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You Gotta Read This!
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4/29/2020 1 Comment Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Title: Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer series #1)
Author: Laini Taylor Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (March 28, 2017) ISBN13: 978-0316341684 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Topics/Themes: Personal Identity, The Power of Stories, Imagination, and Dreams Recommended Age Level: 14-19 Awards / Recognitions:
Summary: Lazlo Strange loves books and stories. Growing up an orphan, his dreams and imagination have been his only safe haven, and ones he feeds and nourishes from the myths and fairytale section of the Great Library of Zosma he now works for. Specifically, since he was 5 years old, he has been enraptured with the mythical city of Weep: a place of unimaginable happiness and opportunity. Lazlo dreams of someday crossing the massive desert that supposedly separates Zosma from the city of Weep, leaving his life behind. But his lot in life as a lowly librarian, not to mention the dangers of traversing the desert, prevent him from ever being able to fulfill his dream. That is, until, the Godslayer and his band of legendary warriors from Weep appear in Zosma. In one day, Lazlo, and the rest of Zosma, find out that Weep is far from mythical, is in fact very real, and it has a very real problem of its own. Lazlo jumps at the chance to not only visit the city he loves, but to help rescue it from whatever caused it to disappear from history 200 years before. In the adventure that follows, Lazlo uncovers more than a lifetime of mysteries surrounding Weep, including how the name “Godslayer” was earned as he pieces together the identity of a blue-skinned goddess that continues to appear in his dreams. Professional Reviews: “The characters are carefully, exquisitely crafted; the writing is achingly lovely; and the world is utterly real. While a cliff-hanger ending will certainly have readers itching for book two, make no mistake—this is a thing to be savored.” – Maggie Reagan, Booklist 2017 “Gorgeously written in language simultaneously dark, lush, and enchanting, the book will leave readers eager for the next.” – Jane Putch, Publishers Weekly 2017 Weep [the main city in the story] becomes a laboratory in which Taylor examines slavery, trauma, memory, and appropriation, ending this first installment with a cliffhanger that leaves readers wondering if healing is even remotely possible. Lovers of intricate worldbuilding and feverish romance will find this enthralling.” – Kirkus Reviews 2017 Personal Insights: This book is 100% going to be on my top list of the year. I normally don’t go for the romance side of things, but even with the romance aspects, the fantasy world building and story far surpassed anything else I have read in while. The fantasy components had a unique spin of influence from middle eastern culture and there was a diverse set of characters represented, both racially and in terms of sexual orientation. I will say that this story has some very heavy topics, namely the aftermath of sexual assault, that are key components of the story that would definitely require a more mature mindset (middle school would probably be a bit too young for readers) Everything is tastefully done, however, and there are no graphic scenes as it is more hinted at in the memories of some of the characters. The romance itself has some elongated steamy scenes, but there are no explicit details. Any sex that does occur is skimmed over, focusing more on the kissing, hand-holding, and gentle caresses. Like I said earlier, this component is not my cup of tea, but I do know that there are many readers out there who eat this stuff up (my wife being one!) I listened to this book via audiobook, and the narrator, Steve West, does an amazing job with the performance. I would highly recommend listening to this book! Notable Quotes: “You’re a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable," she pleaded. "Something beautiful and full of monsters." “Beautiful and full of monsters?" “All the best stories are.” “It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.” “I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And I hope you'll let me be in your story.” “And that's how you go on. You lay laughter over the dark parts. The more dark parts, the more you have to laugh. With defiance, with abandon, with hysteria, any way you can.” “You think good people can't hate?" she asked. "You think good people don't kill?"[...}"Good people do all the things bad people do, Lazlo. It's just that when they do them, they call it justice.” “Life won't just happen to you boy, he said. You have to happen to it.” “As for fairy tales, he understood that they were reflections of the people who had spun them, and were flecked with little truths - intrusions of reality into fantasy, like toast crumbs on a wizard's beard.” Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads) Daughter of Smoke & Bone (series #1) by Laini Taylor - Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (2019) - The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him? Shadow and Bone (#1 in trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo (2012) - Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
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