Amy 
Lynnie
fantasy, young adult
The title, Strange the Dreamer, refers to Lazlo Strange, who is a dreamer. He is a war orphan who dreams of learning the secrets of the "unseen city" and ends up getting that opportunity.
Amy's Review
Initially, I was disappointed that this world has similar creatures to Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone world. And the beginning was fairly simple—almost geared for middle-schoolers in its repetition and simplicity. I was nervous that this novel would not be up to par. Alas, my worries were unfounded. I loved this novel! And, as with her prior novels, it defies explanation—it would sound crazy to give someone a summary of this book because it would sound so far-fetched as to be ridiculous. Yet, with Laini Taylor’s world-building, it seems naturally plausible! Her imagination is simply at another level. She’s beyond creative and lovely and whimsical—she’s ingenious. I wish I was as talented with adjectives as she is because I fail to capture a worthy description of her talent. The story was magically crafted and kept me entirely engaged. Each new chapter seemingly introduced some new discovery or enchantment or dread. UGH—the dread in this novel borders on too much. And the ultimate “bad guy” (of the several from which to choose) is horrid—clueless, misguided, naïve, and hate-bound. I can’t stand this person! And so, I was very sorry to see the novel end when it did and how it did. Of course, I cannot wait for the sequel (as was the author’s intention) given the way things stand for the characters. And, as my regular review readers know, I am not a fan of the year-long wait between sequels in a series. At least there was a little closure in the forms of mystery solutions and relationship building so I can’t say that it was not a good place to end the novel, knowing there is a sequel. But STILL. UGH!!!!
The characters were wonderful! I especially loved that the protagonist is a librarian! I loved that the author has such a love for books that she described something as sweet and special as a first kiss like this:
“…a first kiss, especially—is the moment before your lips touch, and before your eyes close, when you’re filled with the sight of each other, and with the compulsion, the pull, and it’s like… it’s like… finding a book inside another book. A small treasure of a book hidden inside a big common one—like… spells printed on dragonfly wings, discovered tucked inside a cookery book, right between the recipes for cabbages and corn. That’s what a kiss is like, he thought, no matter how brief: It’s a tiny, magical story, and a miraculous interruption of the mundane.”
And this passage, as well as every other word in this novel, was made more luscious by my favorite narrator, Steve West. He has the dreamiest voice—in tone and accent—and spectacularly perfect voice acting. I hate it when a book he narrates ends and I’m deprived of the sound of him in my ear. (This is the third book of his to which I’ve listened.) I hope he gets to narrate more books soon. I might even be persuaded to listen to a novel that would not otherwise interest me if he’s reading it. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and listen to this man. He gets an A+ on my narrator scale, of course. And, in the case of this book, I also will miss spending time with the characters until the next sequel is released in some frustratingly non-specific date in 2018.
Lynnie's Review
This is another great tale from Laini Taylor. I loved her Daughter of Smoke & Bone series and I suspect I'll feel the same about this series as well. The world that Taylor creates is so vivid that even though there's nothing realistic about it, it feels like it could exist. I loved the main characters and really enjoyed watching their stories unfold, but I also really enjoyed the secondary characters who were given just as much time as was needed.
Basically, I loved everything about this book until its stupid cliffhanger ending, which I knew was coming but found, none-the-less, annoying. If you enjoyed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Taylor's newest series will not disappoint you. Now to wait another year for the second book to arrive...
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