Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (w/ Spoilers)

Young Adult, Fantasy

"Somewhere across its emptiness lay a city that had never been seen. It was a rumour, a fable, but it was a rumour and fable from which marvels emerged, carried by camels across the desert to fire the imagination of folk the world over. 

The city had a name... 

 But then, two hundred years ago, the caravans stopped coming... There were no more camels, no more men, no more marvels, and no more stories. Ever. That was the last that was ever heard from the forbidden city, the unseen city, the lost city, and this was the mystery that had opened Lazlo's mind like a door."

Non-Spoiler Review

(Strange the Dreamer #1)

Strange the Dreamer is a story filled with dreams, gods, monsters, mysteries and love. Lazlo Strange, an orphan turned library apprentice, has always dreamed of travelling to the lost city of Weep. Though, he fears that he does not have the courage or skill to make it to this mythical city. When a strange band of travellers arrives the library, looking for volunteers to help solve the troubles plaguing Weep, Lazlo jumps at the chance to fulfil his dreams. However, the lost city of Weep holds secrets too fantastical for the scientific and the dreamers alike which could cause devastating consequences. 

""You're a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable. Something beautiful and full of monsters.""

I’ve heard so many reviewers praising Laini Taylor for her lush writing style and they weren’t wrong. The author had such a way with words and I found myself immersed in the story with how vividly she described the setting, atmosphere and magic of story. Taylor had a way to bring life to every aspect of the world to create a memorable reading experience The beautiful storytelling was what ultimately made me fall in love with the setting and the characters.

World-Building:

This book felt like a prelude to the whimsical, lush, magical world that you would love to get lost in. The world had a Middle Eastern inspiration to it with the description of the environment and architecture. What made this world incredibly immersive was truly Taylor's writing as I was able to vividly imagine this world. The story is set mostly in the mysterious lost city, Weep with a few other notable settings such as the Great Library of Zosma and the Elmuthaleth. Each of the settings featured in this story had a sense of wonderment and admiration when we reading from Lazlo's perspective that it added that extra bit of lushness to the world.

"The presence of magic... it felt like the turn of a page, and a story just beginning."

Characters:

This is a character-driven fantasy story told from multiple perspectives. The downfall to any multi-perspective story is having one or more perspectives that are not engaging or interesting. This book, however, did not have that problem since I felt that every point-of-view added to the overarching plot. By the end of the book, the author made me fall in love with some of the characters: Lazlo, a whimsical and dreamy enigma of a person who was bursting with wonder and Sarai, with her dark powers and her unquestionable humanity underneath her godly exterior.

"The library knows its own mind. When it steals a boy, we let it keep him."

Lazlo had a dreamer's soul and you could feel his yearning to travel to Weep, and his undeniable excitement when he was presented the opportunity to do so. He had such a vivid imagination and his perspective was filled with such awe and wonderment that they were just contagious. He was a lover and teller of stories, and he wasn't afraid to believe in the impossibility despite the derision her received from the monks who raised him and the scholars who thought themselves superior to him. What I loved most about his character arc was the growth in his confidence as he started out as a quiet and shy librarian apprentice to someone comfortable within their own skin and truly embraced his identity as a dreamer. 

"I turned my nightmares into fireflies and caught them in a jar."

Sarai was one of the five remaining godspawn children to survive the Carnage. Being half-human, half-god in a world that despised and feared her predecessors, Sarai's world was limited to the sanctuary and prison of the citadel of Mesarthim, a temple of sorts humans were too afraid to venture into. Her only connection to the outside world is her strange and terrifying powers. I truly felt her anguish in the instance where she had to use her powers because they didn't reflect her soul. She wanted to be human so that she can go explore the world and escape all the hate and trauma surrounding her kind. I just want her to have a happy ending but the ending of the book... it has me worried about my favourites. 

 Art by Taratjah

Another character I found intriguing was Eril-Fane. He was the celebrated liberator of Weep from the tyrannical 'gods' who ruled them for so long. However, he was not as strong or as whole as he made himself out to be as he suffers from the ramifications of what he did and was forced to do leading up to the liberation of Weep. He hid his trauma deep within himself and it broke my heart.

There are some that I’m still conflicted about whether to empathise or flat-out hate them (*cough* Minya*cough*), but I cannot deny that their perspectives are definitely intriguing. After the ending, I'm excited to find out how this story ends and if there's a happy ending since the ending of this book was intense and rife with uncertainty. 

"Here, captured between the covers, was the history of the human imagination, and nothing had ever been more beautiful, or fearsome, or bizarre. Here, were spells and curses and myths and legends" 

Plot/Story:

In terms of the plot, we follow Lazlo from when he was a child living with monks, to being a librarian apprentice in the Library of Zosma and to his journey and exploration of the Unseen City. The plot as a whole was slow-moving to allow you time to familiarise and connect with the characters. So if you're looking for a fast-paced plot, this book isn't it. I know that I'm being extremely vague with this synopsis but I truly believe that blind exploration of the story is the best route to take when reading this book. There’s just something about the atmosphere of the unknown that suits the story so well. 

I read this via audiobook and I would highly recommend the experience. I thought the narrator did such an excellent job at capturing the atmosphere and whimsy of the story, and Lazlo's character. 

"Inside a dream. Within a lost city. In the shadow of an angel. At the brink of calamity."

Overall Thoughts: 

Overall, I just fell in love with the vivid writing and immersive storytelling that brought to life the world and the characters. Laini Taylor had magic with words and stories and I greatly appreciated that this book was a love letter to dreamers, storytellers and readers alike. Pick this up if you want to be swept of your feet and transported to a magical world filled with gods, monsters, stories and impossibilities. The writing and story will captivate you, leaving you wanting more.

Spoilers!

I feel like this wouldn't be a proper summation of my thoughts if I didn't dive into spoiler territory so here it is! You have been warned.

The story was built on this overarching mystery: what happened to Weep? This question had more questions than answers. What happened to Weep was that god-like creatures, the Masarthim, powerful beings descended from another world with azure blue skin and frightening abilities. Ruled by Skathos, conquered and enslaved the people of Weep. And so the city remained disconnected from the rest of the world for 200 years until Eril-Fane killed the gods and their children to free his city. However, in the process, the gods cursed the city, altering its name and robbing the people of the sky. This led to Eril-Fane and his band Tizerkane warriors to venture out into the world in search of the brightest minds the world has on offer to finally rid themselves of the gods. Though, it will take more than removing the citadel of the Mesarthim to solve Weep's problems.

"There was the city – fabled Weep, unseen no longer – and the day was bright, but it lay dark."

As this is a character driven story, the characters made the story the whimsical, magical adventure it was. So it's only natural to talk about all the notable characters to a greater extent and here it is:

Art by Gabrielle Bujdoso

Lazlo Strange was one of my favourite characters in this story, particularly because we followed his journey from boyhood to adulthood and I was able to develop that deep connection and attachment to his character. Lazlo had a difficult childhood being under the care of the monks who didn't encourage his imagination nor his dreams. He was initially quiet and reserved with his mind constantly immersed in his own imagination, and he was pushed around by everyone as they all viewed themselves to be far superior to this lowly librarian apprentice. I was fuming in those scenes where Thyron Nero was taking advantage of Lazlo and his kindness and everyone not listening to anything he has to say because he was uneducated. So it's no surprise that I was cheering for him when he took control of his destiny and chased his dreams when he advocated for himself to accompany the Tizerkane on their journey. I loved those moments when he broke out of his bubble to grab hold of the opportunities presented to him. His time with the Tizerkane proved to be pivotal in developing his confidence and self-esteem as he found a place to belong, and you saw alive he was when he was around them. And when he was around Sarai. 

"Lazlo looked up: at the shining citadel of alien blue metal floating in the sky.

"Sarai looked down: at the gleam of the Cusp... at the fine thread winding down the valley toward Weep." 

Art by Gabrielle Bujdoso

Sarai, the muse of nightmares, was another one of my favourite characters. Sarai was the daughter of Isagol, one of the gods who enslaved Weep for centuries, and Eril-Fane, the liberator of Weep. Like her mother, she has a dark and devastating power: the power over dreams and nightmares. She could enter unseen and manipulate other people's dreams as long as her moths made contact with the person and transform them into nightmares. Because of her dangerous ability, she was moulded into Minya's weapon of vengeance to terrorise the people of Weep at a young age. However, over time Sarai learned to empathise with their trauma and pain. I wouldn't say that these intimate moments humanised her, but more so they brought out the human from within her. Throughout the story, it was obvious that she deeply regretted all the suffering and pain she has caused all those years as she tries to rebel against Minya's commands. We also saw the ramifications of her ability onto her own sanity as she was tormented by the nightmares she had conjured to the point that she needed a sleeping draught to lull her into oblivion. Through Sarai's perspective, not only did we learn of the gods and godspawn, but we also saw the power of dreams. So it's only fitting that Strange the dreamer and the muse of nightmares met in a dream.

