Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Muse of Nightmares

I read Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares back to back. Unfortunately, Taylor assumes her readers have completely forgotten everything that happened in the first book and it feels almost choked with recaps and over explanation. It might not have been as obvious if I had been a bit less familiar with Strange but I found it rather off-putting.

While it was wonderful to be reunited with the characters of the first novel and find out what happened to them, I didn’t find the sequel as gripping or enjoyable and I wasn’t hugely invested in the newly introduced characters.

I’m glad I read it but I’m not sure I would re-read it.

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amberacks12's review against another edition

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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

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lizardinabigwizardhat's review against another edition

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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

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cruspp_29's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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rosysoprano's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Fun read, I was surprised by how much my opinion changed of certain characters throughout the story. The ending was a little neat though... Also as a toddler mom, I wish the Carnage would have been anything other than what it was, and that it hadn't been the main focus. But still, I loved the journey of healing. (Trying not to spoil!)

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