Skip to main content

Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor


Synopsis (from Goodreads)
"The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s 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."

Review
"On the second sabbat of Twelfthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl fell from the sky. Her skin was blue, her blood was red."

How about THAT for an opening line? (read the rest of the prologue here)

And that GORGEOUS cover! This is the UK cover and I am in love. Usually I don't really care about covers one way or another but I can always appreciate a beautiful book.

Ahhhh what can I even say about this book?  I LOVED it. It ticked all the boxes for me:

  • Interesting and complex characters
  • Fascinating new world with rich culture and history
  • Gods and goddesses and lost myths!
  • Adventure!
  • LIBRARIES!
  • Beautiful writing
  • Super cute and swoon-y romance

I really don't know what more I can say about it. Laini Taylor has gorgeous writing, I loved the two main characters and the personal journeys they go through. I loved the world-building! Completely new and original and it made me want to know more about everything. It's definitely high fantasy, so be aware of that going in. And while there is a sequel (it's a duology), the plot in this one wraps up nicely while preparing for the larger story to continue.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone!


Rating
I give this book 5 stars!!!


Details
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Language: Some, but not frequent and not very strong
Sex: Some references to past rapes (though that word is never used). Nothing graphic is described. Lots of kissing!
Violence: Some violence, nothing graphic.

SaveSave

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Monthly Roundup - January 2017

In January I read 6 books, which is keeping with the pace I need in order to read 80 books this year. 1) The Reader - Traci Chee (3 stars) 2) Wayfarer - Alexandra Bracken (3.5 stars) 3) Windwitch - Susan Dennard (3.5 stars) 4) The Underground Railroad  - Colson Whitehead (3 stars) 5) Behind the Throne  - K. B. Wagers (5 stars) 6) Queen of Shadows  - Sarah J. Maas (4 stars) I say that's a pretty good start to 2017! I recently started a new job, so posts have slowed while I rediscover the work/life balance, but overall I really enjoyed the books I read this month and would recommend them all (especially Behind the Throne !!! Gahh!!! Review coming soon!). My TBR pile for February is a mile long, but I'm especially excited for A Conjuring of Light,  the conclusion to the Shades of Magic  series by V. E. Schwab. I've also got the February Book Club pick, Daring Greatly  by BrenĂ© Brown, and I'll finally finish up Empire of Storms , the latest book in Sarah

Ensnared

Ensnared by Rita Stradling I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis ( from Goodreads ) "Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake. Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong. To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see. Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse." Review The premise sounded very interesting: Beauty and the Beast retelling in the near-future with robots and AI. But it really really fell flat. I read the first few chapters, then put it down for a couple of  months .

Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded - Brandon Sanderson Synopsis A collection of Sanderson's "short" stories and novellas set in his Cosmere universe. Review It's no secret that Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. His writing is stupendous, his stories are incredible and his plot twists are mind-blowing. Rarely can I figure out exactly where the story is headed, but I am always exceptionally pleased when I get there! Sanderson isn't as known for his "short" stories. Probably because they aren't short. Two of them in this collection clock in around 40k words, which is approaching the line between a novella and a novel. A few of the stories ( The Emperor's Soul, Sixth of the Dusk, Shadows for Silence ) can be read with no knowledge of his other books, and would perhaps be a good introduction to his writing. Those ones you can get individually or are published in other anthologies. I myself had already read a few of the stories, but withi