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: 0316464279
• ISBN13: 9780316464277
• Publish Date: 28 March 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 704
• Language: English

Reviews

[kjnavillus]

DNF at 54% I just couldn’t get into it and there are too many characters and made up words with no explanation on what they mean

[bookswithjelena]

4.5 ⭐

[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

This was my favourite book in January by far, and I'm kicking myself for having waited almost 3 years to read it!  I loved Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and I think I was worried that this would compare - unfounded indeed! Laini's writing was just as lyrical as I expected, and her knack of creating original worlds is unparalleled.  Her creativity absolutely blew me away.

In the past I've found some of Laini's books slow to read, because of that purple prose she's so famous for, but I absolutely flew through this and couldn't put it down.  The world building was sublime, the characters were delightful, and I even loved the romance, which I know wasn't everyone's cup of tea.  This book was just magical, and I'm so excited to pick up Muse of Nightmares soon to find out what happens to these beautiful characters.

[A Darker Shade of Rosie]

LIKED:
- ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I love everything about Laini Taylor. READ THIS BOOK!
- This book is wrought with dreamers and gods and ghosts and monsters, and heavier things like prejudice and racism and deep-rooted hate (and also some insta-love, but for all the nay-sayers, trust me when I say this was the best kind of insta-love).
- Poetic writing, fantasy, dreaminess.

DISLIKED:
- Besides crying because the sequel is so far away??? Nothing.

[blog & instagram & twitter]

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 [beautiful] Stars

This was/ is everything.

Holy Moly. I feel like I must feel every single feeling that has ever existed in the history of feelings right now, and so very, very, deeply, at that. Too deeply for my own good...

My God, I’m... I don’t even know what, exactly, I’m feeling right now ! I’m in love. Im in love, but I’m also just so furious in this moment (because how dare I be given everything over the course of 500+ pages only to end this first half of the duology feeling as if everything has been ripped from me all at once?)

[paperbackjedi]

4.5 stars.

[Brianna]

3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed the first half of this so much, but the romance sort of sent it downhill for me. I really wasn’t a fan of the insta-love, but I’m keen to read the sequel and see where this story goes!

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Initial thoughts: I really enjoyed Strange the Dreamer. The prose was lush, the setting imaginative, and the stakes were high for both the protagonist and the antagonists. The beginning was rather slow paced as the world building took shape but the intriguing prologue assured me that it would be worth ploughing through the density of information. While Strange the Dreamer deserves so much praise for its originality, the ending left me feeling a little hollow for its abruptness. I definitely recommend having the sequel on hand, so you can continue reading the story immediately.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

This book broke me.

I love novels that wrap you up so thoroughly in their world that, when you're finished, it's like walking out of a dark movie theatre into bright sunlight. You're both a bit shocked by the sudden change of atmosphere, and filled with a bubbling need to talk to EVERYONE about what you just experienced.

Hi, I'm Amber, and I just read Strange the Dreamer.

This book is BEAUTIFUL. It's a heart-wrenching love story, mythology, war, magic and science and adventure and family and finding a way to fit into ones own skin. Laslo Strange and a dozen others are brought to the once-believed mythical city of Weep to help solve the problem of the immovable citadel in the sky. He never expected to discover a beautiful blue-skinned young lady in his dreams, or answers to his past.

Laslo is a kind, good man. He is called Strange the Dreamer, and reading about him, his dreams spilled out like ink on to the page and left me in thrall. I adored him and I was eery rooting for him to be happy and whole. I loved the love story. And Sarai, our other main story line, was brave and strong in her own accord. I enjoyed the both. The minor characters, and the despicable villain, are just as well developed and lovable.

But it is Laini's WRITING that draws me in the most. Every sentence is beautifully crafted. The book is lyrical without allowing the words to distract from the story. She's a true master of the art, and I am sold on her work.

I will absolutely be continuing on to Muse of Nightmares. I am so broken by the ending of this book, so you know. Know that the ending is brutal.

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews This is another book that I had seen a lot of on Instagram. I also have some merch from book boxes including a beautiful apron from Fairyloot. It really is gorgeous. After I got the apron I knew I had to read this story. I grabbed it on audible as I had a few credits and once I finished The Cruel Prince I jumped into this story.

We begin with Lazlo Strange. Lazlo is an orphan, brought up by monks and later becomes a librarian. Lazlo has a love of all things magic. Ever since he was young he has had an obsession with the city of Weep. Lazlo is an easy character to like. He is a dreamer and has an imagination that is endless.

We also have another POV of Sarai. I don't want to give too much away about who she is but suffice to say I LOVED Sarai. She has been through hell and yet she still finds it in her to forgive. She is caring and loving and really just wants peace.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this book and I could talk about them for hours. One of my favourites was Sparrow. She is a sweet girl who I just wanted to give a little hug to. I also liked Calixte she seemed like a really fun character and I wanted to hear more about her.

Laini does an excellent job of creating a new world that you want to jump into. The city of Weep sounds magical, especially the way Lazlo dreams it.

This is a story of myths, magic and of course a bit of love. It captured my heart and I cannot wait to start A Muse of Nightmares.