The enchanting international bestseller - Strange the Dreamer

The first half of this book was amazing. The wording was beautiful, the scenery awe-inspiring, and the characters vivid and unique. But then about 50-75% of the way through, the romance decided to rear its ugly head.
I don’t mind a good romance, but over the corse of two or three days, lazlo and Sarai go from friends to lovers, and once they passed that point, kissing was all they could do. It’s unrealistic, and annoying.

I LOVED Strange the Dreamer. I never eat cake again to read the arc of this NOW. I would give Nero all the spirit he wishes for. Brilliant. This book was everything I hope for. Stay tuned for my shop @noxtolumoscandleco to create candles inspired by Sarai, Lazlo and snow & plum asap.

This book is amazingly well written and beautiful. I've come to expect no less from this author. I definitely recommend all her books, but this one is for sure something special. Don't miss out on it.

I loved it. Laini Taylor's work is often classified as young adult,or fantasy, but her stories feel more like fairly tales and legends. I know I will be enjoying these stories over and over for years to come.My seven year old daughter loves hearing stories(abbreviated versions) about Magpie Windwitch and Karou. We will now add Sarai and Lazlo to the list! Looking forward to the next book.

Just loved the beautiful poetic dreaminess of Laini Taylor's writing. Another very strong first of a series. I had a little more trouble connecting to the protagonist in this book than in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series.

Laini Taylor crafts such wonderful, imaginative tales, and this newest is no exception. Boasting a truly original world, gorgeous language, a mythic vibe, and a pair of star crossed lovers, this book ranks right up there with the Smoke and Bone tales. Recommended.

Way back in 2011, I read and massively enjoyed Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I remember rushing to the bookstore to buy it during my Thanksgiving break. I read Days of Blood & Starlight a year or so later. However, I never finished the series - the second book hadn't grabbed me, and I had forgotten all about the series by the time the third book was released. That said, when I saw Laini Taylor had started another series. . .well, I was excited.

Strange the Dreamer has all the Laini Taylor goodness readers have come to expect from her novels: it is well written, with amazing prose, beautiful descriptions, complex world building, and a diverse cast of characters.

However, there were some thing about this book that I just couldn't get behind. Firstly: while the cast of characters is really diverse, they are also really uninteresting and often times forgettable. (Truth be told, sometimes I would forget who was whom.) These characters are all tropes: the mustache twirling antagonists, the plucky supporting players, the reasonable (or unreasonable) authority figures, the mysterious strangers, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the generic poor-orphan-who-is-really-the-ONE-the-SPECIAL-ONE-who-is-the-only-person-who-can-save-the-world. In such an interesting world - why is my main character such a stereotype? Secondly: this novel is slow. SLOW. It's 544 pages, and barely anything of note happens for the first 200 pages. (And if anything of note does happen in those pages, those events could have been told in a lot less pages.)

I really struggled to finish this novel because a) I couldn't connect with the main character and b)it was so slow. It was a 300 page story hiding in a 544 page novel. I really REALLY wanted to love this one, but I just didn't. That said, I think people who loved the author's last series (and I mean loved all three novels) will really enjoy this one.

The writing in this book is so beautiful, there are so many memorable moments. Its a little slow placed so this is not for everyone but this has got to be one of my favorite books of all time. The characters, the story, ugh this destroyed me but I love it.

Strange the Dreamer is… well strange and I can’t decide if it’s a good strange or a bad strange. It’s not what I expected… and I am not completely dazzled.

I started the book the day it released and my pre-order arrived in my Kindle. I devoured the prequel – a delicate tasty morsel that I would be craving for the rest of the book. I read through the first chapter thinking, it’s going to be good, it’s going to be great. Halfway through the second chapter, my thoughts turned to what…?

It does get better – slowly, achingly slowly, until almost at the end when it broke through ok to good. Then the ending… I’m not even going to go there!

Lazlo is a difficult character, one whose weaknesses are his strength, and I didn’t like him at first. He grew on me slowly, although he will never be as real to me as the Sarai is. She and her makeshift family are the characters that give the story life and I wish they had more space in the book.
@crushingcinders

Ack! I've read, adored, collected, shared ALL of Laini Taylor's books, but, sigh, I found this one a little slow in writing style and heavy in unpleasant themes. The beautiful writing is there, of course -- actually TOO much lovely writing, slowing the pace. The story is very slow to get going, lots of set up before reaching the main story (like page 300). The characters felt more reactive than active, more enduring than solving (until the solutions fall in their laps). Not as much humor as her previous books to lighten the gloom. The ending is unsatisfying in the EXTREME with Book 2 still to come. As a mom who buys truckloads of YA for my teen children and reads it all myself, this actually didn't read like YA to me -- except for the characters' ages. I think the writing style is too slow for most teens, the themes too heavy and unpleasant, lacking breathing moments of lighter entertainment. I don't think my teens (who are avid readers) would enjoy this.

Whoa... This book is a page turner... Great from start to finish. Well-made characters, a sharp, story-driven plot, emotions fill every page. A must read. I read it all in 3 days, and I want book 2 badly. Nice work.

I absolutely loved this book!! Laini Taylor never ceases to compose original, gripping storylines. You will feel like you are walking the streets of Weep or hanging out in the citadel. The only downside is having to wait months for the next installment!