allyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-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? Yes
3.5
wingspan's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Lizz has definitely built up this ancient world very well. I didn't mind too much of the slow plot or that it will be a sequel. The world building was excellent. The twist got me for a minute not gonna lie but it was good.
leahsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to BookishFirst and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
CONTENT WARNING: death, abuse, animal cruelty, blood, grief
This book sounded so good, and I can’t lie; I was completely suckered by the gorgeous cover. I’ve heard some great things about this book, but there were some things that made it really difficult for me to fully lose myself in this story. Let me start with the things that I liked about this:
The story is set in an ancient Mesoamerican society, making it intriguing. I don’t see very many books with this type of setting; the only one that comes to mind is Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun. This setting offers a different and intriguing world to explore, full of jungles, temples, and exotic wildlife. The mythology of the world was well-explored, and I loved learning about these legends.
“The Night Bird of our legends taking seeds from the Dream and creating the Waking World we lived in. The Twin Serpents rising from the roots of the first tree, creating an opening between the Dream and where we lived, gifting our ancestors with knowing and gifts. Over the ages, many of those gifts had died out, untended, though a few remained in the lands. The Dreamers carried one of the last gifts.”
The characters value strength and power, and it’s reflected in their view towards the bodies of other women. I loved seeing this body-positive influence, where stretch marks are seen as beautiful proof of providing new life, instead of being shameful. This sentence was one that I absolutely loved:
“She was born into a body of thick legs; even as a child, her thighs had rippled with beauty as she walked.”
The MCs, Indir and Saya, were captivating. The POV switches back and forth, but it wasn’t jarring or difficult to differentiate between the voices of these young women. They were both easy to empathize with, since they’re both stuck in difficult situations that take a lot of bravery to get through. Indir is facing down a lot of strife in the city, centered around the new ruler and the Dreamers, combined with the stress of keeping her own secrets. Saya’s life is changing as well, as she realizes some hard truths about her mother and their relationship, along with new discoveries about her own powers.
“The same words had been repeated to me so many times my entire life that they felt like truth. I tried to reason with myself. My mother lied to others constantly, small lies, lies that changed entire lives; why wouldn’t she lie to me?”
However, there were some things that made this book difficult for me to enjoy. The writing style was simple, often making me feel as though I was reading an MG novel instead of YA. There were some sections where more than one speaker was quoted within a paragraph, forcing me to read over it again to determine who was speaking. At times, the same character would say something and then the next paragraph would be a continuation of their words.
The magic system was intriguing, but I never felt like I fully understood it. There’s a lot of talk about the gifts, but very little about how they work or what they do. I found it confusing, since there’s only a few gifts that are ever really discussed, while others aren’t explained at all.
“Gifts were private, and rare. They had been dwindling for generations across the lands, a slow leak of power. Those with gifts were encouraged to use them to help others, but having a strong gift could also be dangerous.”
Much of the book was very slow-paced, which I found very frustrating. The storylines don’t cross until the very end of the book, but by that point I had already figured out the twist, so it didn’t come as a surprise at all. What I was surprised by was the fact that the story ends on a cliffhanger, despite not being marked as a series. So much of the conflict and issues within the story aren’t resolved at all, leaving the book with an unfinished feel. There’s so much that isn’t explained. And I have to be honest, there’s a scene of animal cruelty that really bothered me, along with at least one incidence of animal sacrifice. Overall, this wasn’t as good as I hoped, which is always disappointing when it’s a book I truly wanted to love.
CONTENT WARNING: death, abuse, animal cruelty, blood, grief
This book sounded so good, and I can’t lie; I was completely suckered by the gorgeous cover. I’ve heard some great things about this book, but there were some things that made it really difficult for me to fully lose myself in this story. Let me start with the things that I liked about this:
The story is set in an ancient Mesoamerican society, making it intriguing. I don’t see very many books with this type of setting; the only one that comes to mind is Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun. This setting offers a different and intriguing world to explore, full of jungles, temples, and exotic wildlife. The mythology of the world was well-explored, and I loved learning about these legends.
“The Night Bird of our legends taking seeds from the Dream and creating the Waking World we lived in. The Twin Serpents rising from the roots of the first tree, creating an opening between the Dream and where we lived, gifting our ancestors with knowing and gifts. Over the ages, many of those gifts had died out, untended, though a few remained in the lands. The Dreamers carried one of the last gifts.”
The characters value strength and power, and it’s reflected in their view towards the bodies of other women. I loved seeing this body-positive influence, where stretch marks are seen as beautiful proof of providing new life, instead of being shameful. This sentence was one that I absolutely loved:
“She was born into a body of thick legs; even as a child, her thighs had rippled with beauty as she walked.”
The MCs, Indir and Saya, were captivating. The POV switches back and forth, but it wasn’t jarring or difficult to differentiate between the voices of these young women. They were both easy to empathize with, since they’re both stuck in difficult situations that take a lot of bravery to get through. Indir is facing down a lot of strife in the city, centered around the new ruler and the Dreamers, combined with the stress of keeping her own secrets. Saya’s life is changing as well, as she realizes some hard truths about her mother and their relationship, along with new discoveries about her own powers.
“The same words had been repeated to me so many times my entire life that they felt like truth. I tried to reason with myself. My mother lied to others constantly, small lies, lies that changed entire lives; why wouldn’t she lie to me?”
However, there were some things that made this book difficult for me to enjoy. The writing style was simple, often making me feel as though I was reading an MG novel instead of YA. There were some sections where more than one speaker was quoted within a paragraph, forcing me to read over it again to determine who was speaking. At times, the same character would say something and then the next paragraph would be a continuation of their words.
