Reviews

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

cbleyer's review against another edition

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3.0

“On the second Sabbat of Twelthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl from the sky… They would say she hadn’t shed blood but wept it.”

This was a great book, but it did draw on for a little long in my taste.

We are introduced to Lazlo Strange, an orphan who daydreams of a far away lost city, Weep.
“Lazlo was a dreamer in more profound a way than they knew. That is to say he had a dream- a guiding and abiding one, so much a part of him it was like a second souls inside his skin. The landscape of his mind was all given over to it. It was a deep and ravishing landscape, and a daring magnificent dream. Too daring, too magnificent for the likes of him. He knew that, but the dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around.”

Due to a storm 200 years ago and an arrival of gods, Weep is shadowed by a citadel.

We are introduced to five others, with powers, who live above Weep.
Feral- power of weather control
Ruby- power of fire
Sparrow- the power of growth of living things- the Orchid Witch
Minya- Harnessing and control of ghosts
Sarai- can travel inside and manipulate peoples dreams- Muse of Nightmares
They have one rule- they must betray no evidence of life

I hated Minya so much “She was a wild creature, by turns furtive and barging, even unwashed, and with the starting lack of empathy that belongs to murderers and small children.”

And then, the Godslayer, head of the Tizerkane warriors and former servant of Sarai’s goddess mother, who murdered all the gods and many children, turns out to be Sarai’s dad! And he thinks he killed her!
“Her father had saved his people and destroyed himself. As strong as he looked, inside he was a ruin, or perhaps a funeral pyre, like the Cusp- only instead of the melted bones of ijji, he was made up of the skeletons of babies and children, including, as he had always believed, his own child: her.”
“Hate was his triumph… It was who he became to save his wife and all his people. So much blood on his hands, so much hate in his hearts.”

Also, it is not know what happened to the thousands of children born half gods by the god and goddesses servants

Oh yeah, and then Sarai is dead?!!

Fun, Minya and Lazlo and siblings!!!!
And now Minya is blackmailing Lazlo
“The little girl held the threat of Sarai’s soul, and so she as good as hell the thread to his- and to his power, too.”
Quotes
“Because if Lazlo thought a dream could not be stolen, he underestimated Thyon Nero.”
“It was the first week of the Twelthmoon, on the far side of the Elmuthaleth, and Strange the dreamer- library stowaway and scholar of fairy tales- had never been thirstier, or more full of wonder.”
“Her consciousness had wings. She couldn’t fly, but it could. It was a kind of escape, but it mocked freedom. She was still a prisoner, a secret monster. But now she was a prisoner and secret monster who could spy on the life that she could never have.
“This is our city, that our foremothers and forefathers built on land consecrated by Thakra. We won’t forsake it. That is our sky, and we will have it back.”
“This young man whom they had found at a library in a distant land, whom they had taken into their hearts and into their homes, and whom they valued above any outsider that ever known, was also, impossibly, godspawn.”

Definitions-
Shrestha- When a dream comes true- but not for the dreamer.
Thakrar- The precise point on the spectrum of awe at which wonder turns to dread, or dread to wonder.
Muhal- A risk that will yield either tremendous reward or disastrous consequence.
Sathaz- The desire to possess that which can never be yours.

chrysalissa's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ruhi_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective 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

pgraft84's review against another edition

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

4.5

mersh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

mooca's review against another edition

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5.0

It took a moment for me to “settle in” to this book. Introducing the main cast of characters was so over saturated with world building that it was intimidating because it felt like too much information too fast. I want to say that’s something I struggle with in adult high fantasy, but because this is YA I wasn’t expecting such depth in the world building.

Thankfully once past that hurdle of just understanding all the new names (both places, things, creatures, and people) and general world structure, the story flowed much easier. Was a refreshing take on magic and gods for me!

dianagrilo's review against another edition

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5.0

I absolutely love how Laini Taylor creates such amazing worlds. This book is the best in that regard so far, it just keeps pulling you in and it's just kinda there even when you aren't reading. And for me, that's just the mark of a great book, when you just find yourself thinking about it in the middle of the day.

kevvy's review against another edition

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4.0

Never before I have a been struck with a "To be continued" that actually made me want to rip my hair out of my head. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Something about the writing style really makes the book give off this magical vibe. There were some chapters where I found myself getting bored, but there other chapters that are so brilliant that they make up for the "filler" chapters. Lazlo is such a wonderful character. He cares about people even if those people don't care about him. Sarai is my favorite character and has the most intriguing power out of all the godspawn children in my opinion, the power to enter dreams and manipulate them. Ruby is basically a human torch, Sparrow can nurture life, Feral can make storms, and Minya can control ghosts. I never knew a six year old could be such a stone cold bitch, until I met Minya.

Muse of Nightmare review coming soon!

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I absolutely hated the ending.  Not only did it leave me in a place, but also in the worst one the author could think of abandoning her characters.  She can't fix it.  I won't read another Laini Taylor book as long as I live.  I should have learned from Daughter Of Smoke and Bone, but I did not.  This one is on me.  It's well written if not overly descriptive. Interesting concept and world. It's not for me, but maybe it's for you. Ugh. Yuck!  Mean! <stomps foot>

bookgrrrlsclub's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

4.0

This was a reread, one that i desperately needed to do. I listened to this initially as an audiobook and now i’m kicking myself in the butt for it (no hate to the audiobook listeners) i truly needed to read the absolutely poetry that the author uses to describe Weep and the characters. stunning