Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor is the sequel to YA novel, Strange the Dreamer.
We pick up right where we left off. Lazlo has learned that he is actually Mesarthim and can control their impervious metals; Sarai is dead and yet, still alive; and both of them are at the mercy of a vengeful young woman, trapped in the body of an eight year old. Minya has given Lazlo a choice, he must choose between the women he loves and the people he has sworn to protect.
Weep itself is in an uproar after the citadels fall and the confusion of finding out that not only are the Mesarthim still alive, but that their friend is one of them. Worlds that were once separate will now collide in this conclusion to Strange the Dreamer.
I thought Strange the Dreamer was a really great book. A different world from anything I’ve ever read and the story was really well told. Muse of Nightmares was equally as good, but I think there was a different feel, a different dynamic to it. There was this desperation throughout that didn’t really exist in the first book. The first book was full of revelation and discovery, magic and dreams. This one was shot through with conflict and frustration, despair and tension. And yet the two stories still fit together really well.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like the sister’s story in this one, but ultimately, I think it added another layer to the story and allowed it to progress. If the story were only about Lazlo and Sarai and Minya’s control over them, well, it would have been a novella instead of a sequel.
My only negative comment about the book, was that it ended too cleanly for me. For a book that was filled with fear and desperation from it’s characters, I expected a bit more trauma at the end. I don’t know if that makes sense but I felt like just about everyone got their happy ending and although that is nice sometimes, I would have liked a little more drama.
Taylor did a great job building these worlds. This one gets a high 4 stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-