Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you had a good weekend, mine was long at work but I did get some listening down for a read-along so I call it a win.  I also found lots of recipes I want to try in the near future so there is that also.  The March book in the Goodreads read-along I co-host was Strange theDreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor and I LOVED it!  I had high hopes as I enjoyed her other series but this just blew me away.  So the rest will be my full thoughts on the story though if I miss spell anything I am sorry I listened so I got most of my spellings from Google.

Rating:  5 Stars

                Lazlo Strange is a war orphan who lives in the dream world of books and seeks nothing more than to know everything about the mythic city of Weep.  The journey would take much more boldness than the librarian holds but when the opportunity presents itself in the form of Weeps own hero, The Godslayer, and his warriors it may be the push Lazlo needs to be bold.  Weep is just a city but it became mythical after it was cut off from the rest of the world some two hundred years prior.  The Godslayer is in search of people to come to Weep and help them solve their mysterious problem.  Weep holds many mysteries including what Gods did the Godslayer slay to get his title; why is Lazlo the dreamer dreaming of a blue-skinned goddess before he knew she could exist and more? 

                Okay so this book.  I LOVED IT!  Seriously it was amazing and as I got towards the end I was so anxious and worried and looking to see how long I’d have to wait to find out what happens next.  Lazlo pulls you in with his pure adoration for learning wanting to spend all of his time learning all the things he can including his free time learning anything there is about this city of Weep.  He is genuinely good in a way that we don’t see as much.  He doesn’t do anything with the hope of getting something for himself but because he honestly wants to help.  There was just something that made me love him from the start.  Along the way we meet some good and not so good characters who are vast and varied to be sure.  One of my favorites in the book who caught me by surprise was Calixtie, she is a gem and I'll leave you with this to grasp who she is: 

"And Women," said Lazlo.  "It's a woeful species that's all male."

"More like a nonexistent species," remarked Calixte.  "Men lacking both wombs and good sense."

                Along the way we learn about other characters who have had a very different life.  The citadel and Weep the back and forth of the two was just heartbreaking at times.  There was so much pain and suffering on both sides.  The duality of it all was beautifully written I cried several times while listening I can’t lie.  Every new discovery brought me closer in understanding the larger picture as a whole.  Sarai, Sparrow, Ruby, Feral, and Minya have a different kind of life and seeing it had me back and forth on my feelings many times over.  I was so sure of some things throughout and some I was right about and others I was wrong but as I was proven wrong it was so much better (story wise) than I could have imagined. 

                There are a lot of serious feelings in this story and I don’t even know how to describe them without giving things away.  So in this I will simply say this was a top read for me and I can’t wait for the sequel.  I need it in my life NOW.  I loved the characters and the imagery.  The world was so full of beauty and imagination.  I want to live in it.  The story was intriguing and kept me emerged it was hard to stop when I got out of the car (I had it as my car book for the first 65% or so before I broke down and just had to listen at work) because I found all the different facets interesting.  One thing I found with the characters was their level of self realization and understanding.  I was able to forgive or understand the actions of some characters because of how some of the characters reacted.  Sarai really is such a beautifully complex character knowing both sides of things given her gift.  She is raised to know one thing and sees that side but also in it sees that of her "enemy" and is able to understand both sides.  She as a character might have a deeper understanding of people as a whole than most people in the world and that depth really was an amazing feat. 

                I can't wait for the sequel and I was thrilled when I heard it was going to be  duology because that means I won't have to wait for another book after October.  I have so many theories for what is to come and worries because I stress again this book has some seriously dark moments and is not for everyone.  It handles the issues too and they are felt rather than brushed aside which is another attribute.  Is it October yet?

                Until next time…