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lelainav's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I love the fairytale vibes, the exploration of trauma, the redemption for deeply wounded characters (both literally wounded and emotionally wounded).
Where I struggled was the very direct characterization style. If a character had a trait or emotion, I would be told it repeatedly. I think this was worst with Minya, whose pain I understood from the get-go, but had to have explained to me 20 times. I would love to see more description of how emotions manifest in the body, the voice, in action than in thought.
I understand some of this is a YA thing, but the result of this writing style is that the page is sooo dense that I can’t actually feel with characters. I am too busy reading how they feel instead.
Also, holy heck but this is a dark book. Do not read if you are not ready to go into the systematic exploitation, grief, and suffering of an entire people.
Where I struggled was the very direct characterization style. If a character had a trait or emotion, I would be told it repeatedly. I think this was worst with Minya, whose pain I understood from the get-go, but had to have explained to me 20 times. I would love to see more description of how emotions manifest in the body, the voice, in action than in thought.
I understand some of this is a YA thing, but the result of this writing style is that the page is sooo dense that I can’t actually feel with characters. I am too busy reading how they feel instead.
Also, holy heck but this is a dark book. Do not read if you are not ready to go into the systematic exploitation, grief, and suffering of an entire people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and War
uselesspirateraven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
oxian_d's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.25
I can't wait but help myself reading this second book right after the first part of the two book series. This book was fast paced, intriguing, emotional, roller coaster time traveling, and a mythical chaotic story. I like the flow of the story, love the characters, love the new nemesis such twists and heartaches all at the same time. Although there were some lapses, some incongruences and inconsistencies as to who's who or who's talking or maybe it's the version of the ebook. But most of it was to be expected, and I still got surprised, amused and frustrated. And for some reason I find and see myself in their world. I felt their pain, the loss and longing, and the never ending loop of dread and hope. It is strangely beautiful, strangely crazy, and strangely captivating and frustratingly sad. Strange, weird and irresistibly mental. I hope to see this on tv or live action movie. And wish there'd be another part as to where they'll be heading next. Such an adventure with psychology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Confinement, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
seforaflorian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
amberacks12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I stand by what I’ve said before about Laini Taylor’s writing: it’s beautiful, lyrical, so imaginative, unique, and immersive. I really love Lazlo, the godspawn, and for some reason, Thyon Nero. The world she has crafted is magical and while I’m in the book I feel as if I’m in the world, not just reading about it.
There are a few things keeping me from giving this a perfect five stars. They are nitpicky and not a big deal, but worth trying to explain I think.
The first is that for some reason much of the storyline in this book felt superfluous. It felt almost as if the first and second books could possibly have been condensed into one. Maybe that’s because not a lot actually happened in Muse of Nightmares.
The second is that I felt very stressed the whole time I was reading this. I think maybe because of the state of one of the characters made it feel as if there couldn’t possibly be a happy way to end it.
Third is the side characters weren’t developed enough. We spent a lot more time with them in the first book, and I wish they’d gotten more screen time in this one.
And finally I think despite how terrible some of the things a couple of the characters went through, it seemed they “got over” their issues rather quickly, and everything got resolved in ways that felt too easy.
Despite these criticisms I did really love this book and I’m glad I’ve finally worked up the courage to read it.
Enjoyment: 4.75
Emotional impact: 5
Educational value: n/a
=4.8
There are a few things keeping me from giving this a perfect five stars. They are nitpicky and not a big deal, but worth trying to explain I think.
The first is that for some reason much of the storyline in this book felt superfluous. It felt almost as if the first and second books could possibly have been condensed into one. Maybe that’s because not a lot actually happened in Muse of Nightmares.
The second is that I felt very stressed the whole time I was reading this. I think maybe because of the state of one of the characters made it feel as if there couldn’t possibly be a happy way to end it.
Third is the side characters weren’t developed enough. We spent a lot more time with them in the first book, and I wish they’d gotten more screen time in this one.
And finally I think despite how terrible some of the things a couple of the characters went through, it seemed they “got over” their issues rather quickly, and everything got resolved in ways that felt too easy.
Despite these criticisms I did really love this book and I’m glad I’ve finally worked up the courage to read it.
