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A review by literarypenguin
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
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? Yes
5.0
A wonderful and exquisite novel! How did it take me this long to pick up and read this book? If I would have known it would be this good I would have picked it up sooner. Strange The Dreamer is about Lazlo, an orphaned young man with big dreams and a caring personality. Ever since he was a boy growing up in a monastery he dreamed about visiting a long-forgotten city called Weep. For years he dreams this impossible dream until one moment comes along that makes that dream less impossible and more probable for Lazlo Strange. This book made me feel so special and full of wonder and excitement. The writing, the characters, the plot, everything was presented in such a way that made you feel happier as the story progressed. I now understand why people fell in love with this book and say it is one of their favorite books of all time. I can say that my expectations and everyone else’s were correct, this book met my expectations more than I thought. When the end of the book came I felt so sad because I wanted to know what happens next and what will become of the characters I grew to care about. I needed to know what happened. Hopefully, I will read the second book soon and not wait like I did this one!
The writing in Strange The Dreamer is beautiful, so well written and the attention to detail is impeccable! The way Laini Taylor wrote this book made you feel like you were there in the city of Weep, experiencing everything firsthand. The sights, the smells, and the tastes were all there waiting for the reader. The pace was very good, it wasn’t too slow or fast. It felt just right for the type of story that it was. It paid attention to a lot of details that I felt were important to the overall story and the plot. It stayed consistent throughout, going back and forth from two different points of view Sarai and Lazlo’s. The points of view were both equally important and towards the end, they both came together in a lovely and wonderful way. One thing I loved was how different both points of view were written, you could tell whose points of view you were reading because it fits their character very well.
Strange The Dreamer follows Lazlo, a shy librarian with big dreams in a world where he doesn’t quite belong, and Sarai, a young girl desperately trying to leave behind the dark shadow of her mother and her horrid gift. Both of these young people who want to find a place to belong come together to find solace in each other while trying to help a city move on from its dark past. The story was so captivating, it held me and kept me interested to the very last page! The story of a lost city needing help and in order to get that help they need a group of experts to save them. When they get there they discover more than they thought, a city with a deep and dark history that needs just as much help as the city itself. What I loved about the story was how you thought, in the beginning, it would be simple but then the more it goes on the more you learn and the more complicated and complex it becomes. You felt like Lazlo learning all of this for the first time and trying to understand it all but it still was filled with wonder and much more to explore!
Lazlo: Lazlo was such an amazing and relatable main character! He was shy, quiet, and usually liked to be by himself and not get involved too much. His caring and loyal attitude only made me love him more and not want anything to happen to him by the end! I still hope nothing happens to him in the second book! His personal journey in the book watching him grow into the man he becomes by the end is truly amazing!
Sarai: Sarai is a young girl with dark abilities and a dark shadow from her past looming over her for most of her life. She believes at first that people can’t be trusted but then with help from Lazlo slowly begins to trust people. She starts to see people for who they are and that her people are not the only ones who have suffered. Her acceptance of her magic and the person she is makes her a great female main character!
Minya: I hated Minya! I understood why she was filled with hate and violence but she still tormented others including her own family just to get what she wants. She doesn’t even do it herself she makes others do it for her. The way she torments people is heinous and her guise of being a small child only makes her more appalling and terrible.
The relationship between Sarai and Lazlo while it feels a bit insta love it is so sweet and heartwarming! Two people trying to find a place in this world come together to find safety and security with each other. Their love is inspiring and very deep.
The book takes place in a city called Weep, a beautiful hidden city above a large river surrounded by darkness because of a large statue overlooking the city. The Citadel once housed the Gods and Goddess the citizens of Weep once revered but then grew to fear. They want to take down the Citadel to free their city from darkness but find it much harder than they thought. The city itself was beautiful, you learned about their culture and how they treated one another. They had their own government and group of warriors called the Tizerkane. It may have looked beautiful on the outside but it held a lot of darkness and old wounds underneath its surface. It was more fantastical than the other cities in the world and was set apart from the rest.
Two major themes were present in the book, the first was leaving the shadow of our ancestors behind and trying to make our own legacy. We all have been in others’ shadows and have tried to escape them to carve our own paths in life. It can be extremely difficult especially when we have other voices telling us the opposite. The second was judging other people because of their skin color, or how they were raised. It brought up how old prejudices can still be relevant and can cloud our judgment of others. How hard it can be to let these prejudices go and move on from them. How it affects those being prejudiced as well and how it makes them begin to doubt themselves and what they can do in a world that hates them. I think these themes were handled very well and the Citadel hanging over the city of Weep was a great analogy to how our past sins will never truly go away and will hover over us for as long as we live.
In conclusion, I highly recommend Strange The Dreamer to anybody who loves an engaging and wonderful story with a loveable main character who finally achieves his dreams. I think this book is a great book all book lovers can relate to and even those who aren’t can too. Give this one a try and get lost in a dream of your own because nothing can stop a dreamer from dreaming!
The writing in Strange The Dreamer is beautiful, so well written and the attention to detail is impeccable! The way Laini Taylor wrote this book made you feel like you were there in the city of Weep, experiencing everything firsthand. The sights, the smells, and the tastes were all there waiting for the reader. The pace was very good, it wasn’t too slow or fast. It felt just right for the type of story that it was. It paid attention to a lot of details that I felt were important to the overall story and the plot. It stayed consistent throughout, going back and forth from two different points of view Sarai and Lazlo’s. The points of view were both equally important and towards the end, they both came together in a lovely and wonderful way. One thing I loved was how different both points of view were written, you could tell whose points of view you were reading because it fits their character very well.
Strange The Dreamer follows Lazlo, a shy librarian with big dreams in a world where he doesn’t quite belong, and Sarai, a young girl desperately trying to leave behind the dark shadow of her mother and her horrid gift. Both of these young people who want to find a place to belong come together to find solace in each other while trying to help a city move on from its dark past. The story was so captivating, it held me and kept me interested to the very last page! The story of a lost city needing help and in order to get that help they need a group of experts to save them. When they get there they discover more than they thought, a city with a deep and dark history that needs just as much help as the city itself. What I loved about the story was how you thought, in the beginning, it would be simple but then the more it goes on the more you learn and the more complicated and complex it becomes. You felt like Lazlo learning all of this for the first time and trying to understand it all but it still was filled with wonder and much more to explore!
Lazlo: Lazlo was such an amazing and relatable main character! He was shy, quiet, and usually liked to be by himself and not get involved too much. His caring and loyal attitude only made me love him more and not want anything to happen to him by the end! I still hope nothing happens to him in the second book! His personal journey in the book watching him grow into the man he becomes by the end is truly amazing!
Sarai: Sarai is a young girl with dark abilities and a dark shadow from her past looming over her for most of her life. She believes at first that people can’t be trusted but then with help from Lazlo slowly begins to trust people. She starts to see people for who they are and that her people are not the only ones who have suffered. Her acceptance of her magic and the person she is makes her a great female main character!
Minya: I hated Minya! I understood why she was filled with hate and violence but she still tormented others including her own family just to get what she wants. She doesn’t even do it herself she makes others do it for her. The way she torments people is heinous and her guise of being a small child only makes her more appalling and terrible.
The relationship between Sarai and Lazlo while it feels a bit insta love it is so sweet and heartwarming! Two people trying to find a place in this world come together to find safety and security with each other. Their love is inspiring and very deep.
The book takes place in a city called Weep, a beautiful hidden city above a large river surrounded by darkness because of a large statue overlooking the city. The Citadel once housed the Gods and Goddess the citizens of Weep once revered but then grew to fear. They want to take down the Citadel to free their city from darkness but find it much harder than they thought. The city itself was beautiful, you learned about their culture and how they treated one another. They had their own government and group of warriors called the Tizerkane. It may have looked beautiful on the outside but it held a lot of darkness and old wounds underneath its surface. It was more fantastical than the other cities in the world and was set apart from the rest.
Two major themes were present in the book, the first was leaving the shadow of our ancestors behind and trying to make our own legacy. We all have been in others’ shadows and have tried to escape them to carve our own paths in life. It can be extremely difficult especially when we have other voices telling us the opposite. The second was judging other people because of their skin color, or how they were raised. It brought up how old prejudices can still be relevant and can cloud our judgment of others. How hard it can be to let these prejudices go and move on from them. How it affects those being prejudiced as well and how it makes them begin to doubt themselves and what they can do in a world that hates them. I think these themes were handled very well and the Citadel hanging over the city of Weep was a great analogy to how our past sins will never truly go away and will hover over us for as long as we live.
In conclusion, I highly recommend Strange The Dreamer to anybody who loves an engaging and wonderful story with a loveable main character who finally achieves his dreams. I think this book is a great book all book lovers can relate to and even those who aren’t can too. Give this one a try and get lost in a dream of your own because nothing can stop a dreamer from dreaming!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Sexual assault