Although I liked Lair of dreams a lot, I don't think I liked it as much as the first book.
I like how many of the things that were unfinished in the first book were resolved. We met the girl with the green eyes, Ling Chan; the foreshadowing of The Diviners is partially resolved; and everyone ends up in the same room.
However, this book leaves you with more questions than answers.
Who is the man with the stove pipe hat?
What is Will up to?
What is Theta's power?
Will her dirt-bag ex come back?
Where are they keeping Sam's mother?
And who are these people?
Luckily we only need to wait ~patiently~ until the fall to get these answers when the third instalment of the series is expected. MUCH EXCITE.
So far I haven't actually talked about the book at all, so let's get to it. Again, I found the character's really compelling.
All the characters are dealing with a lot of different issues and they're all very diverse which I think is great. The book deals with a lot of points in American history that Americans do/should struggle with (for more information see the author's note at the end of the novel).
I really enjoy how Bray seamlessly combines the mystical and scientific. Each of them have a different space but interact with each other. I found her portrayal of fame to be pretty spot on, as well.
It was difficult to read all the characters spiralling all at once. None of them wanted to talk to anyone about it, either, which makes it all the worse. They all have this great untapped support network that they all refuse to look at. But I guess that's teenagers for you.
I rate this book a 8 out of 10. I really enjoyed reading it despite shelving it briefly to finish 1984. It is quite a massive novel so it's a bit of a pain to lug around but definitely worth the effort.
I like how many of the things that were unfinished in the first book were resolved. We met the girl with the green eyes, Ling Chan; the foreshadowing of The Diviners is partially resolved; and everyone ends up in the same room.
However, this book leaves you with more questions than answers.
Who is the man with the stove pipe hat?
What is Will up to?
What is Theta's power?
Will her dirt-bag ex come back?
Where are they keeping Sam's mother?
And who are these people?
Luckily we only need to wait ~patiently~ until the fall to get these answers when the third instalment of the series is expected. MUCH EXCITE.
So far I haven't actually talked about the book at all, so let's get to it. Again, I found the character's really compelling.
All the characters are dealing with a lot of different issues and they're all very diverse which I think is great. The book deals with a lot of points in American history that Americans do/should struggle with (for more information see the author's note at the end of the novel).
I really enjoy how Bray seamlessly combines the mystical and scientific. Each of them have a different space but interact with each other. I found her portrayal of fame to be pretty spot on, as well.
It was difficult to read all the characters spiralling all at once. None of them wanted to talk to anyone about it, either, which makes it all the worse. They all have this great untapped support network that they all refuse to look at. But I guess that's teenagers for you.
I rate this book a 8 out of 10. I really enjoyed reading it despite shelving it briefly to finish 1984. It is quite a massive novel so it's a bit of a pain to lug around but definitely worth the effort.
Post Script: One of the things that made me the most excited in this book was Gemma Doyle making an appearance. Will she pop up again? WILL WE SEE HER AGAIN? LIBBA BRAY? WILL WE? (only time will tell)
