Muse of Nightmares

For more of my reviews, check out my blog.

I don't actually know how to sum up my feelings for the ending to this duology. Everything that Strange the Dreamer was, Muse of Nightmares tries to be, too. There's less of the ethereal dreamy quality to the book, but that's because there is constant action. Everything happens, seemingly all at once. I thought this would bother me, but really it didn't. They are two different books, but they work excellently with one another. Hopefully, this makes sense. Lazlo takes a step back in this book — Sarai is really the main character now. Lazlo isn't gone, of course, he's just not at the forefront. I think that's why the dreamy quality isn't quite there? That's my guess, anyway.

Moving onwards, in Muse of Nightmares, new characters are introduced — and what characters they are — new foes emerge, pasts revealed, all sorts of things. Happily, all questions asked in Strange the Dreamer get answered. There is a reason for most things, and that did make me quite happy. What I loved best, however, was learning more about the other gods, namely Skathis and what his motivations were. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was really happy with how bad his motivations were. Skathis was a horrible person, through and through. Muse of Nightmares just reiterates that. Learning more about Minya was equally enthralling. As much as you hate her in Strange the Dreamer, you will learn more about what she did that day and why she did it. Taylor redeems her in ways I did not see coming.

Everything we see through Sarai's eyes as the main character you really feel. She is a deeply emotional character, and she was a phenomenal choice as the main character for this book. The emotions present here are so incredibly strong, and I promise they'll grip you by your heartstrings. Grief, especially, takes lead. Grief for family, for the past, for the self. It's all present.

Gah. I am trying so hard not to spoil this book, because I truly think you'll get the most out of it if you don't know much about it before going in. So, I'll leave it here — if you have any interest in this duology at all, please read it. I can't recommend it enough. Five stars for both books.