to progress and all the mysteries and questions to be answered. No, I don't mind reading hundreds of pages of dream descriptions and fairy tales while I'm waiting. This is truly a love letter to reading and dreaming and story telling and magic. And it's such an interesting world with many interesting and complex characters and character dynamics and a heartbreaking conflict. It actually gets pretty dark and there is a lot of trauma. So much trauma. I have so many feelings for the characters and what they went through/are still going through, the decisions they made. It physically hurts. And I don't know how, but there better be some kind of happy ending.
I knew there was a sequel, but I was not expecting the first book to end on a CLIFFHANGER!
At least it's already written and published... But I didn't plan to read Muse of Nightmares this month, or even this year? Guess I need to squeeze it in somewhere in April.
Because this was SO good. Much longer than I had expected tbh, but I also couldn't put it down.
I loved the writing and world building, they are phenomenal. I also loved the plot, but this is definitely more of a "the journey is the reward" kind of story (only without the reward because it ends on a cliffhanger!!!). Yes, I want the plot to progress and all the mysteries and questions to be answered. No, I don't mind reading hundreds of pages of dream descriptions and fairy tales while I'm waiting. This is truly a love letter to reading and dreaming and story telling and magic. And it's such an interesting world with many interesting and complex characters and character dynamics and a heartbreaking conflict. It actually gets pretty dark and there is a lot of trauma. So much trauma. I have so many feelings for the characters and what they went through/are still going through, the decisions they made. It physically hurts. And I don't know how, but there better be some kind of happy ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Genocide, and Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, War, Rape, and Death of parent
doodeedoda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Child death, Grief, and Rape
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Blood
kapaiai's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book is beautifully written.
Very flowery, dreamy prose that matched the title and overall atmosphere of the book.
World-building was very interesting and full of potential. I could not grasp the geography though and I got lost while reading, like what??
The characters were all very enjoyable to read.Even Nero, with his Uchiha Sasuke-esque lack of self confidence. Even Minya, who is some kind of evil, ghost-wielding Detective Conan.
Lazlo was a lovely, sweet protagonist and I rooted for him sincerely. Sarai was also very sweet, and I only wanted good things for her. But y’know… plot and all that.
Has a bit of a bad ending / cliffhanger for the sequel, which I see is equally long.
It is, however, a very SLOW book. It takes its time to take you somewhere, which I didn’t hate. In fact, it matched the tone of the subject matter so I was all for it.
It’s not the kind of book that was like, I can’t stop reading!!! But I got so far in that I was like… “I can probably finish this tonight,” and before I knew it, it’s 15 past midnight and my dog wants me to turn off the lights so he can sleep.
The romance aspect was like, meh. I honestly didn’t need it. I would’ve enjoyed the book just as equally if it was a story of Lazlo learning himself and becoming a “great person”.
That's not too say the romance wasn't a important as a plot device, but I felt like it wasn't really something I focused on personally.
It was insta-love, and it’s only saving grace was that it was… unproblematic? Like, they’re very young and the way they fell in love and clung to each other showed it. (esp Sarai to Lazlo, which understandable. He was the first and only outsider who could see her.)
In fact, I would’ve loved to have seen more of Lazlo and Nero solving alchemic impossibilities together (together???).
Side note: I just want to say that I love that Nero is a Hot Guy, but he's also like "ALCHEMY IS SCIENCE. NOT MAGIC". I don't know. Something about that just tickles me, haha.
Very flowery, dreamy prose that matched the title and overall atmosphere of the book.
World-building was very interesting and full of potential. I could not grasp the geography though and I got lost while reading, like what??
The characters were all very enjoyable to read.
Lazlo was a lovely, sweet protagonist and I rooted for him sincerely. Sarai was also very sweet, and I only wanted good things for her. But y’know… plot and all that.
It is, however, a very SLOW book. It takes its time to take you somewhere, which I didn’t hate. In fact, it matched the tone of the subject matter so I was all for it.
It’s not the kind of book that was like, I can’t stop reading!!! But I got so far in that I was like… “I can probably finish this tonight,” and before I knew it, it’s 15 past midnight and my dog wants me to turn off the lights so he can sleep.
The romance aspect was like, meh. I honestly didn’t need it. I would’ve enjoyed the book just as equally if it was a story of Lazlo learning himself and becoming a “great person”.
That's not too say the romance wasn't a important as a plot device, but I felt like it wasn't really something I focused on personally.
In fact, I would’ve loved to have seen more of Lazlo and Nero solving alchemic impossibilities together (together???).
Side note: I just want to say that I love that Nero is a Hot Guy, but he's also like "ALCHEMY IS SCIENCE. NOT MAGIC". I don't know. Something about that just tickles me, haha.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Kidnapping, Rape, Gaslighting, Classism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault and Child death