Reverential for Strange the Dreamer

This book was everything I hoped it would be. From the exquisite and striking opening to the excruciating ending, I was absolutely absorbed in this. As I have come to expect from Taylor, the writing was so quotable and the world building beautifully distinct.

“We are all children in the dark, here in Weep.”

I don’t know what there is to say about Lazlo Strange, the main character, other than I *loved* him. Everything from his name to his looks to his personality was perfectly drawn. I was rooting for him from the second he was introduced. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but his ridiculous drive to help even his enemies made him one of the most adorably selfless characters I’ve ever come across and I think I will always, always rate him as a favourite now.

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

And ugh I was definitely against his nemesis Thyon. While Taylor expertly showed us where he was coming from and made his motivations understandable, all I wanted to do was hit him over the head with a giant book. He was the worst kind of villain, because he didn’t just steal tangible objects… he stole dreams. His cruelty reminded me of the pain of plagiarism and I saw this as a clever allegory for intellectual property theft.

“The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around”

Miraculously, I was as invested in Sarai’s story. As the Muse of Nightmares (another great title), her powers were so imaginative and really added another dimension to the storytelling.

“If you’re afraid of your own dreams, you’re welcome here in mine.”

The romance in this really worked for me, especially as it was a slow burn. I squealed so loudly when they finally got together.

“I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And I hope you’ll let me be in your story.” 

Of course, the mysteries and stories of Weep really worked for me as well. While I did see one of the plot twists coming a mile off, I did not know what would happen and would have never pictured that finale. It was an agonising torment to see where it went- and I really can’t wait for book 2!

5/5 bananas

This is why Laini Taylor is one of my favourite authors! I’ve never deducted a single banana from her books… so forgive me for the very biased review 😉

Anyway- have you read this? Do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!

And you can check out my thoughts on the sequel Muse of Nightmares here!