*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: Strange the Dreamer
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 9780316341684
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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 or 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?
I was a HUGE fan of Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, so I was absolutely thrilled to receive an advanced copy of her newest book. The start of a new series, Strange the Dreamer, follows the story of Lazlo Strange, a junior librarian who is known to be a dreamer. He does not have prestige or fame. He’s an unassuming young man who has a love for a mythical lost city called Weep. When presented with the opportunity to finally see the city that has consumed his thoughts and dreams for so long, Lazlo–even surprising himself–jumps at the chance.
I really liked Lazlo as a character. I found him endearing and a little silly. He’s a great tabula rasa, ready for the story to build itself around him. He comes from nothing and really has nothing, and Taylor has set him up to perhaps be an unlikely hero as the series continues to progress.
Lazlo functions in what is a very complex and beautiful world. Taylor has built a very tragic and tangible history for the city of Weep. This history very much enslaves this city, leaving it seemingly without hope. But Lazlo the dreamer sees Weep as it once was when it really was a thing of beautiful legend. The descriptions are so vibrant and real, Taylor brings the story to life in front of the readers eyes.
There is so much to this story: love, hate, death, sadness, life, ghosts, romance, gods, and so much more. I have a feeling as this series progresses, we’re really going to see more of these things come to fruition. Strange the Dreamer offers us an introduction to this magical world and I cannot wait to see what comes next!
Worn Pages and Ink 