Review: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Title: Muse of Nightmares Series: Strange the Dreamer #2 Written by: Laini Taylor Published: October 2, 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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 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 don't think I can coherently explain my thoughts and feelings about this book even after waiting a day to write this review. Strange the Dreamer was my first Laini Taylor book and it is what convinced me she is a master storyteller who writes beautifully unique worlds. This book absolutely showed that.

One of the things I liked the most about this book was the world. Laini is definitely a master at crafting engaging and unique worlds. In Strange the Dreamer we were first introduced to the Mesarthim and the Godspawn and here we learned even more about them. Laini took us back and we got to see some of them in action and they were just as dark and complex as I expected. Through the course of that we also got to learn about some new powers and see them in action. I love books with magical systems like this and I found these ones truly fascinating. But being that this was Sarai's book there were also some really great parts where she explored her powers and what they mean now. But the best thing about the world of this book was how it relates on a larger scale. I am so glad that I read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy because there was some connection to that series and it keeps doors open for future series within this world which I am very excited about.

Also, I really loved about this book is the characters. I feel like this is going to be my theme for the month, but this was a book full of dark characters doing bad things for good reasons. I don't think I was expecting that from this book but I was expecting complex characters which is what I found. Lazlo and Sarai were are our main characters here and I definitely fell in love with them in the first book in the series. And while the first book was more about Lazlo, here it is very much Sarai's opportunity to take the lead. Sarai is the kind of character who is kind and supportive but has this terrible power that can very easily be used for evil. I loved getting to explore that more. But being that we got more of Sarai we also got more of the rest of the Godspawn which was amazing. We learned a lot more about Minya here which was so fantastic because she is definitely the complex and dubious character that I love reading about.

But I think the reason the characters in this book are so good is because the heart of this story is about family. There are so many concepts about family and love explored in Muse of Nightmares. I love books that deal with that, especially books that explore the idea of found family and that's what we Sarai has only ever know the Godspawn as her family and now having her real father in the picture that is changing. Lazlo has never really had a family and finding people who he is related to he now has that for the first time but navigating that can be difficult. And then there are these really great flashbacks between Nova and Kora who are sisters that get separated and it added a lot to these themes and the plot in general.

And the plot here was really good but again I felt like it lacked a little cohesion. I guess I'm just realizing that this is just how Laini writes. There are always a ton of perspectives and a ton of people who have different agendas. In the end everything ties together well but along the way it just seems confusing and muddles. I felt like with Muse of Nightmares you had two different storylines. You had the Kora/Nova storyline and you had the Minya storyline. We were already invested in the Minya stuff because of Strange the Dreamer so it took awhile to get into the second one. I knew they had to be connected somehow so I was looking for them which made me engaged in that portion of the book but I think for a lot of readers that is going to be a bit frustrating. But thing that was more annoying for me was the way it ended. It knew this was a duology so when we reached the ending I was ready for it to be over. And it had a really satisfying conclusion. Then suddenly we get a prologue with a backdoor to return to the series. And while I would love to go back, it kind of soured things a bit for me. If you are going to end it, end it, don't leave me wanting more and then say... maybe you'll it one day.

But all in all, this was a really fantastic book. it had a unique and engaging world, fantastic and complex characters, and a plot full of mystery and adventure. It was a great conclusion to the series which is absolutely one of my favorite YA fantasies now.

I give Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you loved Strange the Dreamer you definitely need to read this one. It was just as good as the first book and I loved the direction the story took. If you are looking for a new YA fantasy and you haven't read this, change that immediately.

Have you read Muse of Nightmare? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Muse of Nightmares Series: Strange the Dreamer #2 Written by: Laini Taylor Published: October 2, 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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 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.

 
Why I'm Waiting:

I have to admit that I was a bit late to the party when it came to Laini Taylor. I had heard really good things about her first series but I wasn't super interested in it. But then I saw this series and that the audiobook was narrated by Steve West. Anyways, I listened to the audio and I seriously loved it and not just because Steve West makes me feel things I shouldn't feel just by hearing a voice.

