Book Review :: Muse of Nightmares, by Laini Taylor

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
ISBN: 9781444789041
Series: Strange the Dreamer #2
Also in this series: Strange the Dreamer
Published by Hachette NZ
on 2018-10-02
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 514
Source: Hachette Publishing NZ
Find at Hachette NZ
Goodreads

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice--save the woman he loves, or everyone else?--while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Last updated on 14 October 2023

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What is Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor about?

In Muse of Nightmares, we pick up right where we left off in Strange the Dreamer, and follow Lazlo (our incredible librarian friend from the last book) and the love of his life, the godspawn Sarai, as they battle their way through new discoveries, realisations, and new family members.

The city of Weep down below is having it’s own troubles, but not quite as severely as up in the Citadel. This plot is interwoven with a flash-back plot, which follows Nova and Kora, sisters who are discovering their powers and all the consequences that come with those. Eventually the two story lines collide, and the pace of the plot picks up a little. Mysteries from the Strange the Dreamer start to be pieced together in such beautiful and incredible way that you can’t help but smile (or gasp) when they do.

“Once upon a time there was a silence that dreamed of becoming a song, and then I found you, and now everything is music.”

My thoughts on Muse of Nightmares

Yet again another incredible book from Laini Taylor. Strange the Dreamer was one of my favourite reads in 2017, so when I received Muse of Nightmares from Hachette NZ, well needless to say I was excited. And it did not disappoint.

The setting, as in the first book, was just as amazing. We get to explore the lofty citadel more in Muse of Nightmares, as well as the lost city of Weep down below. I always love the worlds that Taylor creates (even I have only read the first in her Daughter of Smoke and Bone series), and MoN adds yet another layer of depth to a world we already knew a lot about.

You’ll notice I only gave it 4.5 stars though (and 4 on Goodreads). That’s becuase, while the story was excellent, the setting was superb and the characters were amazing, there wasn’t enough Lazlo for me. I know that the first book is called Strange the Dreamer, which is Lazlo, and this is called Muse of Nightmares which is Sarai’s almost nickname, but I just love the character of Lazlo so so much and I wish he were in it more. Don’t get me wrong, he is in it, he’s one of the main characters, but the story is such that it’s focused a lot more on the surrounding characters, and not just Lazlo and Sarai. And yes, that was worthy of a half-star deduction.

But it was still an excellent book and I highly recommend this duology! Get on it!

Have you read Muse of Nightmares yet?

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I received this book for free from Hachette Publishing NZ in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.