I finished this book two weeks ago, and it’s taken me this long to have anything articulate to say about it. What I wanted my original review to say was “AHHHARGHAHHHHHHHHH HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK NOW?!?! WHAT IS GOING TO BECOME OF ME??? HOW WILL I GO ON?!?! WHY IS THIS BOOK SO SHORT?!?!?! MORE NOW PLEASE!” But that didn’t seem very professional. Also, this book is actually very long, so I felt leaving my review at that would be misleading.
But the thing is, Strange the Dreamer doesn’t feel like a long book. It feels like a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of book. It’s just this magical little enigma that you never want to end. I seriously don’t know what to do with myself now that I’ve finished it. Are there any Strange the Dreamer recovery groups out there? Something I can join so that I can get through this tumultuous period between books in one semi-coherent piece? If you find one, or if you’re interested in starting one, let me know.
Because WOW. Just WOW. This book is absolutely perfect and if you love fantasy, magic, or books in general then you HAVE to pick this book up purely on principle. It’s such a beautiful ode to readers and dreamers, and you will fall head-over-heels in love with Lazlo Strange immediately. He is such a fantastic protagonist, because there is never a moment you aren’t rooting for him. I wanted nothing but good things for Lazlo, and I just wept every time something bad happened to him. Because after like 3 pages I was severely attached and so lost in this mythical world that I could no distinguish between real life and the story. And that’s the real beauty of this book – you will lose yourself in it, forget your life for a few hours, and escape into a wondrous and unbelievable world made manifest by Laini Taylor’s exquisite prose.
Every single character is remarkable – from Lazlo, who is just a darling to Sarai, with her compassion and humanity and clarity to of mind, all the way to Minja, who is just absolutely PSYCHO but has a really good reason to be but still I can’t get over how psycho she is – there is a character here for everyone to like/love/lust after/hate/be confused by/etc. etc. It’s a complex masterpiece, is what I’m trying to say, and I you will love it so you should probably stop reading this and go pick it up right now.
Oh, and THAT ENDING. I can’t talk about it. But I NEED to talk about it. Because it’s traumatic and perfect and a cliffhanger and oh my gosh I just need the sequel in my hands yesterday.
Rating: 5+/5 stars