The magic system was intriguing, but I never felt like I fully understood it. There’s a lot of talk about the gifts, but very little about how they work or what they do. I found it confusing, since there’s only a few gifts that are ever really discussed, while others aren’t explained at all.
“Gifts were private, and rare. They had been dwindling for generations across the lands, a slow leak of power. Those with gifts were encouraged to use them to help others, but having a strong gift could also be dangerous.”
Much of the book was very slow-paced, which I found very frustrating. The storylines don’t cross until the very end of the book, but by that point I had already figured out the twist, so it didn’t come as a surprise at all. What I was surprised by was the fact that the story ends on a cliffhanger, despite not being marked as a series. So much of the conflict and issues within the story aren’t resolved at all, leaving the book with an unfinished feel. There’s so much that isn’t explained. And I have to be honest, there’s a scene of animal cruelty that really bothered me, along with at least one incidence of animal sacrifice. Overall, this wasn’t as good as I hoped, which is always disappointing when it’s a book I truly wanted to love.
sflemister's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
jolynne's review
5.0
Loved this story! It is rich in history, culture, atmosphere, and beauty. The two main characters are unforgettable. I especially appreciated the matriarchal aspects.
caylieratzlaff's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel! 2.5/5 stars.
I really, really, really wanted to like this more than I did. It took me forever to get through, and it felt like all of the lead up was even more confusing not knowing that the 2 points of view took place in different points in time. I LOVED the Mesoamerican influence, and it's truly unique to the genre. I would have loved a reference point or really a way to get more information on the influences, stories, and mythologies that are included in the novel.
The prose is beautiful, but the story took forever and the most of it felt like there wasn't really a plot. On top of that, the storylines finally converge around the 90% mark...is there a sequel? I don't feel like much of it was resolved.
I really, really, really wanted to like this more than I did. It took me forever to get through, and it felt like all of the lead up was even more confusing not knowing that the 2 points of view took place in different points in time. I LOVED the Mesoamerican influence, and it's truly unique to the genre. I would have loved a reference point or really a way to get more information on the influences, stories, and mythologies that are included in the novel.
The prose is beautiful, but the story took forever and the most of it felt like there wasn't really a plot. On top of that, the storylines finally converge around the 90% mark...is there a sequel? I don't feel like much of it was resolved.
marsthesnowcone's review against another edition
3.0
Too many boob references, this felt like those "men writing women" posts. The story and concept are great, I enjoyed it but the boob references were too much.
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, Drug abuse, Death, Injury/injury detail, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Trafficking
Sacrifices, starvation.openmypages's review against another edition
4.0
The Lost Dreamer takes place in a world where a select few have the ability to dream the future. As you can imagine, this gift is exploited by those in power. When there is a regime change, Indir and her family are targeted and must figure out a way to save themselves and preserve their lineage. Saya is a young girl who is a seer without training but exploited by her mother as they move from place to place. When she removes the necklace that protects her from an unknown danger, she realizes that everything she thought she knew about the world is a lie. We see these two young women struggling for truth, safety and stability as danger grows closer and closer.
We get fully immersed in this beautiful but volatile world so easily. I would say this one skews towards the younger side of YA in tone but the way it comes together in the end completely surprised me and was the great stuff of adult high fantasy.
Read this one if you loved Raybearer. Goodreads says it's perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi but I disagree, I enjoyed this one much more than the Orisha story.
Thanks to Libro.FM for access to an ALC of this novel. I will say the narrator's breathing bothered me a lot, but that could just be crazy old me - my rating is based on the story not the delivery because as much as I was annoyed I wanted to plow on. All opinions above are my own.
We get fully immersed in this beautiful but volatile world so easily. I would say this one skews towards the younger side of YA in tone but the way it comes together in the end completely surprised me and was the great stuff of adult high fantasy.
Read this one if you loved Raybearer. Goodreads says it's perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi but I disagree, I enjoyed this one much more than the Orisha story.
Thanks to Libro.FM for access to an ALC of this novel. I will say the narrator's breathing bothered me a lot, but that could just be crazy old me - my rating is based on the story not the delivery because as much as I was annoyed I wanted to plow on. All opinions above are my own.
neldab_reads's review against another edition
2.0
From the outside looking in, I should love everything about this book. It’s set in culture that doesn’t receive a lot of mainstream recognition. There’s magical realism featuring the dreamscape which is one of my personal favorites that also doesn’t get enough recognition. There’s family drama, a hint of romance, and a coming to oneself. With that being said, I have also noticed that I’m aging out of certain young adult books.
I reached chapter 13 of 22, and I had no idea what was happening and no interest in finding out. It wasn’t because it’s a mystery; I just wasn’t following along. I’m not sure if it’s because of the storytelling method which I didn’t enjoy that much which was some jumping which had me a bit confused or if it was the actual story itself. I felt the story was a bit conflicted. It spends a lot of time with world building and back story to the point where it overran the story. I found myself not caring about the story, characters, or details as there was no connection.
I really tried with this one. I started on the book and then tried the audiobook. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me, and I primarily think it’s because of the age of the storytelling rather than the age of the characters. I really do look forward to future books as this author grows.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I reached chapter 13 of 22, and I had no idea what was happening and no interest in finding out. It wasn’t because it’s a mystery; I just wasn’t following along. I’m not sure if it’s because of the storytelling method which I didn’t enjoy that much which was some jumping which had me a bit confused or if it was the actual story itself. I felt the story was a bit conflicted. It spends a lot of time with world building and back story to the point where it overran the story. I found myself not caring about the story, characters, or details as there was no connection.
I really tried with this one. I started on the book and then tried the audiobook. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me, and I primarily think it’s because of the age of the storytelling rather than the age of the characters. I really do look forward to future books as this author grows.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.