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musicalpopcorn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Indir and Saya are both Dreamers who need to learn important lessons to find a way through the chaos that has started in their world.
This was a fantastic first book that laid the foundation for what I hope will be an interesting series. It was a slow burn, but the story was written in a way that made me read until the end, by which point I was thinking βOh no! Itβs almost over!β There were a lot of names and characters, which I found hard to keep track of, but the story was rich and the world building was skillfully done. Looking forward to the next instalment!
This was a fantastic first book that laid the foundation for what I hope will be an interesting series. It was a slow burn, but the story was written in a way that made me read until the end, by which point I was thinking βOh no! Itβs almost over!β There were a lot of names and characters, which I found hard to keep track of, but the story was rich and the world building was skillfully done. Looking forward to the next instalment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, and Infertility
diessy's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
When I read the climax of this book I had to close the book, stand up from my desk, walk to a mirror, and stare at myself for a solid 5 minutes. I was floored. I'm usually not a fan of enigmatic storytelling but from start to finish I was captivated. From the plot structure to the motifs, every decision that Lizz Huerta made when writing The Lost Dreamer was full of meaning and revealed such an intimate care for both storytelling and family. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL ππππ I don't write reviews but Lizz Huerta deserves so much praise for this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Violence
Minor: Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual assault, Death, and Kidnapping
readingwithkaitlyn's review
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, Drug abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Trafficking
Sacrifices, starvation.z_thatsit's review
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, War, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
andatherrin's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Death, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty
kwkich's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Told in dual perspective, the story follows two very different young women finding their way in an exceedingly changing world full of danger and uncertainty. A beautiful story of perseverance. Of loss. And of tragedy. But maybe most importantly of family; lost, found and made. The world building is vibrant with clear Mesoamerican influences, strong female leaders and unique fantasy elements and abilities. Descriptions of the Ilkan and the colors, vibrancy of Dreaming are some things that stick out the most in the end due to their fascinating descriptions and mesmerizing detail.
My only grievance is the constant switching between character perspectives which makes the story feel a bit disjointed overall. Each chapter leaves off with unresolved action, conflict or confusion; roughly 20 agonizing cliffhangers all told! But you can definitely feel the difference in characterizations, emotions, landscape. They are very well defined and whole. The best part is when this storytelling comes together in the end, bringing you to tears in the most beautiful way.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, Death, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
frantically's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A mostly boring book with a very fun plot twist!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
Moderate: Kidnapping
2treads's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wanted more of the supporting characters.
In Huerta's story made of stories, the melding of Mesoamerican beliefs, traditions, and motifs is strong.
It was easy to fall forward into the world that Huerta has created as her descriptions are crisp and lush, overflowing with influences and practices of the time and setting. I enjoyed the reveal and the manipulation of time with regards to the events and the characters. I also felt that there were interestin facets of the plot that were never fully developed or were glossed over. Like the significance of the water sphere or what happened to the aunties....so many questions and no answers, not even hints for speculation.
The bond the people have to their rituals and way of life is clearly felt as the reader gets to know the characters and where they and their people are headed.
As much as I was enjoying the way Huerta centred Story and Song in this telling, the villain's presence was so abstract, so underwhelming that this could have just been a story about a young woman finding her path and the people who were there to guide and protect her.
In Huerta's story made of stories, the melding of Mesoamerican beliefs, traditions, and motifs is strong.
It was easy to fall forward into the world that Huerta has created as her descriptions are crisp and lush, overflowing with influences and practices of the time and setting. I enjoyed the reveal and the manipulation of time with regards to the events and the characters. I also felt that there were interestin facets of the plot that were never fully developed or were glossed over. Like the significance of the water sphere or what happened to the aunties....so many questions and no answers, not even hints for speculation.
The bond the people have to their rituals and way of life is clearly felt as the reader gets to know the characters and where they and their people are headed.
As much as I was enjoying the way Huerta centred Story and Song in this telling, the villain's presence was so abstract, so underwhelming that this could have just been a story about a young woman finding her path and the people who were there to guide and protect her.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping
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