How long has it been since a book captured me like Strange the Dreamer?
How long since a book has made me laugh and cry – quite literally?
I’ve been reading books so far in 2020- giving them 4 or 5 stars but none of them made me care about the characters, the story, like this book.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor touched my heartstrings and played them like a violinist.
Strange the Dreamer Review
The Characters
First the characters. What can I say about the characters except that I loved all of them dearly?
Realistic and consistent characterization in a book is one of the most, if not the most, important criteria for my enjoyment of a book. And Laini Taylor’s characters ticked that box for me.
Lazlo Strange – the main protagonist of this book is a pure, sweet soul. So soft hearted, so humble – in a world full of narcissistic, rude character types Lazlo is a pure gem.
Humility is something I admire greatly in any character and his character is truly a contrast to today’s norm of making characters conceited, entitled and vain in order to make them “strong” and “confident” (*cough* Feyre and Rhysand *cough*). And Lazlo is a great example of how you can be respectful, humble and confident at the same time.
Sarai was a little meek and bland, but I cared about her nonetheless. I wish she stood up to Minya a little bit more though.
Minya… Little vicious Minya. Even this murderous, nearly villainous character crept up to my heart and took a place there. She was overbearing and angry but she had valid reasons to be so. She was a layered character whom I sometimes despised for her cruelty and sometimes felt sorry for the reasons of that made her like this.
Thyon Nero I couldn’t stand at first but the longer I read, the more I was losing hold of the thread of hatred I felt towards him. He’s going to have great arc in the next book – muse of Nightmares – I think.
These are characters that show how everyone is a hero in their own story. How both sides have villains – who commit heinous acts only to protect what he /she loves.
The Writing
Is it possible to mention Strange the Dreamer and not talk about the beauty of the writing? Go to any review of any Laini Taylor book and you will see glowing praises for her writing. Without adding much to the existing body of praises I’ll just say that they are all completely justified.
The Story
Strange the Dreamer is not just an array of good characters and beautiful writing though. The plot is very intricate and there were little twists and turns and unexpected things. There were foreshadowing and plot developments that completely took me by surprise.
Eril-Fane , Azareen, Suheyla – all of them were strong and extremely complex characters whose story lines were wrought with such sorrow that I couldn’t help but feel for them. Especially Eril-Fane and Azareen’s story. That one was a heart-breaker.
I deeply cared about the story, about Weep and its people, about the little side plots with Sparrow, Ruby and Feral; or Eril-Fane, Azareen and Suheyla. Even Thyon Nero, whom I disliked at first but had grown to understand his actions bit by bit.
The Sweet Romance!
And the most surprising fact, atleast for me, was that I – who doesn’t care for even the most swoon-worthy romances in most books she reads – was blushing and crying and laughing like a fool , and rooting for the couples in this book with all my heart. The romance in this book just wrecked me- so sweet, so heart-wrenching.
My Love For This Book
I can find no faults with this gorgeous masterpiece. Stranger the Dreamer is a full package of amazingness. A hundred stars just for Lazlo alone.
Looking for more reviews?
Check out my review of Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson.