Hey, guys! Dreams of Gods & Monsters is book three (book 1) (book 2) in a series that I would not really recommend. The first two books were half good and half bad, but book 3 is about 3/4th bad.
Overall, it was about two hundred pages too long, had a secondary plot that was just unconnected and should've been left out, and had a conclusion so unsatisfying that I doubled checked to make sure there wasn't another book in the series.
It wasn't all bad, but I was not satisfied.
The Cover:
The Cover:
Look at the dramatic eye makeup! Really, this cover is just a desperate attempt to fit the pattern of the last few books when it doesn't quite work. It shows Ziri's antlers in the foreground with a girl in the background. I think it's meant to be Karou, but the book constantly points out that Karou has blue hair, so I have no idea. Anyone know who it is? Comment! A C- cover
Official Description:
By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.
Common enemy, common cause.
When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.
And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.
But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.
What power can bruise the sky?
From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.
At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?
My Review:
Before I get too far in, I just want to point out that this book is 613 pages long. And mediocre. I understand reading Dreams of Gods & Monsters if you enjoyed the last two books, but if you, like me, weren't particularly impressed, just don't bother. The only reason I read it was because of the cliffhanger of the last book, but this book doesn't conclude the story, so don't bother reading it.
The only redeeming quality of this book was the characters. Whatever flaws the plot had, the characters were well developed and had interesting interactions with each other. The dialogue was well constructed, as well. The writing itself is skilled, but not the ability to make a good plot.
Besides that, I found myself bored while reading this. It might've been the length, mixed with storylines that didn't go anywhere.
I expected this book to mostly be Misbegotten angels and chimera vs Jael. This was the main conflict for the first half, but then the real enemy was introduced. Basically, giant beasts. The story developed the looming threat for the remainder of the book and then just cut off. There will be no continuation of how these great beasts will be defeated. The story is done with a happily ever after that seems more than artificial, not to mention just dumb. It was, quite frankly, a stupid ending. Laini Taylor could've brought this whole series to a close with a 300 page book that had an actual ending. Opportunity lost and the series can't be redeemed.
My other main complaint was the introduction of the character Eliza. A new character was introduced in the third book in a trilogy. She had about every third chapter dedicated to her point of view, which really wasn't linked the the rest of the story until after the climax of the book. Her point of view disrupted the flow of the book and was just boring. It definitely should've just been left out.
Overall, I do not recommend this book. I would stop myself from reading it if I could.
If you've spent this entire review fuming because you loved the first two books, go ahead and read it. This series is just more your thing than mine.
If you were thinking about starting the series, don't.
If you were debating whether to continue the series, don't.
Phrase:
We get it, Zuzana likes cake.
Happy Reading!
If you're trying to find a book, check out these!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret
Overall, it was about two hundred pages too long, had a secondary plot that was just unconnected and should've been left out, and had a conclusion so unsatisfying that I doubled checked to make sure there wasn't another book in the series.
It wasn't all bad, but I was not satisfied.
The Cover:
Look at the dramatic eye makeup! Really, this cover is just a desperate attempt to fit the pattern of the last few books when it doesn't quite work. It shows Ziri's antlers in the foreground with a girl in the background. I think it's meant to be Karou, but the book constantly points out that Karou has blue hair, so I have no idea. Anyone know who it is? Comment! A C- cover
Official Description:
By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.
Common enemy, common cause.
When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.
And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.
But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.
What power can bruise the sky?
From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.
At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?
My Review:
Before I get too far in, I just want to point out that this book is 613 pages long. And mediocre. I understand reading Dreams of Gods & Monsters if you enjoyed the last two books, but if you, like me, weren't particularly impressed, just don't bother. The only reason I read it was because of the cliffhanger of the last book, but this book doesn't conclude the story, so don't bother reading it.
The only redeeming quality of this book was the characters. Whatever flaws the plot had, the characters were well developed and had interesting interactions with each other. The dialogue was well constructed, as well. The writing itself is skilled, but not the ability to make a good plot.
Besides that, I found myself bored while reading this. It might've been the length, mixed with storylines that didn't go anywhere.
I expected this book to mostly be Misbegotten angels and chimera vs Jael. This was the main conflict for the first half, but then the real enemy was introduced. Basically, giant beasts. The story developed the looming threat for the remainder of the book and then just cut off. There will be no continuation of how these great beasts will be defeated. The story is done with a happily ever after that seems more than artificial, not to mention just dumb. It was, quite frankly, a stupid ending. Laini Taylor could've brought this whole series to a close with a 300 page book that had an actual ending. Opportunity lost and the series can't be redeemed.
My other main complaint was the introduction of the character Eliza. A new character was introduced in the third book in a trilogy. She had about every third chapter dedicated to her point of view, which really wasn't linked the the rest of the story until after the climax of the book. Her point of view disrupted the flow of the book and was just boring. It definitely should've just been left out.
Overall, I do not recommend this book. I would stop myself from reading it if I could.
If you've spent this entire review fuming because you loved the first two books, go ahead and read it. This series is just more your thing than mine.
If you were thinking about starting the series, don't.
If you were debating whether to continue the series, don't.
Phrase:
We get it, Zuzana likes cake.
Happy Reading!
If you're trying to find a book, check out these!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret
