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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MY BLOG
I will never forget the wonder and awe that Strange The Dreamer emits. From the very beginning the prose is so delicately woven together, so singularly magnificent and beautiful and wondrous, and yet not arrogant or elite in any way, you just fall into this world. You let it surround you as though you are standing on the page itself amongst the story. I feel like this is one of those stories that doesn't feel like it's been created, it simply exists and always has. Lani Taylor is the messenger, the words are the vehicle that have finally been able to reach us to tell us this tale. It flows like an ancient fable, something that has been around since the beginning of time.
While the prose was stunning from the get go, the plot took a little while to pick up. I know that a lot of people felt this way and that I am not alone, which makes me feel a bit better. I understand why it takes a while to get going as the first hundred pages or so is all about exposition. The mythology in this novel is so detailed in intricate, we as readers need to understand the myth and, more importantly, feel the myth come alive. The mythology is embedded into the plot and would have been impossible to navigate this story without such a detailed opening. So while I put down the book for a long time, I still understand why this slow exposition was necessary.
Overall I quite enjoyed the plot once it got going. For a quick recap, Strange The Dreamer starts to pick up when our protagonist, Lazlo, is chosen to join a quest to find the lost city of Weep. The city is referred to as 'Weep' rather than its true name, as the name of the city has been forgotten. Weep disappeared over two hundred years ago, but Lazlo has spent his life reading and studying and dreaming about everything he can find about this city. When they get there he finds that it is not how he imagined, but this doesn't stop him. In fact, he becomes even more intrigued with the city and does everything he can to discover more and more about it, and the blue-skinned goddess he has been dreaming of.
I won't tell you what happens next, but I can tell you it is so interesting and cool. I put the novel down just before this moment and I know that if I had pushed through I would not have felt the need to do so. I must say, however, I know I made the right choice. When I first picked up the novel, I just wasn't feeling it and I knew that, if I had continued, I would not have fully appreciated the value of this novel.
Dreams play a huge part in the story and this is an element that I love. The fact that most of the romance in the novel, which is a big part of the story, takes place pretty much without the two characters ever meeting is so interesting. They are so elegantly used as a tool to guide the story, and the characters, in the right direction. I love the idea of a 'dream world' and what dreams might mean, and how they might work, in the next book, Muse of Nightmares.
I liked the characters, but I didn't love them. I didn't connect to any of the characters like I expected I might. Lazlo was a good protagonist; seeing things through his eyes was enjoyable, and by far the part of the novel that I favoured. His wonder echoed my own, with only a slight more insight than the reader. Sarai was likeable, but when we switched to her point of view I found it more difficult to feel connected to her view of the world.
As for the side characters, there weren't many that stood out to me. Minya is obviously such an interesting character and I can't wait to find out more about her, but everyone else was pretty unremarkable. I know people may not agree with me here, but apart from Ruby and the Godslayer (I can't even remember his actual name) I couldn't name one of them from the top of my head.
I must mention the world building for I don't think I have encountered a world so intricate, so thought out, so imaginative and yet so real in a long time. I feel like this magic and myth is a part of our history, that this story has always been a part of our world. It was executed so brilliantly I believed it. I believed what I was reading. Sometimes, in books, you have to let yourself fall into the novel, into the world. But, with Strange The Dreamer, I just forgot about the rest of the world.
I think Joel, from Fictional Fates, worded this best: "...the world building felt subtle and like coats of paint. Taylor let one coat of world building dry before she added another and it felt natural."
Overall I thought Strange The Dreamer was a very good book. While I struggled through the beginning, the quality of work was just outstanding. So, the Big Question: is Strange The Dreamer overrated? My answer? No, I don't think it is. I think it ticks all the boxes, besides perhaps it being an easy read. This novel definitely does something remarkable, and deserves the 4.5 stars I have given it.
But what do you guys think?
