Mini-reviews: The End of Our Story and Strange the Dreamer

The End of Our Story by Meg Haston
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: 4th April 2017
My rating: 3 stars

BEFORE: Bridge and Wil have been entangled in each other’s lives for years. Under the white-hot Florida sun, they went from kids daring each other to swim past the breakers to teenagers stealing kisses between classes. But when Bridge betrayed Wil during their junior year, she shattered his heart and their relationship along with it. AFTER: When Wil’s family suffers a violent loss, and Bridge rushes back to Wil’s side. As they struggle to heal old wounds and start falling for each other all over again, Bridge and Wil discover just how much has changed in the past year. Though they once knew each other’s every secret, they aren’t the same people they used to be. Bridge can’t imagine life without Wil, but sometimes love isn’t enough. Can they find their way back to each other, or will this be the end of their story?

The End of Our Story was really different to what I was expecting, I don’t know what I really expected to leave with, but I didn’t think I’d be left reeling and a little upset, Wil and Bridge’s relationship was beautifully done. I liked how Haston didn’t give us their complete story in one go, but switched between past and present in the chapters. I was quite gutted when I found out how things had ended between Wil and Bridge, as to me their relationship was a beautiful one, and also It’d sort of made me want to take a step back from Bridge’s character. But over the course of the story Bridge was able to win me back once more, she did make a couple of mistakes along the way, but she was one character who I’d wanted to get their happy ending. It was unfortunate the turn of events that bought Wil and Bridge back together and the back story that emerged from it did take me by surprise, as it had me constantly questioning whether I could trust every single character. The End of Our Story was a really beautifully written story with a lot of emotional punches along the way and although I was able to guess a couple of things, this didn’t take away the enjoyment of the book at all. I just wished that we’d got some sort of epilogue, just so that I could have peace of mind about how things ended. Despite this minor qualm aside, The End of Our Story was a poignant story and one I’m glad I didn’t miss out on reading this year.

 

The End of Our Story by Meg Haston
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: 4th April 2017 

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever. What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving? The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

I really don’t know what to say, I’m actually quite gutted that I didn’t end up enjoying Strange the Dreamer as much as I’d hoped. I was a huge fan of Taylor’s daughter of Smoke and Bone series, her writing was rich and complex and the story was woven utterly beautifully and I couldn’t help but become attached to such wonderful characters. Unfortunately this was not the case with Strange the Dreamer. I found the beginning such a struggle to get into, I’d heard from many readers that if I could stick out the beginning, then I had so much to look forward to. And although aspects of the book did pick up for me, I enjoyed the journey we experienced with Lazlo and the group of characters he came about. And I did become super intrigued by Azareen and Eril-Fane and what happened between them and made them become this way? I still however found the book to be a struggle, I found myself not fully able to lose myself in this world that Taylor had created and it really was one that imaginative and so creative, but at times it felt a little complex for me. Also I found that I could not connect to the characters as much as I’d hoped, they all really were a diverse bunch, with such mixed personalities, secrets and so much to offer, but I found I couldn’t care less about them (except for Lazlo, Azareen, Eril-Fane and even Thyon who’d won me over by the end). But don’t be put off by my review, as I think I fall in the minority of people who this book didn’t work for. Which I’m still bummed about, as Taylor’s writing was majestic once again, but this time around her book was just not for me.