Beautifully read with brilliant accents

Having read the 'Daughter of smoke and bone' trilogy I was keen to experience more of Laini Taylor's work. This was a little slower to start, but stick with it! I enjoyed getting lost in this magical world and Steve West's narration was as smooth as melted chocolate! The number of different accents he performed helped to distinguish between the characters, and gave an added depth to the dialogue.
Out of the two worlds, I think I still prefer Karou and Arkiva (if you haven't read it, you absolutely must!) however Strange the Dreamer did not disappoint, and I'm looking forward to the next book already.

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Excapist fantasy.... a fairy tale ...

A relatively light listen... a bit like a fairy tale. Perfect for a summer excape ...

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Simply fantastic!

I had liked Laini Taylor’s other books so came to this series anticipating good things, but this book surpassed my expectations!

The language used is lushly descriptive, the characters are well formed and believable and the story moves very well. What elevates it even more is the narration by Steve West - he really brings the whole to life & tremendously adds to the enjoyment.
I totally recommend this book!

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Imagined world.

Stereotypical re underlying love story - rather 'breathless'. Would have preferred it to concentrate on imagined world and characters. Reproduced social relations.

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charmingly creative story

interesting and innovative story, maybe drags a bit over the romance, but I think the author has one of the most distinctively creative minds I have come across in a long time. some genuinely beautiful writing.

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3 people found this helpful

OMG - please hurry up with book 2

Where does Strange the Dreamer rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best books I can ever remember.

What did you like best about this story?

Modern dilemmas in a total mythical situation. It shows the good intentions off all the characters, even the bad ones.

Have you listened to any of Steve West’s other performances? How does this one compare?

The best kind of narration; you forget about the narrator and are just there.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh, cry and scream at the characters in frustration.

Any additional comments?

I actually shouted out "No" at the cliffhanger.

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2 people found this helpful

I can't even...

This novel was truly outstanding, the plot was intriguing and original and the characters were so fleshed out and just perfect (even the ones I hate!) I can't wait to read Muse of Nightmares!!

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It captured my heart

This is another book that I had seen a lot of on Instagram. I also have some merch from book boxes including a beautiful apron from Fairyloot. It really is gorgeous. After I got the apron I knew I had to read this story. I grabbed it on audible as I had a few credits and once I finished The Cruel Prince I jumped into this story.

We begin with Lazlo Strange. Lazlo is an orphan, brought up by monks and later becomes a librarian. Lazlo has a love of all things magic. Ever since he was young he has had an obsession with the city of Weep. Lazlo is an easy character to like. He is a dreamer and has an imagination that is endless.

We also have another POV of Sarai. I don't want to give too much away about who she is but suffice to say I LOVED Sarai. She has been through hell and yet she still finds it in her to forgive. She is caring and loving and really just wants peace.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this book and I could talk about them for hours. One of my favourites was Sparrow. She is a sweet girl who I just wanted to give a little hug to. I also liked Calixte she seemed like a really fun character and I wanted to hear more about her.

Laini does an excellent job of creating a new world that you want to jump into. The city of Weep sounds magical, especially the way Lazlo dreams it.

This is a story of myths, magic and of course a bit of love. It captured my heart and I cannot wait to start A Muse of Nightmares.

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Gorgeous fantasy story

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking book, filled with stunning details. The characters are layered and completely credible, and the setting is like something from a fairytale (sometimes a Brothers Grimm story). If you've read Laini's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and enjoyed it, you'll love this.

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Entertaining but a bit too long

If you could sum up Strange the Dreamer in three words, what would they be?

Very entertaining story

What was one of the most memorable moments of Strange the Dreamer?

When he meets the blue girl in his dream...I like the idea of having a dream life, literally.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book but has a very slow start. It took me awhile to get into the story and understand what it was all about. I have the impression it could be a couple of chapters shorter but overall is not bad.

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