But everything about Strange the Dreamer was amazing, The world was fantastic and thrilling, the writing was beautiful and lyrical, the characters were likeable and complex. It was one of my favorite books of last year. I would definitely be excited about this be excited about this book anyway, but the way that the last book ended was so heartbreaking and just knowing the title of this books makes me want to read it even more.

I got an advanced copy of this at ALA and I was so excited to meet Laini and to talk to her about how much I loved the audiobook for Strange the Dreamer. I am hoping to read it but if I am being entirely honest I may end up waiting and listening to the audiobook.

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on Muse of Nightmares along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Audiobook Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Title: Strange the Dreamer Written by: Laini Taylor Series: Strange the Dreamer #1 Narrated by: Steve West Published: March 28, 2017 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: A new epic fantasy by National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.  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.  Welcome to Weep.

When a book you want to read has an audiobook narrated by Steve West, you listen to the audio no questions asked. That's exactly what happened for me with this book and I'm glad I did because not only was this a fantastic read but it was a great audiobook.

First things first, we have to talk about Laini Taylor's gorgeous writing. I didn't know what to expect from the author because despite everyone raving about it, I have not read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and after reading this, I am regretting that decision. Because Laini definitely has a way with works. Her prose has a way of creating a captivating atmosphere and an enthralling world. It's not overly flowery but it has a distinct lyrical quality that draws you in and keeps you reading. These are the kinds of books that work really well as audios and that was definitely the case here.

The other great thing about Laini's writing is the plot development. This is definitely a book with a great plot that had me engaged from beginning to end. It's one of those books that slowly builds to a thrilling conclusion that has you totally really and desperately needing the next book in the series. It's also one of those books that is full of mystery and surprises. I definitely figured out one of the major twists but this was still a book full of mystery. Even when it was over I was left with all kinds of questions and curiosities. 

But I will say, I did still have some complaints about the plot and the pacing. In general it had a good flow and there wasn't a point where I wanted to stop reading but I did want them to get back to certain aspects of the story. It did drag in parts and this is a longer book that feels like a long book. I think my main issue with the plot and pacing was the focus on the romance about two-thirds of the way into the book. It's not that I didn't like the romance, I just felt like it took away from some of the larger plot development. But you know me, I'm romancephobic.

Although I do understand that the romance was a necessary part of the character development and I really enjoyed the characters. First there is Lazlo our title character. Lazlo was instantly likable and easy to root for. He is an orphan who has to earn every ounce of respect he has. But he is also a dreamer who believes in magic and wants more for himself and to explore Weep, a place of legend. He was the perfect main character for this book and I was absolutely rooting for him. The other main character is Sarai, she is Godspawn, the daughter or a "God" who can invade people's dreams and change them. She is feared throughout Weep because of her mother and is known as the Muse of Nightmares. But she could not be more different. She's sweet and caring. I wanted to see Sarai get her way and rooted for her just as much. There are also plenty of great secondary characters that I hope we get to learn more about in future books.

And finally, I really enjoyed the world building of this book. I read a lot of YA fantasy and sometimes they can feel very similar and like they're the same old same old. And while I did get some vibes of other books that I enjoy, I found Strange the Dreamer totally unique and interesting. It was a world full of magic and mystery. There were clear rules and an interesting magic system that I think we have only just begun learning about. 

I really enjoyed Strange the Dreamer. It's a great start to what I'm sure is going to be an amazing series. It's got gorgeous writing, an engaging plot, likable characters, and an atmospheric world. Basically everything all good fantasy should have. 

I give Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. I know this was a totally hyped up book when it came out last month but it is deserving of that hype. It's a great read of you haven't picked by up you should. Check this book out, especially if you like audiobooks.

Have you read Strange the Dreamer? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading.