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oldandnewbooksmell's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Trigger Warnings: plague, death, blood, racism, murder, self harm, genocide, survivors guilt
A Multitude of Dreams is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Four years ago, King Stuart gathered his royals, noblemen, and daughters and locked them into the safety of the castle walls. Every window was boarded up and every door sealed shut - all to protect those within of the horrible mori roja plague ravaging the land outside.
Told in third person, this novel follows Seraphina, a Jewish girl, who is also the (fake) Princess Imogene, and Nico, who once lived a comfortable life but now works for Lord Crane, the man who saved his life after he lost everything. When Lord Crane sends Nico and two others on the search for survivors, Nico meets a princess who wants out. But both are living in giant webs of lies and deception that they must unravel if they’re going to survive.
I wanted this title because I read The Poison Season and I really enjoyed it. So, when I saw Mara Rutherford had another YA novel coming out, I immediately put it on my TBR list. It’s also listed as Fantasy Gothic and
I was all about it and also the cover - like, I love it!
There were a few twists in here I didn’t quite see right away, which was nice. And, even some of the ones that I did see coming, I still enjoyed Rutherford’s storytelling and it kept me interested. And yes, there is some romance in this, but it wasn’t the main focus of the story - surviving and getting out of the castle was.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who’s in need of a good gothic fantasy with a hidden identity, Jewish representation, a masquerade, and the fight of survival.
*Thank you Inkyard Press and BookishFirst for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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
jessicaludden's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
“Hundreds of men and women, hundreds of different opinions and expectations, a multitude of dreams and nightmares... All waiting for her.”
I really liked the concept of this book. The idea of a country in the aftermath of a plague and a castle of noblemen being forced to stay by the king was intriguing. It had more horror elements than I thought it was going to have but I enjoyed the suspense and having to piece together the supernatural elements. But it didn’t feel very high stakes to me and while I enjoyed the characters none of them really stood out to me.
I really liked the concept of this book. The idea of a country in the aftermath of a plague and a castle of noblemen being forced to stay by the king was intriguing. It had more horror elements than I thought it was going to have but I enjoyed the suspense and having to piece together the supernatural elements. But it didn’t feel very high stakes to me and while I enjoyed the characters none of them really stood out to me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Classism, Violence, Blood, Death, Child death, Murder, Animal death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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