Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29748925-strange-the-dreamer
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Strange the dreamer is like a combination of the sweetest of honey and the oldest of wines. It’s a fairy tale hidden in a fairy tale. Laini Taylor’s writing is so beautiful, atmospheric, and riveting. This story truly reads like a fairy tale that was written years ago and has just been discovered. A lot of people said that this book is too slow in the beginning or that it’s overrun with writing that’s too lyrical and flowery but personally, that’s the beauty of it. The beauty of this book is the beauty in the writing. The writing really helps emphasize the atmospheric world that makes you gasp in awe but also want to weep at the same time (pun intended, if you know, you know).
The way Taylor writes Lazlo is one of my favorite things ever. I loved how we get to read about little tiny Lazlo grow into the rugged, broken nosed man Lazlo. We get to follow his dream of this world that he built on from stories he heard and the stories he found hidden in the books of the library he worked in. I loved how we get to see Lazlo listen to stories, read the stories, and eventually, write his own stories of the dream he refused to let go off. It was just so magical, wholesome, and made me want to hug all my books.
This book is honestly, an ode to lovers of stories. Lazlo’s raw passion for his studies and his books was just so heartwarming and wholesome, that it made me read the book slower and cherish it even more.
The characters in this book are just a wonderful set of characters. We get to see a wide variety of personalities. We get to see all these different people from different social standing and how they’ve come together to accomplish this common goal. Each character has their own story, own purpose, and their own flaws. I especially loved how Taylor’s writing makes you so emotionally invested in a character but at the same time hate them. The enormity of some of these character’s flaws really added to the heavy political atmosphere of the plot.
While the writing was beautiful and I really enjoyed it, I did feel like the book carried on a bit too long. I had way too much time to theorize what the ending of the book was. Because of this, I personally wasn’t shocked by the ending.
I also think that this specific element of Taylor’s writing didn’t really allow me to enjoy the ending as much as I would have liked to. I understand the purpose of the said element was to add a mysterious tone to the story but I feel like it counteracted its purpose and made the ending a bit too predictable. I’m trying to be vague, sorry lol. Don’t get me wrong, there are SO MANY unanswered questions that make you want to pick up the second book. The anticipation for the second book is still there, I just wish there was just a little bit of something more to surprise me.
Another aspect of the book I had a bit of trouble with was the description of the magical elements in the beginning. I personally am not that bothered by it now after finishing the book because everything made much more sense when I made it further into the plot and I was better acquainted with the world. I honestly also think that was my fantasy fearing brain just struggling from using an extra brain cell, haha.
I’m really excited to see how the story continues in the second book. I’m excited to see how the fairy tale-like tone will carry over into the second book because I loved it so much in this book. I’m also really nervous about what’ll happen to the side characters after the happenings of the conclusion.
If you’ve read this book, let me know what you thought of it down below! As always, these opinions are mine and only mine so don’t let my opinions hinder you from picking it up.