Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor *review*

I finally read this book!! It only took me years to get to it and Im so happy I’ve now finished it!

Goodreads Synopsis

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?

Welcome to Weep.

My Experience

Laini’s writing is magical and vivid and I loved being transported into this world with Lazlo. Definitely a solid 4 star read. While parts of it were pretty predictable and the insta-romance of YA makes me cringe, I still thoroughly enjoyed this world. It gave me serious Atlantis vibes, hidden or forgotten world, god like creatures, a team to go and find/save it that includes someone with explosives, a scientist, researcher, etc. I always loved Atlantis so I was a fan of these vibes. I also really liked the main character, Lazlo, and found him to be a pleasure to journey along with. I read this during the winter and still haven’t gotten around to reading the second one. It didn’t take me this long to pick up the second book because I didn’t enjoy the first, but I felt I had finished any story that I needed too with this book, like a second part wasn’t necessary and would just be more predictable storylines, it didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat. However, now that I’ve gotten to writing my review and have a bit more down time I will be picking it up and I’m excited to get back to Weep!