Sam Strives for 55 - Week 3

Here is week 3 of Sam's reading journey, the metrics and first week can be found here

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

1. Intrigue
   
   1. A solid young adult book. This story follows Lazlo Strange, a war orphan who dreams of finding a lost city. In general the main conflict is interesting, and side characters are great, especially a girl who can hold onto recently deceased spirits. However, the main character is slightly boring to the point where the reader starts to go, come on get on with it!
      
2. Writing Style
   
   1. There’s some typical too much authorial control and use of adjectives to tell and not show that comes with YA writing. But it’s very normal, so no points against this book. It’s written for teens! It won’t always be Shakespeare. 
      
   2. Juicy quote: “It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.” 
      
3. Flow of Storytelling
   
   1. I honestly don’t know if I’ve outgrown most fantasy, or if this story did - at times - get bogged down in worldbuilding, which is such a usual complaint I have about speculative fiction. However, for kids wanting to dive into the world, it all seems appropriate. The ending of the book is really good, though, and is paced well. 
      
4. Re-readability
   
   1. I enjoyed this book, but I’m not dying to read it all over again. Might change my mind, which is why this book sort of oscillated between a 3 and a 4. It’s gonna end up a three, but in the future could become a 4. 
      
5. TESS
   
   1. Did not qualify. 
      

Final Rating: ★★★

J. Sam Williams is an illustrious black-tailed hawk, longing to eat as many vegan mice as possible. In his human form, he is a High School English Teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lives with his wife, one dog and two cats. A somewhat retired breakdancing teacher, he is now a co-host on the Alohomora Podcast! He has been published on Lunch Ticket, immix: a journal for justice, Mugglenet, and a slew of small sports journalism publications. You can find him on twitter @Jabbernator.