Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - Muse of Nightmares

Picking up only minutes after Strange the Dreamer ended, Muse of Nightmares, by Laini Taylor, was everything that its predecessor wasn’t… in the most surprising ways.

With the Citadel now in Lazlo’s control but still looming over the city of Weep, Muse of Nightmares opens with a whole new level of chaos. Citizens are fleeing, Eril-Fane is trying to corral the Tizerkane warriors, and Lazlo is meeting the other Godspawn for the first time.

Before we find out how the night's events play out, however, we’re introduced to Kora and Nova, sisters living in a desolate village, who have an incredibly different view of the blue-skinned “gods” that the people of Weep have come to dread.

As the story plays out for the sisters, Lazlo, the Godspawn, and the people of Weep, the book really lives up to its name.

Where Strange the Dreamer was all dreams and imaginary worlds, Muse of Nightmares is all horror and unimaginable crimes. The books were like two sides of a coin. Readers fell in love with the picturesque and awe-filled version of Weep, then had that whole idea spun on its axis until it was an ugly truth.

There are very few times when reading a book that I can honestly say I experienced gut-wrenching horror, and Muse of Nightmares was the reason for many of them.

All of the questions presented in Strange the Dreamer were finally granted answers, but they were the answers of nightmares.

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adventurous challenging 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’ve had this series on my TBR for so long and whilst I was on a treat yourself day, I picked up the first book in the series and loved it. So of course had to get the second one in the series. I really enjoyed this book but felt like this book went on a tangent at times, but still enjoyable.

This book has several points of view. In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One is now a god, one is now a ghost. They struggled to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as the dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep. Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice – to save the woman he loves, or everyone else? Whilst Sarai feels more helpless than ever, but is she? Sometimes, only the direct need can teach them their own depth, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares has not yet discovered what she’s capable of. As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: where are the gods from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened, and new words revealed: does the hero have to slay monsters or is it possible to save them instead?

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 the two MCs and was rooting for them throughout the book. I think it was so adorable and innocent. Lazlo being this monk but still wanting her and wanting to do things to her but doesn’t want to hurt her. Sarai just being equally confused and stressed and then scared. I just wanted to hug them both throughout the whole book. This story was so unique and it was so interested. I just wanted to stay and help them out.

I was expecting Minya to be the bad guy throughout the whole book so when that was resolved pretty quickly and there was still a good chunk of books to go, I was confused and worried. I feel like the intro to these two sisters made it quite rushed and for a duology I felt like I was trying to play catch-up and learn new things that I didn’t know about. I felt like even though these two sisters were supposed to play a key part, they weren’t properly developed and that there need to be a third book to find out what was going on.

This book jumped straight into action and had twists and turns throughout and I will definitely be reading more of Laini’s work in the future.

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