Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

57 reviews

grets_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

benmilo's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. Laini Taylor's writing style feels like "calligraphy written in honey". It captured me instantly. The story feels like sitting at a campfire and being told old tales. I was also impressed by the nuance with which Taylor described her characters. At first sight there were heroes and monsters, but after looking closer that distinction wasn't clear anymore. Only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger at the end,  made the ending feel very sudden. 
I loved this, gonna go buy Muse of Nightmares now. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kylemhaggerty's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elodiethefangirl's review against another edition

Go to review page

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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

stripedstone's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

brindlecat's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

takarakei's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

4.5

This book gave me Miyazaki vibes and I say that as someone who strongly dislikes the comparison of almost any book to his movies because I rarely agree. I was specifically thinking about Laputa a lot, but also bits of Howl's and Spirited Away.

Just really beautiful writing, very descriptive imagery that built a very lush and intriguing world. I am very excited to read the sequel.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging 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

4.0

I have had this book on my TBR for so long and whilst I was on a treat yourself day and went a little bit overboard at Waterstones, I picked up and wanted to get cracking. I really enjoyed this book, but it was just a bit slow at times for a fantasy book.  

This book has two points of view. The first is Lazlo Strange, he is a war orphan and junior librarian. He has always feared that his dream chose poorly. For as long as he can remember he has been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. Laslo is determined to find out what happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world. What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving? The second point of view is Sarai, she is a half-human and the godslayer murdered her parents. People were terrified of her because she is blue skinned. She is stuck in a building in the sky with her friends. All of them have different gifts and hers is to give people nightmares. Her moth fly down to the people of weep and she can control their dreams and thoughts. When she goes into Lazlo’s dreams, she is amazed that he can see her, talk to her and control his own dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed. 

I think I can agree with everyone when I say that I loved Laini’s writing style and the way she describes things so beautiful and make you feel like you are lying on a soft pillow. I love the love story between our two MCs, I think it was so adorable and innocent. Lazlo being a monk and not knowing how to act in a dream. Sarai just wanting some peace and quiet and wanting to give up her powers because it was hurting her. I just wanted to hug her throughout this whole book – she just wanted to have friends and live. The story was so unique, and it was so interesting, I just stay in that world forever. Weep was so beautiful built that it felt like I was in the world myself. 

One thing that I struggled with is how slow-paced it was towards the end, I think it was because I was waiting for all the action and Laini was dragging it out to the last minute. Once we got to the plot twists and the action it was all good, but I felt like after the middle I was definitely trying to power through to finish this book off. I felt like there was a lot of side characters that we didn’t know much about, so I didn’t really care for them. They all weren’t properly developed, and I just wanted more. It just felt like the characters who were developed was our MCs, the Godslayer and Minya.  

That cliffhanger was mean as anything. Like there is no way the ending happened like that – surely, surely this is just some messed up dream. Anyway, it’s making me want to run out straight away to get the second book in the series and start it tomorrow.  

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

vanesst's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings