Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)

by Laini Taylor

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 to lose his dream forever.


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 answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?


In this sweeping and breathtaking new novel by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, the shadow of the past is as real as the ghosts who haunt the citadel of murdered gods. Fall into a mythical world of dread and wonder, moths and nightmares, love and carnage.

• ISBN10: 0316341681
• ISBN13: 9780316341684
• Publish Date: 28 March 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[ktshpd]

Infuriating! Took me a while to get into it, but then it got good then frustratingly good.

[littleread1]

I listened to it for my second read. It was just as good as I remember and am glad I re-listened before Muse of Nightmares because there was a lot I had forgotten. But damn, now I am even more nervous for Muse.

[Mercy]

This would have worked better for me if I had felt something for the characters, I only liked Lazlo and even him I couldn't make a strong connection with. Also, I was enjoying it a lot at the beginning but then, BAM! insta-love and I despised that. I'm still interested in reading Muse of Nightmares though, the ending was predictable but I want to see how things will be resolved.

[Laurie]

I didn’t understand like 70% of ithis book. I understood the highlights, but I missed the point that made this book this book. This has to do with the complicated English and the whimsical writing. I have never had this problem with an English book before, because my English is quite sufficient to understand young adult and adult books. I really hope that this one will be translated in Dutch one day and I will definitely read it again. I am sure that I will understand everything then, and maybe I could rate it better and higher.

[lauriesbookshelf]

I didn’t understand like 70% of ithis book. I understood the highlights, but I missed the point that made this book this book. This has to do with the complicated English and the whimsical writing. I have never had this problem with an English book before, because my English is quite sufficient to understand young adult and adult books. I really hope that this one will be translated in Dutch one day and I will definitely read it again. I am sure that I will understand everything then, and maybe I could rate it better and higher.

[alisoninbookland]

😵😁😆

There's no denying that Laini's writing is beautiful. It really and truly is. It can just be a bit much for my taste. I don't need paragraphs of description when a few sentences will do. The story took SUCH a slow start for me. I had to read almost 200 pages before the story fully grabbed my attention. If it was anyone else, I would have DNF-ed the book and walked away. I trust Laini and really enjoyed the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series which is why I stuck with the book. Ultimately, I am glad that I stuck with it even if I didn't love it in a way that I was hoping.

Thankfully, the story does get interesting when things get going. I'd say that's about when the group gets to Weep. The characters are really what makes the story shine. The story is crazy long but at least that gave Taylor adequate time to make the characters fully realized. I didn't even mind the instalove going on between the main characters simply because of how well written it was. It was very sweet and charming.

Beautiful writing and beautiful story if you can stand slow paced writing.

[Bianca]

It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming?

— Enchanting, and gorgeously written. I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy stories, but I loved this book so much!!!

[neddieb]

The world building is beautiful. The story is beautiful. It’s has an interesting concept regarding the relationship between humans and the Gods.

The only thing I did not like about this story is it seemed to have too much filler. I believe The story would have been great without the fillers.

[Nany]

I really liked the writing style but it was so predictable, and by the end I was like, dude that's the stupidest thing you could ever done.

[leahrosereads]

I wish I had a way to review this book that is not completely biased and just filled with my gushing about it for sentences and paragraphs and chapters. But I can't.

Like other reviews who don't give a synopsis and recommend you read this with as little information as possible, I'm saying the same thing. It's a highly character driven story that's beautiful with a pretty slow building plot. But stick with it, and it will come together by the end!

Lazlo is easily one of my favorite characters because of how truly goodhearted he is. He's a scholar and a reader and a quiet natured man with big fantastical dreams. Literally, he's quite the dreamer.

Get it?

I do feel like Lazlo and the setting kind of outshine some of the other characters, but that's OK in my book. I like when the title character is the lead in the story. However, just because he outshines most others, that doesn't mean the other characters aren't developed. Their interactions and struggles and conversations are some of the best parts of this book.

Overall, I loved it, and I can't wait to continue on with Muse of Nightmares!