Series: Strange the Dreamer #2
Release Date: April 4th 2019
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Pages: 528
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice–save the woman he loves, or everyone else?–while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Timesbestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

Review

Strange the Dreamer was one of my favourite books of 2017, it completely sucked me in and so I went into Muse of Nightmares with the highest of expectations. I’m so happy to report that it was even better than I could have imagined. If you haven’t picked up this beautiful duology yet, now is definitely the time.

Muse of Nightmares picks up after Strange the Dreamer left off, taking us back to the characters we fell in love with in the first book. It was great to see them continue to develop and expand and I loved seeing how much they’d changed since the beginning of Strange the Dreamer. Muse of Nightmares also introduces us to some new characters – two sisters named Kora and Nova. I completely adored their story and was completely captivated in seeing how their story connected with that of Lazlo and Sarai. Laini Taylor writes these complex and multi-layered characters that are just a pleasure to read about – Lazlo Strange will forever be one of my favourite characters of all time.

Previous to this duology I had never read anything by Laini Taylor but I completely fell in love with her writing style in these books. It’s so beautiful and really brings everything to life that you cannot help but sink into this rich and magical world. The world building is excellent and it is put to good use in this book, giving us more back story and history of the gods. Muse of Nightmares delivers a fast and exciting plot and I was on the edge of my seat more than a few times. I think the story ended perfectly it was full of excitement and heartbreak and everything I hoped for. I for one am so excited to see what Laini Taylor is going to bring out next.