Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

 

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor is one of those books that the internet raves about. Naturally, I've been wanting to check it out for a while now to see if it lives up to the hype. I made it a part of my Finally 2020 Challenge, since it's been sitting on my shelf for a long time now. After my recent experience with the Mistborn trilogy, I was a little bit wary of jumping straight into another over-hyped series. This one, however, is only a duology. I figured that if I didn't end up liking it, I only had two books to make it through. So, I got started hoping for the best.

This is a young adult fantasy novel and the plot flips back and forth between two protagonists. The first is Lazlo Strange. Lazlo is an orphan that has been raised by monks. He has a great imagination and loves reading old stories and folktales. His greatest interest lies in the lost city of Weep, a place that used to be an advanced, beautiful city in the middle of the vast desert that borders their kingdom. No one has seen or heard from anyone there in over 200 years though, and no one knows what happened to them. Most people now consider Weep to be a myth. Lazlo, however, is certain that it was real and his greatest dream is to find the city and figure out what happened to it. When he is unexpectedly drafted into an expedition to do just that, he finally gets his chance.

The other protagonist is Sarai, a teenage girl connected to the fall of Weep. To say more would be to spoil the lovely mysteries of this book, so I'm going to keep my summary vague. She eventually connects with Lazlo and the pair embark on a plan to try and bring peace back to the troubled city. 

I loved this book, and I think that the less readers know going into it, the better. The writing is very dreamy and flowery. It's packed full of beautiful images, much like The Night Circus or The Starless Sea, and the plot is very creative. Taylor reveals information at a slow pace, which really kept me engaged with the story. I was always thinking ahead and trying to fit all the pieces she was giving me together. The world she creates is very rich and complex. It's diverse as well, with different skin colors and sexualities represented. There was a good mix of male and female characters between the main and supporting cast too. I definitely felt like I was transported somewhere else while reading--like Weep and its surrounding cities were real, fantastical places. 

The characters were well developed too. I took an instant liking to Lazlo. He's an honorable, bookish, curious person who longs for adventure--the kind of character it is very easy to root for. Sarai was also very interesting. Her part in the story is complicated. She falls into a difficult place between good and evil, and watching her develop over the course of the story was very engaging. The minor characters were similarly well done, especially Thyron Nero, who I took an immediate dislike to (in a good way though). He was one of the most effectively written jerks that I've read in a long time. 

The themes running throughout the book were excellent as well. The characters struggle with some morally gray situations, and I liked how Taylor explored the ideas of self-doubt, guilt, and empathy across the various story threads. There was plenty of action in the story, but the real changes came from people working together and trying to heal from traumas and do what's right. I consistently felt like this was a bit more mature take on a fantasy story, and I liked that. 

So Strange the Dreamer ended up being one of the rare young adult fantasies that actually lives up to all the hype. I'm very glad I gave this one a shot. It ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, so I'm excited to pick up the sequel next and see where the story goes.

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 10/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 32