Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: High Fantasy
Hardcover: 532 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Release date: March 28, 2017

Series:  Strange the Dreamer, #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

It's been some time that Laini Taylor has been working on this book, and I believe the publishing date got pushed back about 6 months from a previous announcement; so there's been plenty of anticipation!

Unlike her first series that starts with action and intrigue, this novel takes a much slower pace to establish the background, characters, and conflict. Because there are so many unknowns about the city of Weep and magic and barriers to Lazlo finding things out, the reader might find it confusing to follow at first. However, about 25% of the way through, the novel really picks up once Lazlo is in Weep and Sarai sees Lazlo through his dreams. Here the novel really grips you and carries you all the way to the finish, so if you're struggling, try and make it to this point in the book! I was surprised to find how much I liked it, actually, and surprises at the end just kept coming! (I did read where another review found this to be the opposite, that the beginning was fast and rich and the end was more of a slower slog...well, each reader their own!)

There are two things that are really great about this book: 1) Sarai and Lazlo's romance, which is so atypical and 2) the myth and magic of the lushly descriptive worldbuilding that really brings the world alive if not fully realized/revealed to the reader.

To understand a bit of the romance, I'll have to spoiler a bit. Sarai is one of the half-human gods' children living above the city of Weep and all of them have interesting abilities. Sarai is able to turn most of her (her spirit? her soul?) into moths and have them fly down to land on people in the city and influence their dreams. Lazlo is a newcomer to Weep, and when Sarai investigates him, he is able to see her, something no one else has ever been able to do before. They fall in love through the dream and the meeting of their minds, which is really beautiful and full of wonderfully rich imagery. As the reader experiences this with them, it is also the tale of two outsiders finding somewhere to belong and connect, and ultimately, shows possibilities of peace and hope for the future.

Laini Taylor has always been fantastic with description and making such creative, unusual fantasies and this one is no exception. At times, you're having to read so slow because you just don't want to miss the details and care in the setting creation. Weep, the creatures, descriptions of Lazlo himself...it's worth it to take your time to experience the history, the juxtaposition of opposing forces, and the emotion captured into words.

I also have to add, I loved how Lazlo is a librarian and has such passion for books and learning. (Shameless plug here for great librarians and readers/lovers of fantasy. Thanks, Laini!)

Here's one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"What's the point of being old if you can't beleaguer the young with your vast stores of wisdom?" - Master Hyrrokin
"And what's the point of being young if you can't ignore all advice?" - Lazlo

One last thing, you may not realize this is a series while reading it, but once you reach the end, it's rather obvious. So just know, we will probably be waiting over a year for book 2 (tentatively called The Muse of Nightmares though no other details have been released except that it exists as a duology) if you pick this one up, just in case you're a reader who likes to avoid book hangovers!

For two great interviews with the author on Strange the Dreamer and writing, see this one from USA Today and the other from Bustle.

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by Kara at Thursday, July 20, 2017

 High Fantasy, Laini Taylor, little brown and co, Review, Strange the Dreamer, young adult  Leave your mark

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When We Wake by Karen Healey

Book stats:
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 296 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Release date: March 5, 2013

Series: When We Wake #1

Source: Borrowed

Reviewed by: Helen

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027—she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies—and wakes up a hundred years later, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

The future isn't all she had hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better world?

There was a real missed opportunity for some imaginative world-building in When We Wake. Though Tegan wakes up just over 100 years into the future, we don't find out very much about the world and how it now works. We get thrown little bits of slang, and little anecdotes from Tegan herself as she tries to navigate this world, but we really get let down as far as being able to see the world from a bird's eye view.

For a novel that barely gave much information about the future world that I'd actually be interested in, there were definitely quite a few political and social agendas thrown in rather heavy-handedly. Without the rounding out of an entire world building experience, these points seemed clunky at times. Overall, I agree with the message of social change that the characters advocated for. But in order to truly get a message as important as social change across, it really should be weaved into the story in such a way that the reader isn't constantly aware of it. The social, religious, and political agendas within When We Wake were awkward and forceful where they should have been insightful and inspiring.

At first, Tegan believes that they have started this revival program as a way for the government to revive soldiers. And since Tegan's father was a fallen soldier, she immediately jumps on board whole-heartedly. I understand how her father's death might make her more willing to cooperate, but I was still surprised at just how quickly she seemed to jump head first into the whole charade.

The writing style in When We Wake is risky - as it breaks the fourth wall. Meaning the narrator speaks directly to the reader - there are times when Tegen addresses the reader as she retells her story. I've read novels where this sort of writing style was incredible and literally dragged the reader into the story directly. Unfortunately, Tegan's direct conversations with the reader were more irritating than anything. They didn't actually serve much purpose at all to the story itself, and seemed almost to have been taken as a shortcut for not having to really introduce the reader to Tegan herself.

For a book with such a promising and original concept, I felt extremely let down. Maybe my expectations were set too high for this one, but I don't think I'll be continuing on with this series.