Enjoyment: 4.75
Emotional impact: 5
Educational value: n/a
=4.8
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
lizardinabigwizardhat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
aksmith92's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Muse of Nightmares is a typical Young Adult fantasy novel where love saves the day, and I ate it all up!
She's beauty, she's grace, she's Laini Taylor. Her writing is poetic, atmospheric, gorgeous, readable, and accessible. Yes, it's young adult, leading to some dramatics, but nothing over the top, and indeed a piece of art. I loved this so much, and even more than the first one, dare I say.
The setup: We left off on a BIG plot twist in Laini Taylor's first installment of this duology, Strange the Dreamer. With Sarai's fate in question, we are left with confusion and madness in Weep, where most citizens must run out of town because the Citadel is shifting and changing. Lazlo has a pretty big plot twist (although I could see that coming in the first novel). Either way, we are left with many questions about godlings, citizens of Weep, and the infamous dead gods that must've left more of a story than many thought.
Now, the story pivots to those godlings up in the sky in the Citadel, Minya's intense vengeance, and Sarai's adaptability into a new self in more ways than one. Eril-Fane and Azareen are still big components of the story and work to shift mindsets on the ground in Weep. In addition, we still hear from the wonderfully facetious Calixte and the learning and growing Thyon Nero. Lastly, we get an entirely new story about two sisters living in what seems to be a wholly different world made of ice. You know immediately that the stories will connect somehow, but the road to get there is beautiful and intriguing, yet devastating.
Laini Taylor creates an intricate world(s!) and develops the lovely characters from book one.
What I loved: My favorite part was the unique villain arcs - here we are, 15ish years after the fall of some of the more horrible villains I've read about, and we are reading about those impacts, leading to one of the most fantastic character development novels I've read. Because this story takes place years after the deaths of the villains (not a spoiler; it was also the same in the first book!), and we don't get the why for those villains other than the typical power-thirsty monsters, we now see excellent nuances in characters like Minya being stuck in the past constantly feeling like she has to save her family. Or, Nova, whose character was phenomenal, and I won't get into it because of spoiler reasons. It was pure art to have a story embedded in the after-effects of an awful fantastical regime. I loved the characters, even the ones who took a bit of a back burner in this novel, and the world-building was quite interesting. The world aspect may not necessarily be "original," but I found it unique nonetheless. PS: I must admit, the writing around eliliths - the tattoos girls get once their bleeding begins - was actually really cool. I've grown up learning to hate that, and in this fictional world, it seems powerful and beautiful. This part of the book is obviously not big, but I wanted to mention it anyway.
What would've made this a perfect read? I rated this five stars because of how it made me feel, the writing, and the story arcs. However, I will say that if I were being ultra critical, I would mention that I did feel there was a miss in relationship development between Thyon and Lazlo, the friendship that could've been, and just a better and more exciting wrap-up relationship between the godlings and those in Weep. A LOT was going on outside of that, which was critical for the story, so I let it slide. Lastly, Lazlo and Sarai are a little bit instant-love (as a reminder, the majority of this book truly takes place in one to two days!), but I don't think it overtook the story. Oh, as much as this is wonderful writing, Lazlo learned about his mesarthium control a littleeeee bit too quickly to be believable. It's implied their powers are meant to be ingrained, but I still thought it was a bit fast. Again, I let this slide because the other parts were just so good!
I am excited to read other books by Laini Taylor when I'm in a young adult and fantasy world mood. I really enjoyed my experience with Strange the Dreamer, and I'll be sad to see it go (or, as Laini Taylor puts it at the end of this book, Muse of Nightmares, is it really the end?). Bravo to this beautiful story!
She's beauty, she's grace, she's Laini Taylor. Her writing is poetic, atmospheric, gorgeous, readable, and accessible. Yes, it's young adult, leading to some dramatics, but nothing over the top, and indeed a piece of art. I loved this so much, and even more than the first one, dare I say.
The setup: We left off on a BIG plot twist in Laini Taylor's first installment of this duology, Strange the Dreamer. With Sarai's fate in question, we are left with confusion and madness in Weep, where most citizens must run out of town because the Citadel is shifting and changing. Lazlo has a pretty big plot twist (although I could see that coming in the first novel). Either way, we are left with many questions about godlings, citizens of Weep, and the infamous dead gods that must've left more of a story than many thought.
