Strange the Dreamer: The magical international bestseller (Strange the dreamer, 1) Paperback – 8 Mar. 2018

Lazlo Strange has dreamed of the mythical lost city of Weep since he was a young boy playing make-believe in the orchards of the monastery where he was raised. Now a librarian in the Great Library of Zosma, Lazlo spends his days still dreaming of journeying to the lost City, until that is the day arrives when his dreams look set to turn into reality. Suddenly he finds himself one of a group of delegates accompanying a mysterious stranger known as the Godslayer as well as a group of legendary warriors from the lost city. What awaits them there is even more extraordinary than anything even Lazlo could have dreamed!I found myself completely immersed in this imaginative and captivating read, drawn into the vividly described fantasy world that Taylor has created. From the Great Library of Zosma, to the vast desert plains of the Elmuthaleth, and to the lost City itself, it was a joy accompanying Lazlo on his voyage of discovery.Lazlo himself makes for a wonderful fantasy book hero, with his nose always behind a book and his mind full of wonder; he's gentle and kind and very easy to like. Yet I thought that Taylor did a really good job of portraying a whole host of more complex characters too. There's Thyon Nero, the arrogant alchemist, who early on in the story seems set on being a clear villain; yet I was surprised to find that it wasn't quite so black and white. The Godslayer too is another prime example, a hero who saved his City and its people from a reign of terrible tyranny, and yet at a great cost too;such that he is haunted by the blood on his hands. Minya, again, is an intriguing character; controlling and manipulative, she might easily have been painted a pure villain, but the tragedy of her past and the great trauma she has witnessed can but render her in a more sympathetic light.I don't want to go into detail regarding the ins and outs of the story, but I thought that Taylor touched upon some great themes within the book, re-working them in an imaginative way. Its a story about the aftermath of tyranny and war, about hatred and how hard it can be to forgive and reach a reconciliation. I thought that Taylor did a good job of portraying two sides of a story; as a reader it is easy to appreciate the suffering that the people of Weep have endured, but by allowing us to get to see things from the Godspawns' points of view, and Sarai's in particular, we gain an insight into what they - the orphans of war - have endured too.I personally found the idea of the Mesarthim and the Godspawn, with their mystical powers, intriguing; and there are still so many unanswered questions regarding them. Who were the Mesarthim, where did they come from, and what happened to all those Godspawn children over the centuries?Sarai's power is a particularly interesting one and obviously shapes a lot of the story; with dream elements becoming more prominent as the book goes on. I really liked the depiction of the dream sequences in which Lazlo and Sarai interact; and thought Taylor really managed to capture that whimsical and magical quality that dreams have. The romance between the two central characters was I thought sweetly rendered; and whilst some people have complained that it felt too instantaneous and also took up too much time I would disagree on both accounts. I think the secluded nature of the lives that both Lazlo and Sarai have lived, makes it believable that they might develop feelings so quickly for each other; and I think the ending of the book makes it quite clear why so much time was invested in their relationship.Certainly the book ends on a cliffhanger, with some very interesting dynamics being set up;such that I can't wait for the sequel.I did guess at the ending of the story, but that didn't at all spoil it. I would also say that the book starts off quite slow, but if you stick with the first few chapters, things soon start getting interesting.A beautifully written book, with exquisite prose and imagery, this is certainly a story I won't be forgetting in a while.

Strange the Dreamer has been on my to read list for a while. I got a blanket of it from Illumicrate last year which I fell in love with. I then got the special editions Illumicrate released as their covers made me want to read the books even more.And I’m so glad I did! It had great characters, a pretty original story, twists, and interesting world building. Writing was lovely too. Felt like poetry at times. The ending was intense! I’m glad the next book has already been released so I don’t have to wait too long otherwise I’d be going crazy.The main character isn’t my normal type of favourite character but wow did he make this book. He was just so likeable especially to anyone that loves stories (which hopefully will be most people who read this book). Honestly he might be one of my top favourite book characters ever now but we’ll see how he grows in the next book.I think it wasn’t a full 5 stars just as the jumping pov always threw me off, especially as I was mainly listening to it by audiobook. And although the main couple felt like they’d been made for each other which was adorable as they both deserve to find that kind of love, their type of fast paced romance isn’t personally a favourite of mine to read about. I still loved them don’t get me wrong, it’s just a me thing as I prefer more of a build up.It’s 4.5 stars but rounded up to 5 if I had to choose. So maybe it’s 4.60 stars.

Great concept story cleverly developed, about an orphan who's also a dreamer. It's a well written love story, entertaining as well as picturesque. The characters are well drawn, but also each of them acts within character. I always find that helps me totally lose myself in the reading. And that's really what I want as reader, I want the story to take me away from life, to let me escape into the story - this book does a great job of that.I thoroughly enjoyed reading Strange the Dreamer on kindle. It is so good that I'm about to go straight into the second book of the series. And it's an unusual story which really makes this a well named book too.If you like a good story, try it you won't be disappointed. Perhaps it's appeal best to those who like sci-fi but I think there's wider appeal here it's a little like a great legend or fairy tale, but better. There's a lot of truth about life in here.Well done Laini Taylor. More please.