Muse of Nightmares

Laini Taylor has the most amazing imagination! I love how unique and wild her stories are and how reading her books feels like nothing else I've read or experienced. I do admit that the first half of this second book had me a bit worried. I LOVED Strange the Dreamer because it was lyrical and beautiful and dreamlike and adventurous and unique. At first I thought Muse of Nightmares had lost that as it became a bit of the cliche ‘I love you and can't ever be apart from you' drivel that so much YA belches out and I was finding it hard to keep reading, but then about half way through it started to turn around and the story plunges you into unfathomable directions fast and furiously. Back was this wild and crazy world building that drew me into Strange the Dreamer and yet expanded and growing in strange and wonderful ways, revealing mysteries and explaining how all of it came to be. On top of that is the heart-wrenching characters stories that tugged at my emotions and both broke my heart and gave me hope at the same time. Tragedy and heartbreak alongside hope and change. There were some profound messages if you look for them and I was satisfied with the outcomes on most fronts. Some did feel a bit rushed, leaving some certain characters growth seem less impactful, but overall I enjoyed it and wish and hope for more in this wonderful world Laini Taylor has created.