Muse of Nightmares

As someone who absolutely adored Strange the Dreamer – the first Laini Taylor book I came across – I could not wait to read the second part of this two-part series, Muse of Nightmares. I was not at all disappointed.

Taylor’s writing style is lyrical and lovely, and her way of weaving together phrases took my breath away here. This fantasy has a fairy tale quality to it that’s completely in line with the theme of dreaming. Being in the world of Weep felt like being immersed in a dream: wonderful and weird, somehow impossible to imagine being somewhere else, bittersweet in its unattainability for those of us in the real world.

Muse picks up right where Strange the Dreamer left off. The children of the gods are still high above Weep in their metal angel, but the people of the city now know that they are there; everything has changed and no one is safe in this story that seems doomed to end in vengeance and tragedy for everyone involved. I’d recommend reading Strange first, which is slower paced and focuses on character and world-building that really pays off here.

I cared very deeply about the full cast and honestly worried about them as the plot took form and I couldn’t see any way for everything to resolve. This book is genuinely tense in places, as well as having plenty of cute and cosy, funny, caring and romantic moments. It was an emotional roller-coaster, a fantastical dream and a stunning experience to read.

Rebecca Sutherland, WHSmith Australia