“For four thousand nights she had explored the dreamscapes of Weep, witnessing horrors and creating them. She was the Muse of Nightmares.”
BLURB: Synopsis hidden for those who would like to go in blind:
BOOK REVIEW:
You will enjoy this book if you like:
~ Gods
~ Intertwining destinies
~ Epic fantasy
~ Conflicted characters/grey morals
~ Complex story arcs
TO NOTE:
This is Book 2, (Book 1: Strange The Dreamer) duology complete.
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Trigger warning:
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
CHARACTERS: 5/5
PLOT: 5/5
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT: 5/5
OVERALL RATING: 20/20
So again, I have no words. Laini Taylor has written the most perfect ( and I do not use the word lightly) conclusion possible. If Strange the Dreamer held my hand and led me into Weep, then Muse of Nightmares sat me down at the table and welcomed me as a guest. I felt so much reading this book, that weeks after finishing it I still feel like I haven’t processed it all.
I am in so much love and awe of Laini Taylor's writing in this series that I cannot say enough good things about it; it is unique, it is lyrical, it is poetic, and it is so evocative, it has the power to transport you to another world and make you feel like that is the only world you have ever known.
As for the inhabitants, we are reacquainted with characters from Strange the Dreamer and then introduced to a whole new cast of characters. Normally I find it off putting to have to get to know new characters as they don't have enough time to establish themselves or have much personal growth or development. But again we are talking about Laini Taylor her so each new character is so necessary and integral to the story that it's not possible to see how they could be left out of it! I very much enjoyed the story arcs of the new characters. Each character was so complex with such heartbreaking back stories.
This is a spoiler free review so I wont discuss the plot other than to say that we are now drawn deeper to the enigma that is Weep and we are given answers that I had no idea I was even looking for. Laini Taylor is a master in teasing out the tangled threads of the richest tapestry of a story that I have ever read. As each thread is laid out in front of us we are able to truly understand exactly how complex the story really is. It was astonishingly multi layered and I loved seeing all the little connections, all the cause and effects and the far reaching repercussions of so many decisions and acts.
The world building was so beautifully done. The characters were so wonderfully complex. Laini Taylor expertly opens us up to the feelings of rage, fear, helplessness, conflict, joy, determination, a whole spectrum of emotions experienced by each of our characters. We witness what terrible acts can be committed when pushed to the limit of endurance. Taylor shines a light on the morally grey areas that exist and because of this, it is impossible to fully condemn the acts.
The story was so expertly concluded that I could not ask for more. Well, actually I could, and would ask for more books about Lazlo and his fellow travellers.
Also I am aware this review is somewhat sedate in comparison to my Strange the Dreamer review, (To be fair that was written in the early hours and I was slightly delirious) I feel that is 100% to do with the fact that I am slightly numb that I have finished the series and grieving that there is no more forthcoming. That we Know of at least!
VERDICT: Read it, read it, read it, read it, read it.
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Favourite Quotes:
"I would have chosen you, if they had let me choose."
"The gods had been dead for fifteen years, after all, but their hate had lingered, and ruled in their stead."
''People are our safe places. I have one: a person who’s a home and a world to me."