Series Review: Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares

Last summer, I read Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and this year I read its sequel Muse of Nightmares. The fantasy duology follows Lazlo Strange, a librarian who grew up hearing stories about the lost and almost forgotten city of Weep. The city has fallen into a place of legend and is known to be the city that lost its name as Weep is not its original name.

Lazlo's world is turned upside down when a delegation of scholars, is needed to go and investigate what happened in Weep. Lazlo is by no means a traditional scholar or considered to have special skills. However, he is the most knowledgeable person on the culture and legends of Weep, so he is selected to travel with the delegation.

One of the strongest points of the series as a whole is Laini Taylor's writing style. Her writing is very poetic, but also straight forward, which establishes the world of Strange the Dreamer effectively. The world and it's rules are easily believable and are engaging. Her imagery is strong and she uses it to completely immerse the reader into her world. She also is able to use multiple character perspectives to craft the story without taking away from the intrigue or ruining the plot.

For Strange the Dreamer, my favorite part of its plot was the mystery. It is a story of discovery in multiple ways and Taylor does an excellent job of keeping the reader wondering and guessing about what's going on and who is the antagonist or if there is one.

There isn't much to say negative about Strange the Dreamer. It's incredibly enjoyable and is very emotional and vivid. However, there is a romance in the novel that does feel a bit rushed. This is not to say that the romance is not good or believable as it, in fact, is both of those things. I enjoy the relationship that is developed quite a bit. But, it did have a bit of an "Instant Love" vibe as it didn't have much time for development as it probably needed.

Muse of Nightmares is just as good of a novel as Strange the Dreamer, and it is a good sequel. It answers some of the mysteries and questions that the first novel left unanswered while continuing to develop the main and side characters. It goes so far as to introduce new characters with just as much development and are given as much attention as those introduced in Strange the Dreamer. The expansion of the universe feels realistic and plausible as well, which is an important aspect for a fantasy series.

However, I will say that the main antagonist's introduction to the main plot didn't seem to fit. While they were a compelling and sympathetic character and their motivations were perfectly in line with the character. It felt like it cheapened the route the main characters had started on and took away from the development of a character (a development which I was personally invested in). While it was a plot twist, it was mediocre. It succeeded in shock, but it came across as the author not liking her original plot and changing it last minute.

Muse of Nightmares also had a subplot that, while enjoyable and great for the development of some side characters, never really melded with the main plot cohesively. Some aspects did in regards to world-building, but there were things it made the reader want to see and never delivered on it.

Overall, the Strange the Dreamer duology is a well-written and well-executed fantasy duo. While I do find some issues, they are made up for by the extravagant and descriptive world building and wonderful characters. I certainly would recommend these books to anyone.

Strange the Dreamer: 5/5

Muse of Nightmares: 4/5