Strange the Dreamer

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Strange the Dreamer is another book that was highly highly recommended to me by a friend, and its another winner of a suggestion! I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this book. It reminded me so much of the dreamy, atmospheric quality of Erin Morgenstern's work — both The Night Circus and The Starless Sea. This one is so much more fantasy than those books, though, in the best way! I wasn't really sure what to expect from this one — I went in mostly blind, and honestly, I can recommend doing that. You'll dive deep into this awesome world that Taylor has set up, without any preconceived notions on what should happen there.

Our main character is Lazlo Strange, and friends, I adored him with all my heart. He is a pure soul, our Lazlo, and I loved being in his head for most this book. Lazlo is a dreamer — he wants his life to be so much more than it is. When the subject of all his dreams literally rides into his town, Lazlo literally jumps for the chance to go on an adventure. We follow him, of course, and it's on this adventure that we get to see the neatest world building. Nothing is really infodumped — you get explanations as you're running, so to speak. I loved Taylor's writing, but I can see how a lot of people would be turned off by it. She's lyrical, descriptive, and tends to use bigger, less used words. It worked for me, but there's a warning if you need one.

Another warning that you'll need is that there is a deep horrible violence right at the center of this book. It works in the world that we've been given, and would not say that it's gratuitous or unnecessary. I won't spoil it, because it's not mentioned in the synopsis. I don't want to give away what is a huge part of the book. It's better to read it in context, anyway. (All warnings in the CW listed above are accurate, but you do not see child death or rape on page. I promise. They are all mentioned in passing more than once, but without great detail.) Anyway — for the first half of the book, you're left wondering why exactly this adventure was started, and once you get the answer...well, things shift a bit. The book at this point pivots, and turns from an adventure/quest into a lot of dreams and romance. Some might be turned off by this tonal shift, but I liked it. Obviously.

The romance at the heart of the book was sweet. Almost sugary. It's very innocent to start, and never progresses past kissing. I do love Sarai, Lazlo's love interest, and I wish desperately that certain things had changed, buuuut it's part of the book. It had to happen this way for a reason, and I cannot wait to dive into the next book to see where Laini Taylor takes us. I am fully on board with this series. It is written so beautifully, and gooooossssssh, thank you so much to my friend to recommended this one to me.