"Inside a dream.

Within a lost city.

In the shadow of an angel.

At the brink of calamity."  

Lazlo and Sarai first met in Lazlo's dream where Sarai was dazzled by Lazlo's imagination and the mere, impossible fact that he could see her in his dream. I wouldn't say that their romance was a slow-burn, but more of a soulmates/star-cross lovers ordeal. Though, their relationship highlighted the power of dreams in this situation as their relationship felt as real as any physical one. One of them even described it as more of a joining of minds, and I so desperately want a happy ending for the two of them. It was lovely and magical watching them transform Lazlo's dream into a sanctuary for themselves, and how two lonely souls found each other. I loved watching the "dreamsmiths" in action, conjuring up impossibilities after impossibilities, such as the time they went shopping for a moon, which in itself is magical. Though the pivotal moments in these dream adventures were when they conquered Sarai's nightmare of Skathos and Rasalas, Skathos' Mesarthium beast of terror, where they took power from Skathos and changed Rasalas to a creature of grace, and the Mahalath, this mythical fog said to transform those brave enough into either gods or monsters based on what was in their souls, which externalised Sarai's humanity and Lazlo's inner god. Having read the ending, these two moments served as intense foreshadowing that I couldn't help but appreciate Laini Taylor's craftsmanship. However, the explosive events near the end of the book saw Lazlo and Sarai's blossoming romance come to an abrupt and tragic "ending" where Sarai fell from the citadel and empaled on a gate (opening chapter gave away that huge spoiler), and Lazlo only held her lifeless body in real life. My heart broke for them at that moment, though that wasn't the conclusive end as Minya was able to retrieve Sarai's ghost which she will use as leverage on Lazlo. So now we have our star-crossed lovers in the palm of Minya's hand. 

Art by LesyaBlackBird

And if wasn't already obvious with the fan art, Lazlo was Mesarthim, with the strongest ability of all the remaining godspawn which was the control over Mesarthium, the strange blue metal the citadel and the beasts were made of. Though, how he appeared human all those years does pose a big question as to how he was able to transform as, in the words of one of the monks who raised him said, "Gray as rain, you were, but your color came normal in time." That's a mystery that hopefully, the second book will enlighten us with the answer. As to how Lazlo "escaped" from the citadel, a bird (which Lazlo saw when the Tizerkane first appeared in Zosma) carried him away from Weep. Why it did that is still a mystery as well as what the Mesarthim did to all the other godspawn children. Hopefully, the sequel will shed some light on these mysteries. Though Lazlo didn't only just gain a powerful ability, he also gained some new enemies as he was now the portrait of what terrorised Weep all those centuries ago. The ending saw the clean lines between the humans and Mesarthim distort as the Tizerkane were fond of Lazlo and now were battling their prejudices and their own perceptions, which I'm hoping will not end in any more bloodshed. I just a happy ending on both sides. 

"They were no longer the brown of dessert-tanned skin, and neither were they the gray of grime and sickly babies.

They were vivid azure blue... Blue as tyranny, and thrall, and murder waiting to happen."

Art by LesyaBlackBird

Enough about me blabbering on and on about Lazlo and Sarai because we have a list of characters to get to. As I've mentioned him relatively first, let's discuss the "golden godson," Thyron Nero. Thyron was a pompous ass and jerk for threatening Lazlo. Being the favoured godson of the queen of Zosma, Nero had a privileged life filled with wealth and luxury. He was not blessed by status but his  "his" creation of azoth, a transmutational substance prized by alchemist as the pedestal to mastering the elements, garnered him the adoration of many. And by "his" I meant that it was Lazlo who gave him the fundamental idea of using his spirit to make azoth because he genuinely wanted to help Nero after he witnessed his father’s abuse. And what did Nero do to repay him? Threatened Lazlo into secrecy and used Lazlo’s research of Weep to impress the Tizerkane. Not even a “thank you” at the very least. And what made it worse was that he continued to belittle Lazlo throughout the story. The only other time he expressed any other interest in Lazlo was when he discovered that his azoth affected Mesarthium. Nero was the type of character to take full advantage of others for his own gain and I wasn’t about that. Also, he interrupted Lazlo and Sarai’s moment and it only made me infuriated with him. Like, leave the guy alone. So suffice as it is to say, Thyron Nero wasn’t remotely close in making my list of likeable characters.

