Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer Series #2)

by Laini Taylor

Overview

The highly anticipated, thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer, from National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.

Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.

She believed she knew every horror, and was beyond surprise.

She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she's capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel's near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this gorgeous sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316341714
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Series:	Strange the Dreamer Series , #2
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	169,259
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.80(d)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

About the Author

Laini Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of the Printz Honor Book Strange the Dreamer and its sequel, Muse of Nightmares. Taylor is also the author of the global sensation the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and the companion novella Night of Cake & Puppets. Taylor's other works include the Dreamdark books: Blackbringer and Silksinger, and the National Book Award finalist Lips Touch: Three Times. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their daughter, Clementine. Her website is lainitaylor.com.

Editorial Reviews

* "It is here, perhaps, that Taylor shines the brightest: she's always been a wordsmith, and this book is no exception."—Booklist, starred review




"A sequel that surpasses the original."—Kirkus Reviews


Praise and accolades for Strange the Dreamer:
A NPR Best Book
A Goodreads Best YA Fantasy and Science Fiction NomineeA Boston Globe Best YA Book
A Popcrush Best Young Adult Book
A Popsugar Best Book for Women
A Booklist Editors' Choice
An A.V. Club Favorite Book

A Tor Top Young Adult SFF Book
A Christian Science Monitor Best Book
A B&N Teen Blog Best Young Adult Book
A Forever Young Adult Best Book

"Laini Taylor is so damn good and like no other."—Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom




"Laini Taylor set my imagination on fire so hard that it spontaneously combusted...This is the kind of story that paves dreams."— Roshani Chokshi, author of The Star Touched Queen




"[A] must-read YA!"— USA Today




"Part adventure novel, part romance and part exercise in epic myth-building, it's gorgeously written and full of surprises."—NPR




"[One of] our favorite books of the year!"— Popsugar




"An epic world of gods, moths and nightmares; a world where the dream chooses the dreamer."— Justine Magazine




"Weighty as a nightmare and as transportive as the finest of fantasy, Laini Taylor's new novel will leave readers with miracles on their minds."— Hypable

* "Gorgeously written in language simultaneously dark, lush, and enchanting, the book will leave readers eager for the next."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "...Characters are carefully, exquisitely crafted, the writing is achingly lovely, and the world is utterly real...This is a thing to be savored."—Booklist, starred review

* "[Strange the Dreamer] has all the rich, evocative imagery and complex world-building typical of Taylor's best work. This outstanding fantasy is a must-purchase for all YA collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "The luxurious prose and complex world building invites and rewards slow reading....Here readers will find characters to love and ones to hate and, ultimately, a world to be willingly lost in."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

* [Readers] will dive into Taylor's gorgeous prose and brilliant imagery and relish this story about dreams, love, monsters, gods, ghosts, war, and alchemy. Told from alternating points of view, this is complex but satisfying, a story about cultures meeting and clashing."—VOYA, starred review

"[Laini Taylor] has spun another mesmerizing tale with captivating twists and turns, an array of intriguing characters, strange and beautiful language, and baroque flourishes of the imagination."—Horn Book

"Lovers of intricate worldbuilding and feverish romance will find this enthralling."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

09/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Following directly after the acclaimed first novel in Taylor's lush series, Strange the Dreamer, this sequel finds the lovers Lazlo Strange, former librarian–turned-warrior, and his beloved, Sarai, thrown into an impossible situation. Lazlo, while trying to preserve the citadel of the Mesarthim, is unable to save Sarai from a terrible fall. Impaled on an iron gate, Sarai dies only to be brought back as a ghost by Minya, a child with the power to control the dead and a uncontrollable need for vengeance against the Seraphim who travel between multiple worlds wreaking havoc on the lives of lesser beings. Now they must all find a way to work together to free the worlds from the godlike Seraphim despite overwhelming odds. The author of the "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" trilogy has created an intricate universe that will both intrigue and repel readers. Unfortunately, the constant switching between scenes, points of view, and plot lines is confusing and somewhat detracts from what would otherwise be truly lovely world-building. VERDICT Purchase where Taylor has a loyal following and where the previous title is popular.—Jane Henriksen Baird, formerly at Anchorage Public Library, AK

School Library Journal

2018-06-24
Love and hatred haunt survivors in this otherworldly sequel.It's been 15 years since the people of Weep slaughtered the gods and godspawn in the seraph-shaped citadel, an event known as the Liberation by the citizens of Weep…and the Carnage by the five godspawn who secretly survived. But an explosion revealed their existence and killed 17-year-old Sarai. Yet she remains, anchored by malevolent Minya and still in love with Lazlo Strange. Grief-stricken Lazlo experiments with his newfound smith powers and reunites with Sarai in exotic, erotic dreams. Also sharing narrative duty: fellow blue-skinned, magically gifted godspawn Ruby, Feral, and Sparrow—absorbed in their own romantic triangle—Minya, literally haunted by lives lost in the Carnage, and the mysterious Nova, fleeing a wintry wasteland in pursuit of her sister Kora and revenge. Freed from isolation, the godspawn struggle to connect, wondering about their parents—both Mesarthim "gods" and unwilling Weep humans—and their missing fellow godspawn. Taylor (Strange the Dreamer, 2017, etc.) dances between fantasy and sci-fi, indulging in gods, magic, alchemy, and lost desert civilizations, only to subvert them with spaceships, interdimensional travel, and alien worlds. Depending on readers' tastes, this is ornate, emotionally charged, and poetic—or florid, overdone, overstuffed, and angst-y. The people of Weep are brown-skinned, but godspawn turn blue when they are in contact with mesarthium.A sequel that surpasses the original. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

The always impressive Steve West does some of his finest work narrating the cast of dozens in Laini Taylor's epic fantasy conclusion to the Strange the Dreamer duology. West’s powerful tone captures main characters Lazlo's and Sarai's emotions and skillfully manages the many important secondary characters, giving them each distinct and easy-to-follow vocal tags. So much happens in this second (but hopefully not final) story about the supernatural blue Mesarthim and the people of Weep, and West guides listeners through the many heartrending (keep tissues on hand) close calls and battles for survival. Entertaining yet incredibly emotional, MUSE OF NIGHTMARES is a master class in audiobook narration. S.A.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile