Dreams of Gods & Monsters

It was not a happy ending, but a happy middle - at last, after so many fraught beginnings. Their story would be long. Much would be written of them, some of it in verse, some sung, and some in plain prose, in volumes to be penned for the archives of cities not yet built.

Initial reaction right after finishing the trilogy:
OH MY GAAAAAWWWD. Aw, fuck. I have so many emotions right now.

I am fangirling so hard. Do not expect an objective review. I find myself incapable of producing one objective thought, because my feelings have gotten the best of me with this whole trilogy.

A few hours later:
Okay, expect some objectivity now, because it's been a few hours since I finished reading. I managed to calm down a little when I started writing the show more review, so I ended up finding my objectivity. Although I mostly write reviews for myself, to re-read sometime and remember exactly how the book made me feel, not so much to say how good or bad a book is, so my reviews are never really objective.

First of all, the writing. Jesus, God, godstars, merciful Tehlu (all the gods everywhere). I cannot properly explain how much I loved Laini Taylor's writing. It is poetic without ever getting annoyingly cheesy, as it usually happens in YA romance. Honestly, I couldn't find one flaw in her style. It pulled me right in from the first page and, even after I've finished all the books, I have yet to find a release from it. So many beautiful lines, so many beautiful images. So many cruel images depicted so subtly, so as to have them pass through your very soul. I truly hope some of her way of writing finds its way into my own, because I aspire to this writing style. Sadly, as much as it pains me, I'm not a very poetic person when it comes to descriptions, but I hope Laini's writing inspires me to become it.

What filled her wasn't desire, but tenderness, and a profund gratitude that he lived, and she did, too. That he had found her, and that he had found her again. And... dear gods and stardust... yet again. Let that be the last time he ever needed to come looking for her.

What was also great about the writing style was that the change of voice was always visible: the choice of words changed according to each character, and the way things were phrased and thought. It just was very good writing, okay?
It seems, in this third book, Laini learned from her mistakes in the second book and didn't make it all unnecessarily confusing for the reader. The POV changes were done much better, even when we are introduced to a new character whose past is a very intriguing mystery. When we were introduced to new characters in the second book, it had felt wrong, it annoyed me, because it seemed to add nothing to the main plot (eventually, it added a little bit to it, but I feel like it still wasn't introduced in the right way). This time, we knew this new character was key to how it would all end.
The maintaining of the mystery was done so well. Not just in this book but in all three of them, although I think that it was best accomplished in this last one. She knew exactly where to stop and change the POV so it would keep you in suspense for a little while longer. In the second book, it kept you in suspense for too long and it was bothersome. But this one was done so well. I knew that I was basically being played with, given small shocks to later learn that nothing bad had actually happened. I was being teased. And I fell for it every time. Or rather, I let myself fall for it, because I loved getting so lost in the story that I couldn't think of anything other than the exact scene I was reading; I couldn't think ahead. Because the POV changed and this one was just as interesting and exctiting as the one I had just been left hanging by, and it was like that every time. So it never bothered me, it never made me get so impatient to end up angry about it. But that wasn't all because of the writing style, of course. It was because the story of each character was good enough to make me forget I was being teased.