Art by LesyaBlackBird

Now onto characters that I actually liked. Eril-Fane was the last lover of Isagol. The Mesarthim took people as lovers to reproduce and though they returned themHis time serving her was traumatic, to say the least as Isagol played with his emotions, transforming his setting hatred into passionate love. What made it worse was that Isagol didn’t remove his hate which would have made “loving” her more bearable. And so for three years, Eril-Fane suffered though his hatred, in the end, was victorious against her influence, and was the driving factor in his act of slaying the Mesarthim during what was later referred to as the Carnage. However, he was faced with the horrible task of dispatching the godspawns who were still infants and young children. Slaying the gods were easy compared to slaying the children who were undeniably innocent as their only crime was what they were. Killing those children was what ultimately tore Eril-Fane’s soul, leaving him a broken person whose pieces couldn’t fit back together.

His trauma and PTSD did not only impact his emotional and psychological well-being but also impacted his relationship with Azareen, his second-in-command and wife. They were young lovers deeply in love before Eril-Fane was taken by Isagol. But their romance was short-lived and was made all the more tragic when Azareen was taken, which was the catalytic moment that spurred Eril-Fane into action. It was heart-breaking witnessing the distance between them, and their individual, quiet suffering without the comfort of one another as Eril-Fane grew too distant because of the broken pieces of his soul. Sarai noted in one scene that they should have found solace with one another and share their pain to move forward, however, that remains to be seen. I just wish the best for them because they deserve love and happiness after all the years they endured under the Mesarthim.

Art by LesyaBlackBird

The other significant characters were the remaining four godspawn children, namely Minya, Feral, Ruby and Sparrow. Minya was the eldest, though in appearance she seemed the youngest, and like Sarai, had the dangerous ability to trap and enslave ghosts in her command. Minya was only 6 years old during the Carnage and was the one responsible for saving Sarai, Feral, Ruby and Sparrow, so it was no surprise that the others have taken to her being the leader. And it made sense that she, out of the four, would be incredibly fixated on vengeance against the people of Weep, Eril-Fane in particular, for what he did to the children. Her stumped physical growth was a product of her hatred and will power and highlighted that her character was still deeply rooted in past misgivings and bloodshed. Though, Minya was not purely antagonistic as we had a moment or two to witness her own trauma and her regret at her shortcomings during the Carnage. In a scene, she was repeating, "They were all I could carry," to herself as a coping mechanism for her own PTSD aside from the hatred of humans she externalised to those around her. Moreover, her stunted growth was also the result of her pouring her life-force into her powers to ensure that they had somewhat a happy albeit meagre life and her sacrifices were what made me start to empathise with her. Laini Taylor was definitely setting up a redemption arc for Minya's character and I'm really interested in the progression of her arc. However, I have ill feelings towards her because of the pain she will be causing to Lazlo and Sarai. 

"Through sheer, savage will, Minya poured even her life force into the colossal expenditure of magic necessary to hold on to her ghosts and keep her charges safe – not just safe but loved... she had stunted herself, blighted herself, whittles herself to a bone of a thing."

The remaining 3 godspawns behaved at times like children because of their naivety and other times like moody teenagers which they were. Feral, nicknamed "Cloud Thief," had the unique ability to ripping clouds from different skies, hence he could call rain whenever water was needed. Ruby, nicknamed "Bonfire," could create and control fire which was beneficial for warmth and cooking. And lastly, Sparrow, nicknamed "Orchid witch," had control over nature, growing, tending and reviving the plants and trees in their garden. She was my favourite of the three as Ruby and Feral felt a bit too naive and exuded a lot of teenage angst. There were times when they felt a bit too young for me with their "ordinary" woes, such as Ruby's need to be touched which Feral gladly (albeit initially reluctant) entertained her with. In this aspect, it felt like I was reading about hormonal teens and I wasn't in the mood for that kind of action in this story. Not to mention, it made me feel bad for Sparrow because of her long-time crush on Feral. However, I had a proud moment for her when she said, "I really don't want hi. I only want someone who wants only me," and I just loved this moment because it showcased how much self-love she had for herself to not settle on someone that indecisive and impulsive. Hopefully, the sequel would shed more light onto their character arcs and that they would play a more active role in the story.

I think what we can all gather from my spoiler thoughts is that (a) I love Lazlo and Sarai, (b) I want more character development (c) I want happy endings for all my favourite characters and (d) I should read the sequel immediately. I loved this story with my whole heart and thinking back on it just spurs my love for these characters. It was a magical, whimsical and immersive story that I would love to re-read throughout the years.