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Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)

Laini Taylor

Start date: April 1, 2017

Finish date: April 30, 2017

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for the series BOTM
[close] Won the poll for the series BOTM

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Series

* Continuing Series- Nightbane
By Bailey · 4 posts · 30 views

last updated Aug 12, 2025 07:32AM

* New Series- The Princess Trials
By Bailey · 10 posts · 59 views

last updated Aug 27, 2025 04:41PM

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What Members Thought

Aug 03, 2020 Veronica245 rated it liked it

I was looking forward to this book, a lot. This book had some wonderful reviews from so many people.

I can’t say this was a bad book, but this book had pretty much everything that I do not love in books out into one.

This book doesn’t have all the usual things that makes me give a book a bad review, it’s not awfully written with cheesy dialogue and editing errors, the characters aren’t superbly annoying in their ridiculous actions. There isn’t an overuse of sex or profanity. None of that.

This b I was looking forward to this book, a lot. This book had some wonderful reviews from so many people.

I can’t say this was a bad book, but this book had pretty much everything that I do not love in books out into one.

This book doesn’t have all the usual things that makes me give a book a bad review, it’s not awfully written with cheesy dialogue and editing errors, the characters aren’t superbly annoying in their ridiculous actions. There isn’t an overuse of sex or profanity. None of that.

This book just wasn’t for me, the writing here is beautiful, but I think sometimes Taylor got so into her writing that she has forgotten that there is a story to be done. It’s so descriptive with so many long weird words that it made the book incredibly slow, and to me so much of it was unnecessary. To explain this better here is an example of going way overboard with describing. This was closer to the end of the book and I just laughed out loud and had to save it for this review.

“Eyes wide and shining, eyes unchanged. His were still gray, hers were still blue. And her lashes were still honey red, and his as glossy black as the pelts of rivercats. His hair was still dark, and hers was still cinnamon, and his nose was the victim of velvet-bound fairy tales, and her mouth was damson-lush.”

Example of beautiful but incredibly overdone writing. Now many people like it, and that’s great, for me... way too much.

Now did I mention how slow this was?! I read half a book and we didn’t know what was the main plot was yet.
And then it was followed by another pet peeve of mine, instalove! God do I hate the instalove! There should be a warning on every book! Contains instalove enter at your own risk!!

I really enjoyed maybe 1/5 of it. And while all that I still can’t say it was bad, it was just not for me. I would still advise people to read it and make their own opinions of it. Now I can’t decide if I want to read the second book. I hear it’s faster, but I am just not sure if I can take a two page description of the plum. ...more

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Aug 07, 2017 Talia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, i-own-this, fantasy, ya

Wow. This is amazing. It feels like so much more than just a book. The whole richness of it, the depth and questions it poses, the delivery of the elegant prose. Wow.

It's hard to even know where to begin.

This book is incredibly original. Certain parts can ring with cliche, but the overall quality of Taylor's imagination is striking. The world feels huge and intimate, as we follow Lazlo Strange's life. She introduces concepts that are as old as time but feel incredibly fresh. The whole work is fo ...more

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