Which brings me to my second point: the story and the characters. As I said in my review of the second book, I loved every single character. Even the bad guys were well-written bad guys, which made me like them as much as despise them (I can appreciate when an antagonist is a quality, believable character, even if he/she is a complete bastard). I loved every character and I loved their development. Akiva has found a nice, cozy spot in my heart (he found it in the second book, but now he gets to keep it forever, dimly lit up by the sparks of his wings). And so have Zuzana and Mik... these two were such a nice surprise. Zuzana was hilarious and so much braver than she needed to be, at times a much stronger character than Karou. And Mik was wonderful, so caring and romantic in such a sweet way. They made such a beautiful, realistic couple. Most of the secondary characters ended up being a nice surprise, like Liraz. Oh, man, do I like her. I loved her character development, I love how it suited her so well.
And the story of this trilogy... oof. Can we just take a moment to appreciate Laini Taylor's imagination? This story was nothing if not imaginative. A completely different take on angels. None of that religious crap. These angels aren't Heavenly creatures, they are on the same level as vampires, elves or fairies. They are simply fantasy creatures, completely unrelated to Earth. And the existence of chimaera next to them is so unprecedented. They're fantasy creatures that would never mix in the same story. And I love how well it fit here.
AND ALL THE PLOT TWISTS, HOLY SHIT. I don't know if I've ever read a YA series with as many plot twists as this one. Not once in any of the three books was I able to foresee or predict anything. Granted, not all of it was shocking —although a lot of it was—, but they were all surprising in some way. I usually paused to think where new pieces of information could lead, but I never really got close to it. I mean, sure, in the first book, you can guess Karou is an incarnation of Akiva's long lost love, but how could you have possibly imagined exactly how her existence had come to pass? There were just too many posibilities considering what little information we had. That's why the plot twists worked so well. You were always given enough information so as not to feel completely left out of the story, but never more information that was absolutely necessary, so of course you would be taken by surprise when you found out that souls could be collected from corpses and placed into new bodies made out of teeth with magic. How could one have possibly guessed that the teeth Karou collected for Brimstone were ingredients to make empty bodies to revive chimaera soldiers? I loved that I was never able to guess.
Something that bothered me a little was that none of the books actually end. They are all one whole book cut in three pieces. There's no story that starts and ends in the same book. You could say that, respectively, each book was the introduction, the middle, and the end. The three books constitute one whole book. I'm not a big fan of that, of books that don't feel whole on their own. But I loved the story too much to be bothered greatly. The end of this last book was weird too. It does put an end to what was built in the previous two, but it also introduces something new that doesn't quite finish. I know it comes from the previous book, but it was still a little off. The whole "becoming the godstars" was weird. It seemed to imply they would immediately leave Eretz to fight the Beasts/Cataclysm. But they never leave, they just go back to the Far Isles to heal the veil and for Akiva to learn to control his destructive power. Do they ever fight? How would they even get out there to fight the Beasts? Or could they fight down there, from Eretz? When the epilogue starts you get the feeling that it won't end well, that the lovers will never be reunited, that Akiva left Eretz to become a godstar and fight the darkness. At some point it almost seems like the fight has already happened and that Akiva is dead. But no, he was just on the other side of Eretz learning and practicing his power. It was the most misleading chapter of the entire trilogy. And it's not actually an ending. Sure, I liked that it was a beginning for Akiva and Karou, but the Beasts are still out there, so what was the whole "becoming the godstars" about? What was the ultimate point of that? What was the point of Eliza? What did she actually do apart from suggesting they become the godstars? And what does it even mean, to become the godstars? Nothing actually changed, no one has any new powers or anything that might make them gods, and nothing more is said about the Cataclysm. And to introduce all of this at the very end of the trilogy was strange. It seemed the book could've ended earlier, with the peace found in Eretz, and it would've been much more satisfying, as much as I loved the whole thing about the anima, the veil, and fate and all of that. Objectively, I know that this aspect would make me drop at least one star from the rating, but I just can't do it. I loved these books too much. I can't even be mad about those small loose ends at the end. I cannot be mad at you, Laini Taylor, because you had me captivated in a way that YA hasn't done in a long while. Sure, there were some weak spots in the plot and in the constant change of POV, but I can't seem to be bothered by them. Mostly because I fell in love with the writing style and with the characters, all beautiful and believable and different. Another reason is because I devoured all three books in 11 days, which messed me up a little bit, emotionally. Since these books basically play with your feelings until the very fucking end, I can't say that one loose end bothers me much. I'm actually thankful for all the different emotions I felt throughout the trilogy, even though a lot of them were different types of despair. It means I found it all believable within the context of the story, nothing ever felt forced to happen just to move the plot forward.

Ultimately, this trilogy was a very nice reminder that not all of YA literature is generic garbage. show less

Akiva, a seraph, and Karou, a chimaera, were not supposed to fall in love. On opposite sides of a terrible war, they now attempt to unite against a common foe: Jael, Akiva's uncle, who has gone to earth - and may very well annihilate it, too - to seek out weapons in his fight against the "beasts," or chimaera. Akiva and Karou concoct a daring plan to ally the chimaera under the "White Wolf," actually a friend of Karou's in disguise, and the Misbegotten, Akiva's warrior half-brothers and sisters. Their small band has little in numbers, but they dare to hope in the face of terrible actions that may destroy their entire world.

I actually had a hard time getting into the book at first, as I wasn't quite sure I was remembering who each show more character was and was reading a couple of other books at the same time finding myself divided. However, in the past few days I've devoured more than half the book and found it an absolutely satisfying end to the series. Ends I didn't even know were loose were explained and I was so very pleased with the created world and magic and legends and characters and... everything. At just over 600 pages and the third of three long books, it is a series that demands some time and attention, but I found it entirely worthwhile. I would recommend it both to fans of teen fantasy and paranormal romances as a well-crafted story with a truly unique premise and phenomenal worldbuilding. show less

ngl, giving this book four stars purely because the series is over (HOPEFULLY) and I'll never have to roll my eyes over this particular soul mate angst EVER AGAIN. otoh, world building was still interesting (tho the intro of what turns out to be a very important character in this last book felt very pastede on yay) and there are basically sky bison, so I couldn't exactly hate it. still, jfc, YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE, HAS TEEN WOLF TAUGHT US NOTHING.

