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caitcat0212's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Vomit, Gore, and Blood
reading_historical_romance's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
This YA Dystopian/Fantasy was fabulous, and perfect for fans of The Maze Runner!
“Their choices were almost comically horrific: don’t eat, or be eaten.”
I’ve been hunting for awhile for a great new YA dystopian novel that doesn’t feel like a recycle or mish mash of the plots from the 2000-2010 renaissance of this genre, and I’m so happy to have finally found one in A Multitude of Dreams. This book had a similar feel to The Maze Runner in terms of its elements of violent horror, but it takes place in a medieval fantasy setting and has more fairytale and romance elements. The main characters are also older than a typical YA (the youngest is 17 ½ who presents herself as part of the plot as being 20, and most are grown adults 20 yrs+), so it was refreshing that there weren't the same "coming of age" plotlines that typically thread through a YA narrative.
I loved the premise of the novel, as it is so relatable after living through the COVID pandemic and all of the lockdowns, masking, social isolationism, and depression, fears and anxieties that came with it. Everyone reacted to and experienced the pandemic differently, and this is also true for the characters in the novel who faced and survived a deadly plague. Setting is one of the essential elements of a great novel for me, and the atmosphere developed by the author in this book was so vivid that I could practically hear and smell the environment from the descriptions on the page.
I loved Seraphina (and her name!) and Nico, and I loved how Henry was developed to be a well-rounded character instead of serving as a one-dimensional jealous alpha-male in Seraphina’s climactic last stand to choose life and freedom. I thought that the themes of forgiveness, redemption, and love were poignant, tender, true to the plot and characters, and didn’t feel preachy. The anti-Semitism aspect of the story is timely and circumspect given the sorry state of real-world current affairs.
I loved the characters so much, I would love a sequel. I would love to find out how Seraphina, Nico, and the other survivors rebuild their kingdom and their lives, and how their relationships deepen. I want Nico to find the “cure” so that all of the reborns are able to regain their mortality and resume aging normally. I want to read about how Henry, Dalia, and Colin find HEAs too!
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
“Their choices were almost comically horrific: don’t eat, or be eaten.”
I’ve been hunting for awhile for a great new YA dystopian novel that doesn’t feel like a recycle or mish mash of the plots from the 2000-2010 renaissance of this genre, and I’m so happy to have finally found one in A Multitude of Dreams. This book had a similar feel to The Maze Runner in terms of its elements of violent horror, but it takes place in a medieval fantasy setting and has more fairytale and romance elements. The main characters are also older than a typical YA (the youngest is 17 ½ who presents herself as part of the plot as being 20, and most are grown adults 20 yrs+), so it was refreshing that there weren't the same "coming of age" plotlines that typically thread through a YA narrative.
I loved the premise of the novel, as it is so relatable after living through the COVID pandemic and all of the lockdowns, masking, social isolationism, and depression, fears and anxieties that came with it. Everyone reacted to and experienced the pandemic differently, and this is also true for the characters in the novel who faced and survived a deadly plague. Setting is one of the essential elements of a great novel for me, and the atmosphere developed by the author in this book was so vivid that I could practically hear and smell the environment from the descriptions on the page.
I loved Seraphina (and her name!) and Nico, and I loved how Henry was developed to be a well-rounded character instead of serving as a one-dimensional jealous alpha-male in Seraphina’s climactic last stand to choose life and freedom. I thought that the themes of forgiveness, redemption, and love were poignant, tender, true to the plot and characters, and didn’t feel preachy. The anti-Semitism aspect of the story is timely and circumspect given the sorry state of real-world current affairs.
I loved the characters so much, I would love a sequel. I would love to find out how Seraphina, Nico, and the other survivors rebuild their kingdom and their lives, and how their relationships deepen. I want Nico to find the “cure” so that all of the reborns are able to regain their mortality and resume aging normally. I want to read about how Henry, Dalia, and Colin find HEAs too!
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Death, Antisemitism, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Murder, Genocide, and Grief
catreads247's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Wanted to really like this one, but the beginning was very slow. It didn’t really pick up until about 250 pages in and then it got interesting. I did enjoy the last half of the book, it had some tense moments and some gore. Overall though I found it difficult to get through sometimes and there were a few times I wanted to DNF but powerwd through. I also found it a little predictable and the romance aspect felt a little forced and quick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Antisemitism
riverlasol's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Equal parts horrifying and beautiful, Mara Rutherford has done it again. I’ve been a fan of her work for several years now and am lucky enough to even be on her street team, hence this early review. But no matter how much I wanted to love this beforehand it knocked it out of the park. This book is a delicious retelling of a story by Edgar Allen Poe and although I haven’t read the original, I thought this book had both a unique story full of twists and also a feeling of comfortable familiarity—it was easy to love these characters, to feel that they were family, to feel that this world could almost be real (though hopefully without the bloody plague). I also loved the way that the author incorporated her jewish heritage into the character of Seraphina. Jewish stories are so important, but outside of metaphor they’re not often found in the ya fantasy/horror genres. I think that it truly seemed thoughtfully discussed and important to the story, never forgotten but also never overtaking the central horror conflict. Overall I adored this book. It was horrifying in the best way, especially now we are living with covid’s impact. But as with all of Mara’s books, it was brimming with humanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, and Blood
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