I will never forget the wonder and awe that Strange The Dreamer emits. From the very beginning the prose is so delicately woven together, so singularly magnificent and beautiful and wondrous, and yet not arrogant or elite in any way, you just fall into this world. You let it surround you as though you are standing on the page itself amongst the story. I feel like this is one of those stories that doesn't feel like it's been created, it simply exists and always has. Lani Taylor is the messenger, the words are the vehicle that have finally been able to reach us to tell us this tale. It flows like an ancient fable, something that has been around since the beginning of time.
While the prose was stunning from the get go, the plot took a little while to pick up. I know that a lot of people felt this way and that I am not alone, which makes me feel a bit better. I understand why it takes a while to get going as the first hundred pages or so is all about exposition. The mythology in this novel is so detailed in intricate, we as readers need to understand the myth and, more importantly, feel the myth come alive. The mythology is embedded into the plot and would have been impossible to navigate this story without such a detailed opening. So while I put down the book for a long time, I still understand why this slow exposition was necessary.
Overall I quite enjoyed the plot once it got going. For a quick recap, Strange The Dreamer starts to pick up when our protagonist, Lazlo, is chosen to join a quest to find the lost city of Weep. The city is referred to as 'Weep' rather than its true name, as the name of the city has been forgotten. Weep disappeared over two hundred years ago, but Lazlo has spent his life reading and studying and dreaming about everything he can find about this city. When they get there he finds that it is not how he imagined, but this doesn't stop him. In fact, he becomes even more intrigued with the city and does everything he can to discover more and more about it, and the blue-skinned goddess he has been dreaming of.
I won't tell you what happens next, but I can tell you it is so interesting and cool. I put the novel down just before this moment and I know that if I had pushed through I would not have felt the need to do so. I must say, however, I know I made the right choice. When I first picked up the novel, I just wasn't feeling it and I knew that, if I had continued, I would not have fully appreciated the value of this novel.
Dreams play a huge part in the story and this is an element that I love. The fact that most of the romance in the novel, which is a big part of the story, takes place pretty much without the two characters ever meeting is so interesting. They are so elegantly used as a tool to guide the story, and the characters, in the right direction. I love the idea of a 'dream world' and what dreams might mean, and how they might work, in the next book, Muse of Nightmares.
I liked the characters, but I didn't love them. I didn't connect to any of the characters like I expected I might. Lazlo was a good protagonist; seeing things through his eyes was enjoyable, and by far the part of the novel that I favoured. His wonder echoed my own, with only a slight more insight than the reader. Sarai was likeable, but when we switched to her point of view I found it more difficult to feel connected to her view of the world.
As for the side characters, there weren't many that stood out to me. Minya is obviously such an interesting character and I can't wait to find out more about her, but everyone else was pretty unremarkable. I know people may not agree with me here, but apart from Ruby and the Godslayer (I can't even remember his actual name) I couldn't name one of them from the top of my head.
I must mention the world building for I don't think I have encountered a world so intricate, so thought out, so imaginative and yet so real in a long time. I feel like this magic and myth is a part of our history, that this story has always been a part of our world. It was executed so brilliantly I believed it. I believed what I was reading. Sometimes, in books, you have to let yourself fall into the novel, into the world. But, with Strange The Dreamer, I just forgot about the rest of the world.
I think Joel, from Fictional Fates, worded this best: "...the world building felt subtle and like coats of paint. Taylor let one coat of world building dry before she added another and it felt natural."
Overall I thought Strange The Dreamer was a very good book. While I struggled through the beginning, the quality of work was just outstanding. So, the Big Question: is Strange The Dreamer overrated? My answer? No, I don't think it is. I think it ticks all the boxes, besides perhaps it being an easy read. This novel definitely does something remarkable, and deserves the 4.5 stars I have given it.
But what do you guys think?
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book made me smile and made my imagination thrive and it made me get lost in daydreams and it made my heart sore and it broke meeeeeee
Definitely a favorite. It's so well written and so intriguing with characters that make you want to follow them into the book for details.
I honestly wouldn't change anything about this book.
I honestly wouldn't change anything about this book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes