Parents' Guide to

Muse of Nightmares: Strange the Dreamer, Book 2

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Absorbing fantasy reckons with trauma's awful impact.

Book Laini Taylor Fantasy 2018
Muse of Nightmares: Strange the Dreamer, Book 2 Poster Image

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Kids say (3):

There's a lot to love in this absorbing page-turner, but the three fierce women at its center drive this sequel to a deep place where they reckon with trauma and healing. And if that's too heavy for you, there's also the tender romance between a god and a ghost, a shape-shifting airship, alternate worlds, and more mythology and mysteries.

But back to the fierce women. Only one, Sarai, Muse of Nightmares, is easy to root for. She gave up her scary profession when she met Lazlo. Minya and Nova take work to root for. Author Laini Taylor puts in this work, showing their vulnerabilities, suffering, and fears. Then their nearly all-consuming drive for revenge makes sense, and adds so much unsettling tension to the story. Minya and Nova may annihilate everyone in their path to get the vengeance they seek. And Sarai and her dreams are the only weapons to stop them. Muse of Nightmares is ambitious and cerebral, and so worth the dreamy trip.

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