Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, 2)

Muse of Nightmares is the eagerly awaited sequel to Strange The Dreamer by American author, Laini Taylor. After the exciting climax of book one, Lazlo finds himself blue (a god) while his new-found love, Sarai, once a god, is now a ghost, having not survived the fall from the citadel above Weep. Minya has Sarai's ghost tethered, but what she's demanding in return is surely too much? Meanwhile, the remaining faranjis make a discovery in the rubble of the exploded anchor of the citadel. And long ago, in a land far away, the youth of an arctic town hope for a change in their fates with the arrival of a strange ship of blue-skinned gods.

Taylor concludes her duology by giving her clever and imaginative plot even more twists and turns. Her characters are suitably appealing or repulsive as required, although those stereotypically nasty ones develop further, proving all is not quite so simple. Taylor's world-building is smooth and subtle: there are no info dumps here. Her descriptive prose is often gorgeous.

This tale has all the required elements of a fantasy adventure: heroes and heroines, gods and goddesses with amazing powers, warriors, ghosts, monsters and fantastic craft, dreams and nightmares, alchemy, magic and a mysterious metal called Mesarthium, cruelty, coercion and kindness, romance and heartbreak, and all contained within a gorgeous cover. All that was left hanging in Strange The Dreamer (which must be read first) is beautifully resolved, while leaving some scope for further adventures. An utterly enthralling conclusion.