Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2)

by Laini Taylor

Steve West (Narrator)

'Muse of Nightmares is a philosophical fantasy adventure, an epic love story, a daring quest that demands to be read and reread and deserves to be remembered forever.' Katherine Webber

The first hardback print run of Muse of Nightmares will have beautiful sprayed edges. Available for pre-order only! Don't miss out on this extra-special version of the book.

AN ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY UNMISSABLE YA NOVEL FOR AUTUMN 2018

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Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.
She believed she knew every horror, and was beyond surprise.
She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice - save the woman he loves, or everyone else? - while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, 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 did the gods come from, and why? What was done with the thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

'I was afraid to read too quickly because I didn't want it to be over . . . Laini has done something so special with this duology . . . It will leave you changed forever' Samantha Shannon

'Coming off a boatload of recognition for that series-starter, the author is promising an even richer read . . . Taylor asks big questions about life and death in the new book, as humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the Citadel's near-fall.' Entertainment Weekly

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Praise for Strange the Dreamer

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
AN AUDIBLE BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF 2017
A GOODREADS CHOICE BEST BOOK OF 2017
A PASTE MAGAZINE BEST AUDIOBOOK OF 2017
AN NPR 2017 RECOMMENDED READ
AN AMAZON BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF 2017

'Magical' Grazia

'Prepare to be enchanted' Sun

'Pulls you into its dreaming world and makes it hard to leave.' SciFiNow

'Reads like a dream. One for you, your best friend, and any lover of myths and monsters you know' Heat

'Leaves the reader enthralled, enchanted and entirely entranced' New York Journal of Books

'Laini Taylor is so damn good and like no other' Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

'Laini Taylor set my imagination on fire so hard that it spontaneously combusted . . . This is the kind of story that paves dreams.' Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star Touched Queen

• ISBN10: 0316341711
• ISBN13: 9780316341714
• Publish Date: 2 October 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 528
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars !
(And by 5, I mean ALL of the Stars in the sky, in all of the worlds, combined). .

I just can’t, I just can’t, I just can’t... In absolute GRIEF that this is over...

RTC

This journey was one of the most unique, profound, amazing, magical, perfect, emotional, EXPERIENCES that I have, ever, in all of my 30 years of life, ever, had. Words will never be able to do this work justice. Plain & simple. I can’t even process the raw, unchecked, unfiltered, magic brought upon me .

This made me feel every emotion in existence- Strong, strong, feelings that I am not ready to even identify.

God help me; my heart is swelling and singing on the inside, despite the fact that I feel like my entire chest is collapsing in on itself from my heart hurting so much (in a good way, and in complete devastation that it’s all over, as well).

I also feel like there is so much more potential for more story, obviously, and so many stories within this one big story that I want to explore further. Alright; I can’t do this yet... it hurts too much

[empressbrooke]

I probably liked part 1 of this duology better out of the two, but as a whole package taken together (the start of Muse of Nightmares starts up right where Strange the Dreamer left off), it's definitely a 5-star read.

The biggest source of joy for me was how creative Laini Taylor is - every single plot beat that I was anticipating ended up not happening. I'd started off Strange the Dreamer assuming that much of the beginning of the book would be Thyon and Lazlo on an expedition trying to find Weep. And then the Tizerkane showed up looking for people to bring to Weep and I thought, "Welp, who knows now." And I wasn't able to predict how any of it was going to unfold, and the setting and its inhabitants were all so very unique.

I put off reading Muse of Nightmares for a little bit because I thought that I was going to have to spend the first half of the book slogging through Minya forcing Lazlo and Sarai to terrorize Weep and that just made me sad and tired. And of course I should have expected it to veer off in an entirely different direction that I again couldn't predict. I was thrilled that I didn't have to watch the poor people of Weep get terrorized and that I was still being kept on my toes. I read so much that it's very easy to see the typical patterns that plots take, so it's just so wonderful when something can take me by surprise.

I also really liked the development of Thyon and Minya - the author did such an excellent job showing why they are who they are. Despite the conflicts that the story revolves around, it was impossible to consider anyone the antagonist.

