"Life won't just happen to you boy, You have to happen to it. Remember : the spirit grow sluggish when you neglect the passion."
― Master Hyrrokin ―

I can't believe that i finally read this one! This book has been in my shelf since 2018 and I've been waiting to have the second book to be released and have it in my shelf before starting this one, so finally! The time has come! 

To give a bit of a context here, i had the paperback copy of it first and after a year of waiting for the paperback copy of muse of the nightmare to be publish (at this point i believe it hasn't, since i can't find it, that US edition cover) so i gave up my paperback US copy of my Strange the Dreamer and got the hardcover instead, and when finally i have the hardcover of Muse of the Nightmare this year, i can finally start reading this duology.

So How Hype is this book?

 All i can remember was "The Drama" of the UK edition of Strange the dreamer gone rare and super pricey. It just made me want to collect them faster (although i have the US edition one) you know, just in case it becomes rare like the UK edition one. I love the cover so much, it such a pretty cover for type of cover that include moth in it, which is not one of my fave tho. 

It's quite surprising that today when i search for it in our book bible goodreads, that it still hasn't reach 100K reviews yet, but close, judging by the drama and how famous it is among my friends in bookstagram specially among my Indonesian friends. But as you can see 94% people who read them love it. And so with my expectations.

Synopsis

My Honest Review

I started this one back in 27th of march and finished it at 7th of April. So it took a solid 10 days to finish it. Is it that bad? No, to my defense i was in super slump after such a great ride of Nevernight series. But let me tell you what i got from this book. 

Lazlo is such an easy main character to love. I always love a character that loves to read. Plus he's such a soft, lovely boy. I just love him instantly. The way he sees wonder of the world that no one think it's still there, the way he helps people in their distress altho they treat him so bad. I just love this guy. As you can see it already. 

"I am riding over the funeral of the ijji with the Godslayer. Whose secretary i am."
― Lazlo Strange ―

The book is split into two POV, Lazlo and Sarai, the godspawn with ability to go into people's dream and give them nightmare as the revenge for slaying their parents. She and the other four has to live secretly in the Citadel,  a big blue metal-like statue which used to be the god's place when they invade the Weep. Unlike the others, Sarai who can see the people's live below the citadel through her moth into their dreams, she came to realize why human slay the gods, and start to questioning is war can solve their problem.

To be honest i think this book is too slow paced. It took 23 chapters for Lazlo to get into the Unseen City, and another 30 chapters to get to the point of the plot, by the plot i mean the climax of the story. Also aside from the main character's POV, we also got some other character's POV too, some in different chapter specially for them like Thyon Nero, but also sometimes in same chapter.  Sometimes the changes of POV in same chapter just made it a bit hard to understand which saying what and to whom, so it's a bit confusing. 

I like the concept tho, the dreams are just amazing, love the places in there, the beauty of it, even the theories that he made for the Unseen city, how it looks like and all that shows in his dreams are just amazing. 

 

Skathis might have been an artist, but he’d been a vile one. Strange the dreamer was an artist, too, and he was the antidote to vile. [...]
“You do good work, dreamsmith.”
― Sarai ―

 

My Verdict

It's around So-so to Uh Yeah for me. It's just normal read, good concept, but not enough to live up the hype. I like the ideas, and characters in it, specially Lazlo and the godlsayer, but i was expecting more adventures in the book, but it's too slow pace for me.  But yes, it's a good read. And make sure you have the next book ready because it's such a cliff hanger!

 

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