Wow. What can I say? This trilogy has become my new high water mark for world building, plotting, character development, etc... What could I possibly read now that won't absolutely pale in comparison? I mean, I felt like Karou, Akiva, Zuzana, Mik, Issa, and Liraz were my friends, like I actually knew them. I felt like I was living and breathing their adventures with them. The details were so vivid, I almost thought if I turned on the television, there might be footage of a flying blue haired girl or a group of angels. A very rare thing, this is. Hold on to it. Treasure it. These books will be permanent residents of my bookshelves next to Outlander, Graceling, Shadow of Blackbirds, and Code Name Verity, just to name a few more recent show more additions. I also find myself craving goulash and strudel. I guess I'll just have to break out the old family recipes and get to work! show less

Well I am still in denial mode that this series has come to a close. PLEASE...do yourself a favor and DO NOT READ this or any review, or status update until you read this for yourself. Unfortunately, the 5 star PLUS rating I give this will tell you in itself of my love for this book. It is however the discovery of reading through this series' conclusion that no one should want spoiled.

So if you are still reading I am going to say first, you better have read it, and if you haven't, you have been warned. I will include some spoilers and do not intend to hide them. Again, you have been warned.

I LOVED this book! For the first time I feel like the author thought through all three books in the beginning and gave it everything she had to show more give. Laini Taylor, as I mentioned in one of my updates, is a goddess. This entire series flowed beautifully and as a cohesive unit. I have become frustrated when some series become a series as a means to sell another book. Hey, I get it...write another book, sell more books, make more money. It is an industry. But when you find a series that is a trilogy because the story is rich and deserves the number of pages you are buying, it is beyond refreshing and rewarding.

What I loved about this conclusion is that so many things from the first 2 books were brought back into the fold. Untold stories about Razgut, where Akiva came from, just to name a few. And new relationships were formed that were just so magical and unexpected.

We are introduced to a new female, Eliza, who is not forced into this series but enters with purpose and important ties to those around her. I was left guessing for much of the book as to who the hell this girl was and what her tie could be. Was she related to Karou, to Akiva, another resurrected soul by Brimstone, who is she?? in the end her connection was even better than I imagined. She is one cool chic" and ultimately becomes the perfect companion to Karou and Zuz.

Zuz and Mik, of course, are lovely. They have some fantastic moments and get to dish out some wishes for good and bad and get their moment to shine in more ways than one.

Liraz and Ziri for me, made this book. Ziri was probably one of the most lovable and strong characters in this series and he needed and deserved to be loved. I was not expecting Liraz to be that someone but as this unfolded I was so overjoyed. The flashbacks to previous books and their interactions, or near interactions, brought forth an understanding between these characters of the sacrifices and losses they have both experienced. Liraz's struggle with her past and her marks are heartfelt and crushing...she needed a sweet soul to guide her and she found the sweetest one. *holding back tears*

I so enjoyed the reunion of Akiva and Karou. Their relationship is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, and while they could have physically reunited sooner, it was their love for their dream that proved to come first, which was the way it should have been.

Is this a happily ever ending? Not really. Yes we get our loving couples reunited, and the bad guys got what was coming to them, but I loved that not everything was rosie and wrapped in pink. This is Eretz we are talking about...where war has been their life for far too long. To turn this all around in a matter of days is not realistic at all. This is a journey with the dream and the hope for pink bows and rainbows, and that's what is remarkable about this conclusion. There is much work to be done and years of rebuilding ahead for them all. But they are together.

Overall I felt that nearly every stone was turned...I did want Gabriel to return in the end, so for me Zuz and Mik bring him back to Eretz following one of their trips to Earth. :) And I did want a bit more resolution as to the end fate of Razgut. But neither of these items did I feel dampened my spirit. I have read that some readers feel that the series is so open ended that we could get more from LT. While that sounds great, I would hope this NEVER happens. Don't mess with a good thing. Some books are best completed in our own minds.

This was a buddy read with Andrew. Thanks for taking this journey with me!" show less

I loved this book and think that, over all, it was a great ending to a great trilogy. The back stabbing and heart rending twists made for an amazing read, especially the last chunk of the book.

The characters were very well written and I love that they did not completely lose themselves in their love for their partners, thereby causing things to become so much worse for everyone else.

I knocked a star off the rating because I did not like how the author treated the fates of certain characters. Treatment for some of them was waaaay too lenient for what they had done.

I can't believe what I just read. Dreams of Gods and Monsters is a glittering mix of physics, metaphysics, mythology, brilliant characters, deep emotion, and soaring, sweeping writing. That ending! It was all there, marching unseen beside me as I turned the pages, but when it uncloaked and stood revealed, I couldn't breathe. I've researched these same mythologies. I've put together much of these same thoughts about (sorry, spoilers) and so have many other writers. No one. No. One. Has done it like this. I am in awe.

Is this the perfect ending to a most beloved trilogy? You bet. Read this. Savor it, hoard it, go slowly. By the time you come to the final third, you'll have to keep yourself from galloping through. I suspect the only thing show more I will enjoy more than reading it the first time will be reading it again to marvel at the craft of a consummate storyteller.

Brava. show less