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews After finishing Strange the Dreamer I needed to see how this story was going to pan out. I loved Lazlo Strange in the first book. He is such an enchanting character. His imagination is endless and you can't help but want to be a part of that.

I wanted to LOVE this book but it just didn't have the same punch as the first book. I enjoyed the story don't get me wrong but it felt like there was something missing. I know I am in the minority here. This book had a different vibe to the first and it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. There were a few revelations that just seemed to fall a bit flat to me.

I really enjoyed hearing more about the backstory of the 'God's' of Weep. I enjoyed seeing where they came from and what life was like before they came to Weep.

I loved the characters in this story and the bonds they have. It was also nice to see more of Calixte and Thyron. Seeing these characters develop was very interesting.

Laini is very good at creating worlds and making them seem very very real. The story alludes to maybe a spin-off or a novella which I really hope does happen as I always love expanding stories and extra world building.

[emruth13]

I really enjoyed this book. As always, I wish there was more, but I'm happy with how everything worked out. There were definitely moments I didn't think everything would be okay but I also love those moments where you feel, "What? No! Please no!"

[littleread1]

Oh man. I don't have the ability to explain my feelings for this duology in words.

[Stephanie]

Just... screaming.

[Bianca]

The mind is good at hiding things, but there’s something it cannot do: It can’t erase. It can only conceal, and concealed things are not gone. They rot. They fester, they leak poisons. They ache and stink. They hiss like serpents in tall grass.

— Even more beautiful than its predecessor. Truly mesmerizing.

[Beth C.]

Review to come

[liz089]

It was so beautiful... EVERYTHING about this novel is AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL. I don't know what to say to do this novel justice.... Just read it.

[Jo]

Second read: I’d forgotten so much about this story. I remembered it was epic, but not exactly how. Such a heartbreaking, beautiful story. I am so, so excited for whatever story Taylor gives us next. Her imagination seems boundless, and I’m really looking forward to it.

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Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Trigger Warning: This book features discussion of rape, and graphic, gory violence.

I have been dying to read Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor ever since finishing Strange the Dreamer, and have been patiently waiting for it. Oh my god, was it worth the wait! I knew it was going to be epic, but man, is it epic!

Muse of Nightmares starts where Strange the Dreamer left off, with Minya intent on having her revenfe on the people of Weep, holding Sarai's soul in balance, promising that she'll let her evanesce if Lazlo doesn't do exactly what she says. Because Sarai is now dead, her soul caught by Minya, and Lazlo is now a god himself - one who can manipulate Mesarthium, the strange blue metal the citadel is made of. That is where Strange the Dreamer finished, and it's where Muse of Nightmares begins, and I'm not going to tell you anything more about the plot of the story, because there are spoilers from the very beginning.

But Taylor takes the themes from the first book, and explores them further in a subtler way. Who is a villain and who is a hero? What is evil, and what is right? Minya is absolutely intent on slaughtering every living person in Weep; she is bloodthirsty and full of rage, and genuinely quite scary. But in Muse of Nightmares, we come to understand Minya a whole lot more. What she's been through, what she witnessed, what she heard. What she is still dealing with to this day. It's horrific, and I just wanted to give this little girl the biggest hug. Minya is complicated, and she needs help. As I finally started to understand her, and all she's experienced, my heart just broke for her.

And my heart broke more than once. With Muse of Nightmares, we're introduced to two other new characters, and their story seems just that, a story. Like a fairy tale from Miracles for Breakfast. But it's not; their story is as real as Sarai and Lazlo's. And it is so unbelievably heartbreaking. It was unbearable. And it's a love story to trump all love stories. And it goes back to the themes Taylor explores: what is evil, and what is right? What will you do, how far will you go, for someone you love? What makes a hero, and what makes a villain? Mate, this story is so unbelievably tragic, I can't bear it. But it's through their story, and how it links with Sarai and Lazlo's that we finally get our answers. Who are the Mesarthim? Where did they come from? Why were they here? And what happened to all those children, the godspawn, who were born in the citadel over 200 years?

There's unendurable heartbreak, there's trauma that goes bone-deep, and guilt that is heavier than the citadel itself, but there is also beauty. There is love. There is pure joy and giddiness in that love. Because the changes Lazlo and Sarai have been through has not affected their love one bit. And now they're really in front of each, really right there. And they managed, here and there, to steal moments for themselves. And, my god, it's just so beautiful. It's new, and it's pure, and it's all encompassing. It had my heart fit to burst. But there's isn't the only love story. There are smaller ones, and one that, again, broke my heart. But there's also healing and recovery amidst all the tragedy, and there's hope.

There are some small, tiny elements of the story that made me so, so happy, but I can't talk about them because they are spoilers. But I absolutely have to talk about them, so if you've not read the book yet, do not hit the button below. Seriously, you should really discover these moments yourself.


Ok, so, Taylor had previously mentioned in interviews that the Strange the Dreamer duology is in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone multiverse. I did not know this. But because of the Seraphim, while reading the first book, I did think, "Wouldn't it be cool if this world and the worlds in Daughter of Smoke and Bone were linked?" It was just a little wish, but in Muse of Nightmares, that wish became a theory that ended up not completely off. The Seraphim caused it all! Can we please talk Easter Eggs?! A young queen training chimera to fight the darkness, "but that's another story"?! Can we talk about Suheyla telling Minya that the people of Weep put their teeth under their pillow when they fall out and make a wish! TEETH IN EXCHANGE FOR WISHES, PEOPLE! And Lazlo and Sarai's conversation about whether they could find someone, in all the worlds, who would be able to give her back a body! AND HOW MINYA HAS ALL THEIR BABY TEETH! Oh my god! Oh my god! I am just dying! And Taylor told me herself on Twitter that there are more Easter eggs in the finished edition because of charts in secret alphabets to decode... and I just don't know what to do with myself. (The day this review goes live is the day I will be buying my finished copy of the book, and you bet I'll be pouring over it.)

So! I have thoughts! There is going to be another story, and perhaps another after that, and perhaps maybe more. They will all interlinks, all part of this multiverse. And then at some point, the characters from all these books will meet, and they'll help Karou fight the Darkness! The gang, everyone we love, will be together! We'll get to see them again! And they'll fight together! And I am so excited! I mean, I am ecstatic! Can you imagine?! Of course, this is just a theory. There's nothing in the books that says this will happen, but I think there are a lot of hints, and I don't know how I'm even able to stay still, because I am just joy and delight in human form, and I can't contain my excitement!

There is so much thought and foresight that Taylor brought to this duology. I mean, the planning that must have gone into it. This whole duology is all about consequences, really, but this whole story is a consequence! A consequence of actions taken so many years ago I'm not sure there's even a number, when people with power made a choice, took a step, and chose to oppress, and in doing so, paved the way for others with their own power centuries (millennia?) later to make the lives of the people of Weep a living hell. This story isn't just epic in regards to what happens in the story, but in the span of this story, how it started god knows how many years before Strange the Dreamer. Taylor is just a genius. She is. I've talked before about her beautiful writing and the language, and how it envelopes you and is just a gem in itself, and how she is an expert storyteller, weaving those words to tell something so brilliant. But the depth of her imagination, the scope! I mean, can you imagine if something happened and Taylor decided not to write? To give it up, and take a different path? It's just unimaginable. The joy her books have brought to people, the delight. I do not what to imagine a world in which Taylor's books don't exist, in which Taylor doesn't right, because it would be grim. We need her stories, I need her stories, because in this world that is just so hard sometimes, Taylor's worlds are a flaming torch, a bonfire in the dark. And I am so, so grateful to her for writing them.

Muse of Nightmares is just perfect. Simply perfect. Being a dulogy, and knowing this was the last book, I was worried about finishing it, finishing this story, and having to say goodbye to characters I love and adore again. But the ending was perfect, and there was no sadness on finishing Muse of Nightmares, just unadulterated joy, to the point that I almost cried with happiness. I am so, so excited to see what Taylor brings us next, because I know for a fact it will just be phenomenal. Taylor is incapable of anything but. And I will patiently wait for her next masterpiece, because that's another story.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the proof.