Strange the Dreamer
Sep. 11th, 2021 05:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearA friend recommended Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor and I'm very glad she did, as I listened to the audiobook and it was great!
It's about a city lost to history that comes calling with a problem to be solved. And it's also about the unknown survivors of a massacre, who are trying to cling to a precarious existence. It's about finding your roots, discarding your roots, discovering love in unexpected places, and also being subject to irrational hatred.
What I find most impressive about it is that every viewpoint on every side is explored fully. So, all the characters are rounded, and flawed, and understandable, and relatable to an extent. Even the worst of them has motivation that can be fathomed, if not condoned. And that's not an easy feat.
There is a literal deus ex ending, and also an absolute cliffhanger to lead into the next book, neither of which I'm a major fan of. It's pretty grim in places, and wrenching in others, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
And the worldbuilding is exquisite, the range of characters is broad and engaging, the emotion runs deep - and I'm definitely keen to find out what happens next.
It's about a city lost to history that comes calling with a problem to be solved. And it's also about the unknown survivors of a massacre, who are trying to cling to a precarious existence. It's about finding your roots, discarding your roots, discovering love in unexpected places, and also being subject to irrational hatred.
What I find most impressive about it is that every viewpoint on every side is explored fully. So, all the characters are rounded, and flawed, and understandable, and relatable to an extent. Even the worst of them has motivation that can be fathomed, if not condoned. And that's not an easy feat.
There is a literal deus ex ending, and also an absolute cliffhanger to lead into the next book, neither of which I'm a major fan of. It's pretty grim in places, and wrenching in others, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
And the worldbuilding is exquisite, the range of characters is broad and engaging, the emotion runs deep - and I'm definitely keen to find out what happens next.
