Strange the Dreamer is unlike any other story I have read before. It mainly follows Lazlo Strange, an orphaned boy who goes from living with monks to moving a little up in the world and becoming a librarian. For a person like Lazlo, this is almost a dream come true. He loves the stories he can find that talk about the Unseen City, or Weep, which Lazlo wishes he could visit. And when Eril-Fane, the infamous Godslayer from Weep comes across the desert to search for help, Lazlo is the first to volunteer. But the problem is unlike anything anyone has ever seen, and Lazlo will find someone he never expected.

This book took me an ungodly amount of time to finish (not because I didn't love it, but because I didn't have time to read unfortunately) but every time I picked it up I was immediately sucked into the story. I loved the dynamic of the writing, Laini Taylor writes in a fluid, mesmerizing way, and the characters were well developed. I loved the idea of Gods of the past being slain by a mere human and the rift it created between those that survived, and the humans below the citadel. I loved the relationships between Sarai and the other godspawn, and that they didn't fully agree with Minya's continued thirst for vengeance. Lazlo was such an innocent and sweet character that any girl should fall for, and it was pretty heartwarming that he finally found out who and what he really was and it was almost everything he could have asked for. I laughed at parts, felt like I was there for parts, and cried at the end. It made me feel all the feels and I can't wait to start Muse of Nightmares.

It caught me off guard a few times with the shift in perspective within a sequence, but all in all I think it worked out really well. The overall voice of the story was soothing and brought Lazlo's innocence to the foreground, which was a refreshing way of writing. I also really liked that there wasn't anything in this book that corrupted Lazlo's innocence until the very end. I have a feeling that Muse of Nightmares is going to show Lazlo the worst of the world, which is kind of going to break my heart in a way. It's almost as if I wish I could personally protect him from Minya's spite and rage, and bring Sarai back to life. I was really rooting for them to be together for real by the end, so it really broke my heart when it was Sarai that died. It was something I feel like I should have expected, but in Lazlo's innocence, I hoped for the very best. Writing that can make you feel that way towards a character deserves all the stars.

It was such a pleasure FINALLY reading a Laini Taylor book, and it was an amazing one at that. I can't wait to dive into Muse of Nightmares!