Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Strange the Dreamer

This book was the first book I've read with eagerness and excitement to finish and read the next after hp, mazerunner and shadow & bone book series. It had been so long that I found all the good and interesting things in a book. The mystery, the drama, the history, the magic, the color of it all so enamored and intriguing for a YA book to read.

It's more than a fantasy, more than a myth, it is magic and alchemy of words fused in this book. The book cover itself is fascinating and that's how I was drawn to it, from the cover to the title then unbeknownst to me it was a treasure to be held. I got emotionally entwined and time passed around me, but not so much as forgetting. It was strange like the character himself but beautifully strange in ways one would surmise otherworldly enthralling and captivatingly breathless that I finished in about a week. Really a masterful work, excitingly scary, heart wretching, breaking and maddeningly brilliant. It was poetic and magically made, never have I read a nov l like myth so beautifully wounded and bound. The ending is to be continued and I can't wait for more. Kudos to the author for seamlessly concocting magic, myth and science with grace. You truly are the weaver of alchemical words in music, color and dreams.
Can't wait to read the next and more of your work.

Content Warnings

joymargot's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I’m not a big fantasy reader but received this as a birthday gift. It took me a little while to get into it and make my peace with a couple of fantasy tropes but I was hooked by the end and immediately read the sequel!

I loved the worldbuilding and the characters although I found the romance a little cheesy. Parts of it felt a bit heavy handed as I personally prefer a little more subtlety or subtext but I appreciate that it’s aimed at a younger audience.

All in all, a great fantasy read whether you’re a fan of the genre or not and it’s refreshing to have a MC who’s not a hulking great dreamboat.

Content Warnings

romaisa_azim's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

rosysoprano's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Great book. I would recommend that those who are pregnant, or have small children stay away, however. I would absolutely read this again, and purchase it. I'm on to the sequel next!

Content Warnings

suhbreenah's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

jose_kg's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really loved this book, I can't believe it isn't being talked about more. I picked it up on a whim because I liked the cover and the blurb sounded interesting, I am so glad I did. This is one of the most intriguing fantasy novels I've ever read, the world the author creates is so interesting and unique, the characters are interesting and multifaceted and the author addresses oppression and it's aftermath in an incredibly understanding and nuisanced way.

I read that the author had been intending to write a historically based novel about medieval Spain and the middle east when she wrote this book. You can really see the influences of this time period in these locations on the novel and I think that's part of why it felt so different, as so much fantasy is set in a version of medieval England/France.

I don't want to give too much away, just go and read it, it's an excellent book and you'll be so glad you did!

Also I loved this book so much I immediately went out and bought a copy for my Gran for Christmas as she loves fantasy novels. I was a bit surprised to find it had been categorised as YA in my local bookshop, the characters are younger but this doesn't feel like just a teenage book to me, particularly because the world the author creates doesn't really recognise teenagers, like a lot of the past in europe, you were either a child or an adult, so the MCs spent a lot of time with significantly older characters without their age being a consideration. All of this is to say that if you shy away from books labeled YA because they can be a bit too teenage highschool focused, this book is not like that, I would personally categorise it more as a regular fantasy book that happens to have some younger protagonists.

Content Warnings

More...