I managed to pick up an arc of Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor at SDCC, and it was arguably the highlight of my con. It has such a buttery matte cover and I can’t wait to see the UK edition in October. If you haven’t read Strange the Dreamer yet, I don’t recommend reading this review!
Click here to see the Synopsis
In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.
Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of.
As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?
I give Muse a solid 4.5 stars. Overall I really enjoyed it, though it took a very unexpected direction! That’s by no means a bad thing, but I found myself a little overwhelmed by lots of new information. I don’t want to leave any spoilers in this review right now, so here are some really vague, general things I loved!
1. The writing. It should come as no surprise that the writing in this book is gorgeous. The prose is so delicate and emotionally charged, I was afraid to breathe too loudly for fear of scaring the words off the page. It was so easy to fall into the story and not want to climb back out.
2. Lots of attention to Sarai. I wanted more Sarai in Strange the Dreamer, and I got my wish in Muse of Nightmares. She takes center stage much more in this part of the story and I loved that.
3. The world gets bigger and more magical. The world building in Strange the Dreamer was amazing, and it only continues in Muse. The world explodes in size and scope in this book. It maybe grew too quickly, to be honest. There are a lot of new abilities and powers presented in Muse and it was fascinating to see how they all worked together.
Most of the issues I have with the book stem from the quick expansion of the world, but I don’t think most readers will find it bothersome. It pulled some of the focus away from Sarai/Lazlo and the other established characters in book 1. I would have been happy to stay in their bubble and not get to know new people. I can’t wait to see what more fans of Strange the Dreamer think of this installment! Personally, I am hoping for some novellas in the future. Regardless, I am really excited to see what Laini Taylor will write next!
Tinted Prose Reviews 
Amazing review! Can’t wait to read it! 🦋
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Thank you so much! I really appreciate it, trying to figure out this whole blog thing haha!
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