Happy Friday bibliophiles! So pleased to be writing my first Friday Favorites post! Kibby started this tag at Something of the Book. It’s a fun way to celebrate the books you love on one of the best days of the week! This week is all about series openers. There’s really only one book that comes to mind when I think of truly stellar beginnings.

Strange the Dreamer has no shortage of fans, and I am certainly one of them. Personally, I am partial to book 1, there were some elements of the finale I didn’t love. I love this book for so many reasons, but I’ll just pick 3 today.

Lazlo Strange

Lazlo is one of the POV character in Strange the Dreamer and everything you need to know about him is summed up in one life experience. When working in a library, a large book of fantasy fell from a shelf and broke his nose. This snippet of his past conveys so much of who Lazlo is. It perfectly illustrates how skilled Laini Taylor is at deftly illustrating characters in the mind of her readers. Lazlo is not your everyday hero. His bravery comes in the form of intelligence, learning, and a genuine desire to find the truth. He’s perfectly suited to this story that doesn’t really have a villain.

The City of Weep

Weep plays such a crucial role in this book. The people, and especially the history of the city are given so much attention throughout the story. When you first see Weep, it’s not at its best, and it’s so interesting to see how the decline of Weep has affected its occupants. Again, because there’s no major antagonistic force in the book it’s so interesting to see how the characters deal with hardship.

The Metaphors!

Laini Taylor doesn’t shy away from attacking the relevant social issues of the time. In Strange the Dreamer she focuses a great deal on xenophobia, and racism. If you have to find a villain in the book, this is it. The tendency for people to fear the unknown, or demonize the unknown creates a lot of the problems in the book. I felt that this was another beautifully written aspect of the novel. It wasn’t ham fisted, and it wasn’t overbearing.

If you haven’t already gotten to Strange the Dreamer, I highly recommend it. The series is completed now, so you don’t have to wait between books like I did! Is Strange one of your favorites? Let me know in the comments! Enjoy the weekend!