Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

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.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

5 of 5 stars

Share
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.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 May, 2019: Finished reading
  • 26 May, 2019: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • 26 May, 2019: Finished reading
  • 26 May, 2019: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 26 May, 2019: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 26 May, 2019: Reviewed