Read an excerpt

 

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by Helen at Thursday, August 08, 2013

 little brown and co, Review, Science-Fiction, young adult  1 Person left their mark

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Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Book stats:
Reading Level: Young Adult
ARC: 328 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 7, 2010

Series: Fairytale Retellings #1

Source: ARCycling

Reviewed by: Lili

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

A few months ago, you may remember that I reviewed another novel by Jackson Pearce entitled FATHOMLESS. FATHOMLESS is actually book three in her fairytale retelling series—this being book one—but the books do not have to be read in any specific order since they’re all pretty much stand-alone novels connected by the common theme of recreating a fairytale. I was looking forward to FATHOMLESS immensely because it was a Little Mermaid re-telling, but I was incredibly disappointed. However, my friends urged me to give Pearce another try because they love her, and so I picked up SISTERS RED, clearly a Little Red Riding Hood re-telling, and realized that Pearce really is a decent story-teller. While I have yet to be blown away, my original disappointing one star experience with Pearce is now easily a satisfactory and entertaining three star one.

SISTERS RED is undoubtedly an easy read to get through. There’s not many complexities and the creativity in the tale is high. I was pulled in immediately in the first chapter where the concept of the Fenris was introduced via a gruesome attack that left a young Scarlett scarred for life and her Grandmother dead. See, the Fenris are pretty much werewolves that pose as humans and turn into their wolfish selves when cornering an attractive young woman whose heart they plan on eating. Get it? The better to eat you with, my dear. But that’s beside the point. This type of werewolf was incredibly interesting because this gruesome experience shaped Scarlett into a ruthless Fenris killing machine for the remainder of the novel. Her trusty red cloak lured them in and then her trusty hatchet was used for the kill. But when all of the different Fenris clans begin gathering to search for the Potential—the next boy that can be changed into a werewolf with a bite since not anyone can be changed into a werewolf in this book—her world is about to get turned upside down.

While I found the plot fascinating, I did have a few issues with it. To begin, the first chapter really had me on the edge of my seat. It was dark, it was quick, it was detailed and surprising. In other words, it was a great way to begin the novel. The several chapters following the introduction seemed dry in comparison. I wish that the high level energy could be found throughout the entire novel instead of just in pockets of huge hunting sprees performed by Scarlett, her younger sister Rosie, and their partner Silas the woodsman. Secondly, the major plot points and mysteries were incredibly obvious to me less than a third of the way through the book. The entire novel is focused on finding who this new Potential is and rescuing him before he gets turned into a Fenris. I figured out his identity and willingly bet my next paycheck on it before I reached page 100, so while the search and the lore revealed later on in the book was fascinating and interesting, the big reveal was anti-climatic and the build-up was entirely unnecessary.

Lastly, the characterization was superb in some characters and lacking in others. I really, really loved Scarlett. She faced down a Fenris right after it killed her Grandmother and killed it in return with nothing but a broken piece of glass from a cracked mirror. In the process, one of her eyes was ripped out of her head so she now has to wear an eye patch and her entire body was mauled. Pretty much every inch of her skin is marred with scars aside from the skin right above her heart. She has issues with beauty and insecurities, she secretly envies her younger sister who is naturally gorgeous. Scarlett feels alone in the world because of her physical insecurities, which is why her sister and her friendship with Silas, her hunting partner, is so important to her. They’re all she’s got since everyone else judges her. Then there’s Rosie, who seems incredibly vain in comparison to Scarlett’s complexity. Scarlett lives and breathes the hunt to save other girls from the fate forced upon her by the Fenris, but Rosie doesn’t really want to hunt. She wants to be with boys, and she wants to dance, and do normal things. And while this would normally appeal to me, seeing it in comparison to Scarlett’s passion just fell really flat. Chapter four, told in Rosie’s POV since it alternates with Scarlett’s has a line near the beginning describing where they live that says:

“The hills and farmland surrounding our cottage are the very definition of “rolling.” Everything rolls endlessly—the trees into forests, hills into the horizon, clouds into mountains.”

In other words, everything just keeps going. That’s how I felt about the chapters in Rosie’s POV, they just kept going and going and going when all I wanted was for them to end so that I could get back to Scarlett. This is saying something since Rosie’s also the only one who experiences any form of a romantic relationship. I thought that Scarlett’s reaction to Rosie’s relationship was entirely justified because she’s also only 16 and she’s dating a 21 year old. I’d be annoyed too and the fact that Rosie didn’t think Scarlett’s anger was realistic annoyed me further in regards to her characterization.

All in all, I think this is one of the most original Little Red Riding Hood re-tellings out there. I have yet to come across one that is comparable. While it is not perfect, it’s certainly entertaining and this quick read will easily put a smile on your face. Pearce managed to take a beloved fairytale and twist it into an entirely new story while maintaining some of its overarching concepts. I am happy to report that I am now eager to give her another chance. This novel is perfect if you are looking for a quick, unique fantasy with a small side of gruesome detail. With that being said, I don't have the stomach for true gore and I got through this one just fine.

Read an Excerpt

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by Lili at Wednesday, May 08, 2013

 Fantasy, Jackson Pearce, little brown and co, Review, werewolf, young adult  Leave your mark

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