Now, the story pivots to those godlings up in the sky in the Citadel, Minya's intense vengeance, and Sarai's adaptability into a new self in more ways than one. Eril-Fane and Azareen are still big components of the story and work to shift mindsets on the ground in Weep. In addition, we still hear from the wonderfully facetious Calixte and the learning and growing Thyon Nero. Lastly, we get an entirely new story about two sisters living in what seems to be a wholly different world made of ice. You know immediately that the stories will connect somehow, but the road to get there is beautiful and intriguing, yet devastating.
Laini Taylor creates an intricate world(s!) and develops the lovely characters from book one.
What I loved: My favorite part was the unique villain arcs - here we are, 15ish years after the fall of some of the more horrible villains I've read about, and we are reading about those impacts, leading to one of the most fantastic character development novels I've read. Because this story takes place years after the deaths of the villains (not a spoiler; it was also the same in the first book!), and we don't get the why for those villains other than the typical power-thirsty monsters, we now see excellent nuances in characters like Minya being stuck in the past constantly feeling like she has to save her family. Or, Nova, whose character was phenomenal, and I won't get into it because of spoiler reasons. It was pure art to have a story embedded in the after-effects of an awful fantastical regime. I loved the characters, even the ones who took a bit of a back burner in this novel, and the world-building was quite interesting. The world aspect may not necessarily be "original," but I found it unique nonetheless. PS: I must admit, the writing around eliliths - the tattoos girls get once their bleeding begins - was actually really cool. I've grown up learning to hate that, and in this fictional world, it seems powerful and beautiful. This part of the book is obviously not big, but I wanted to mention it anyway.
What would've made this a perfect read? I rated this five stars because of how it made me feel, the writing, and the story arcs. However, I will say that if I were being ultra critical, I would mention that I did feel there was a miss in relationship development between Thyon and Lazlo, the friendship that could've been, and just a better and more exciting wrap-up relationship between the godlings and those in Weep. A LOT was going on outside of that, which was critical for the story, so I let it slide. Lastly, Lazlo and Sarai are a little bit instant-love (as a reminder, the majority of this book truly takes place in one to two days!), but I don't think it overtook the story. Oh, as much as this is wonderful writing, Lazlo learned about his mesarthium control a littleeeee bit too quickly to be believable. It's implied their powers are meant to be ingrained, but I still thought it was a bit fast. Again, I let this slide because the other parts were just so good!
I am excited to read other books by Laini Taylor when I'm in a young adult and fantasy world mood. I really enjoyed my experience with Strange the Dreamer, and I'll be sad to see it go (or, as Laini Taylor puts it at the end of this book, Muse of Nightmares, is it really the end?). Bravo to this beautiful story!
"Many a choice is made this way: by pretending it makes itself. And many a fate is decided by those who cannot decide."
"But how do you stop someone from crying? How do you lead them out of fear? Can hate be reversed? Can revenge be defused?"
There comes a certain point with a hope or a dream, when you either give it up or give up everything else. And if you choose the dream, if you keep going, then you can never quit, because it's all you are."
"The ones who know can't tell us, and the ones who tell us don't know."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: War
There is a suicide on page (near the end) and some discussion about it throughout the book; specific to only one character. Rape & sexual violence are not written in detail, and there are no scenes where they are explicitly described, but I put them in moderate because they're regularly and frequently implied. And theb book talks about after impacts of them.takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-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
3.5
Unfortunately this didn’t really live up to how much I enjoyed the first book. Besides adding in new POVs with Kora and Nova chapters, I found the first 300 pages to be extremely slow moving. I also felt a bit like I would’ve benefitted from reading the author’s other series, even though they are separate. From what I understand it’s kind of a whole universe that’s been created. Felt a tad bit like I was missing some link while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation
Kinda spicy for a YA novel 😅 like I’m fine with it, but I was surprisedimmovabletype's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
my rating is actually 4.43 stars, which i only point out because it's the exact same number as the average rating. wild! i did dock the half star because it took me a while to get into this one due to the focus on the main romance in the beginning (i'm a romance girly, but this one was just a little too young for me, i think, and i really loved the plot and wanted to get back to it). however, this duology is a new favorite that i want everyone to read if they haven't yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia and Abortion
Child death/infanticide and rape are not graphically depicted, but they are so prevalent and baked into the worldbuilding and main conflicts that I can't call them moderate.errie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm