Strange the Dreamer

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

*May Contain Spoilers*

This new novel is everything I want from each Laini Taylor book I read. It's full of rapt descriptions, amazing imaginative details, and deep, complicated meaning. Strange the Dreamer excels in creating a whole new world of fantasy that allows love to blossom, magic to bloom, and leaves fear to rule. 

Lazlo Strange is a dreamer. A dreamer is what he is at heart, at the very core of his being. He's interested in magic and myths and especially stories. He likes to know them all, in particular the ones that no one else knows. So he studies Weep, in the dark and forgotten rooms of the library. Weep was a magical land that no stranger ever set eyes on and Lazlo wants to one day see it for himself now that it's empty and forgotten, though it isn't either of those things. Lazlo's character is open minded, helpful, persistent, honorable, and has an unbelievable, limitless imagination. When he gets the chance to go to Weep, Lazlo agrees to be the great Eril-Fane's secretary, doing any odd jobs that will get him to the lost city. But there's something strange about Lazlo Strange and I think readers will catch on to it early. Throughout the whole book, it seems like he is meant for something greater. He is the main character after all. With this sense, readers will connect with Lazlo, wanting him to be something more because he wants to be something more. He wants to be the hero of his own story and the readers will want that too. And when he meets Sarai... that path opens to him. 

Sarai is half-human, half-god. To the citizens of Weep, she's known as godspawn, which is a negative moniker. She lives in a statue that floats above the city of Weep with four others like her, and no one in the city knows they're there. The gods that came before these five were harsh, selfish, controlling, and committed unspeakable acts. That's why the great Eril-Fane killed them all. Now the five that survived live in fear that one day the people of Weep will learn of their existence. And that time has come. Sarai knows that she should want revenge and feel hate for what the people of Weep did, but she doesn't. Sarai wants peace and she wants to be able to live her life, not just try to stay alive. Readers will connect with Sarai through her dreams, regrets, and hopes for the future. Taylor's writing style is so descriptive that readers will get a three-dimensional view of these main characters. Readers will knows what is in their heads, hearts, and dreams, which makes for very understandable and relatable characters. 

Strange the Dreamer is a book about stories, myths, and dreams. The main plot line follows Lazlo as he is recruited with a group of other foreigners to solve the problem of Weep. The problem being that there is an enormous angel statue floating above the city, blocking out the sky, the sun, and the moon. Yet, the city doesn't know that there are survivors living in the statue. And, surprisingly, Lazlo is the first to learn of this as Sarai visits him in his dreams. And with that, the legend that will be is beginning. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. Even though there will be a sequel, and I'm sure an answer will surface, the ending was not a happy one. But, as I said, this is only the beginning and I trust Taylor to craft an amazing series that will resonate with all her readers. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (270)

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.




Strange the Dreamer (Kindle 9%)
   - Laini Taylor

In an instant, Lazlo's perception shifted and he understood what he'd just done. He--Strange the dreamer, junior librarian--had marched into the Chrysopoesium, branding a book of fairy tales, and presumed to share his insights on the deepest mystery of alchemy. As though he might solve the problem that had eluded centuries of alchemists. 

Dreams of Gods and Monsters

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Laini Taylor ends her epic trilogy with Dreams of Gods and Monsters, satisfying readers while staying true to her narrative and understanding character obligations. As threats blossom and hope ails from fear, Karou finds a way to lead the Chimaera into battle with Seraphs by their side while Akiva believes that he can convince his Misbegotten group of warriors to aim their swords at those who dare to belittle them. 

At the beginning of this final installment, Karou is badly broken. She's bruised, riddled with heart ache, and her hands are stained with blood. Readers will immediately empathize with all that she has done to save her people. She's a character to be respected. Karou has never been the girl to turn away and she stays true to the demands and needs of her fellow people, disregarding how they've treated her. The longing for a better world and her role in attempting to make one will reach out to the readers. 

After learning so much about Akiva in the second book, readers won't be surprised that he still has a few secrets. The twist: he doesn't know them either. Akiva is a man filled with love, hope, and loyalty who is troubled with despair, loneliness, and loss. If readers haven't fallen for him already, this Seraph will undoubtedly win their hearts within the pages of this last book. 

The most fun part about this novel is the surprising characters who become key components in the survival of Eretz. Ziri is hiding inside Thiago's body, pretending to be the White Wolf so that his Chimaera warriors will follow him to stand beside the Seraphs. Liraz, badass sister of Akiva, who has killed more beasts than she wants to count, moody Misbegotten with a taste for revenge, shows a new side of herself letting readers see beneath her mask to form a bond with her. And Eliza Jones -- a simple girl who has hidden in plain sight for most of her life denying her true abilities but suffering from them nonetheless. She is the most surprising character and readers will definitely enjoy her revelation. 

The plot of the novel follows Karou, Ziri, and Akiva, among others, who create a plan to defeat Jael and bring a chance for peace to Eretz. With Jael trying to garner weapons of mass destruction from the human world, Akiva and Karou must convince their races that fighting together is the only hope for a future. Though it seems to be a powder keg waiting for a spark, the alliance is difficultly made and the fight for a future begins with many opportunities where everything could fall apart. 

Dreams of Gods and Monsters is everything I wanted in the end of the trilogy. It was a messy ending with an echo of truth and believability. Taylor's writing style held on to its poetic nature and presented the story in beautiful analogies and creative descriptions. I dare say I wasn't disappointed at all. Though I struggled with the wait for happiness,  right beside all of the main characters. 

Rating: 5/5 Cups

     

Days of Blood & Starlight

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Laini Taylor sweeps readers right back into the fantastical world of Angels and Chimera in Days of Blood & Starlight, the sequel to Daughter of Smoke & Bone. After leaving Akiva behind, Karou uses Razgut to take her into Eretz but what she finds is destruction and chaos. Akiva enters his homeland unsure of what to expect: did his brother and sister keep his secret or will he be killed on sight upon passing through the portal. Both characters struggle to find a starting point while the world is being slaughtered around them. 

Karou is found roaming the burned city of Loramendi by Thiago, the last Chimera she would have wished survival upon. And now she's stealing teeth from museums around the world. Because Brimstone only taught resurrection to one other person and that was Karou. So no matter how much the Chimera may hate her based on deeds of a past life, she is a necessity. She can bring back the ones that were killed from the souls that were saved, building them a new body. 

In this novel, readers get a few glimpses of what Karou was like when she was Madrigal. The strength, the confidence. Though overall, readers experience the pain and uncertainty that Karou's life becomes. The girl who was so adamant about reuniting with her Chimera family has returned to nothing but disappointment and resurrection based servitude. The connection she already has with readers will grow as they witness the hardened war-stricken world that Karou must face. 

Akiva, the angel with a broken heart, knows that Karou couldn't possibly forgive him after the role he played in Brimstone's death and the war against her people. No matter if it was out of vengeance, hurt, or heart-brokenness. But that doesn't mean his hope for the world can't continue. Readers, after briefly loving him in Daughter of Smoke & Bone and then subsequently hating him after his actions were revealed, get to know Akiva much better in this book. And the love for him returns. Though perhaps not as strong as it was before. 

Readers learn more about Akiva's past, his relationship with his brother and sister, and, most importantly, about the kind of man Akiva is. Unsurprisingly, he's a really good one. He's brave, intelligent, creative, forgiving, loyal, and has a fresh outlook on the what the world could become. Sharing the novel's point of view with Akiva binds readers to him as he fights for the forgiveness he may never earn. 

The plot of this series installment follows Karou and Akiva as they struggle with their hope to change the world. Karou works as a Resurrectionist for the despicable Thiago, creating new Chimera bodies complete with wings. Akiva works within his battalion to warn the few Chimera groups that remain in Eretz of the angels so that they have a chance to survive. 

But bigger things are boiling just below the surface. Why does Thiago need more and more new soldiers? Is revenge or rescue his top objective for this after-war? And now the Seraphim emperor plans on creating a new war with a rebel group of Angels. Will he ever stop shedding blood? Or will someone have to spill his in order to save the innocents? Days of Blood & Starlight is a nonstop surprising sequel with more of the poetic prose that Taylor revels in. The characters are wonderfully relatable, with scars and bruises, flaws and virtues, even though they're from a different world. Breathtaking, beautiful continuation that will make readers wish to get lost in the words. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (126)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers



Days of Blood & Starlight (p.100)
   - Laini Taylor

Almost as soon as she entered the great hall, someone whispered, "Traitor."
It came behind her back, a hiss too toneless to place.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Daughter of Smoke & Bone is a fantastical world of hope and magic, pain and resurrection. Laini Taylor erases all boundaries of belief for the first book in her series. The novel is pure poetic prose steeped in pinpoint sharp detail and it easily draws readers into the world of Karou and all that has been hidden from her. 

Karou is the main character and the entire novel revolves around her. She works as an errand girl for Brimstone, a Chimera (a creature made up of other creature features) who collects teeth. Being an orphan, she sees Brimstone and his helpers as her family, even though no one else knows they exist. Karou is an artist living and studying in Prague. She has blue hair, a desire to fly, and eyes permanently painted on the palms of her hands. Readers will enjoy her quirky, vengeful personality while reveling in the other-world she plays a part in. As the story evolves, Karou is forced to question who and what she is and readers will further connect with her as discoveries are made, pasts revealed.

The plot opens with Karou introduced as a unique art student who constantly draws beastly characters. It's soon shared with readers that those creatures are real and Karou was not only raised by them, but helps them with their work. Unfortunately, angels are planning a mass destruction of the portals that connect Brimstone's shop with the world. And one angel specifically, Akiva, has his sights set on Karou when he learns of her. But when he learns about her, the enemy Akiva becomes the only one who can tell Karou who and what she is. 

Karou is the past. She's the peace. And she's the future of a remade world. 

This first installment in the series draws readers into an astounding world of mysticism and magic. It's a whirlwind of whimsy filled with passion, love, death, destruction. The terrors of war and the hope of peace. Laini Taylor does a wonderful job in setting up the series. Now that the portals have been destroyed, Karou must find another way to reconnect with her family. Leaving an ominous to be continued at the end of book one. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups