The world building in this book was phenomenal! It was so vivid and never felt like a slog to get through. I enjoyed the overall pacing of the story. This was a great YA fantasy option for readers who love interesting worlds and character driven stories.

The Lost Dreamer is a is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I look for books that have developed characters and strong narrative. What I found in The Lost Dreamer was exactly that. The dual plot lines of Indir and Saya were engaging and the characters they interacted with felt real. Lizz Huerta was able to lead me to figure out the twist towards the end of the book with subtlety. Huerta captured my attention and wrote a great story. I can’t wait for more.

Such an interesting and unique setting! This book was rich in history, culture, and magic. It's action-packed and I didn't find it to be a typical YA which was a big plus.. What brought this story on were the characters as well. The Lost Dreamer has a lot of strong aspects I appreciated and that I hope to see more of.

Full review to come and rating may change.

The Lost Dreamer is not a DNF-forever; instead, I’m DNFing it for now. Because I’m crossing my fingers that my main issue with it is a problem with the ARC rather than the finished book.

The worldbuilding is absolutely wonderful, and I dearly love that it’s drawing on Mesoamerican mythology and culture rather than generic-Medieval Europe. There are so many cool things – like the Ilkan, the warrior-women who gain jaguar rosettes on their skin when they get angry or upset, complete with claws and sharp teeth! Or the fact that hummingbirds can apparently move between the Waking World and the Dreaming at will! And the whole book giving a great big middle finger to white beauty standards – instead emphasising and celebrating brown skin and thick bodies, full lips and wider noses. I LOVE THAT. ALL THE YAY.

The writing is nothing to sneer at either – maybe a little simplistic, but still lovely, with just enough description to feel lush without overwhelming readers who are wary of purple prose. I adored absolutely everything about the Dreaming itself, which is full of beauty and whimsy, even if there’s dangers in it too. The spirits who inhabit the Dreaming – and can perceive and interact with the Waking World – are fantastic; I love the set-up, their relationship with humans in general and the Dreamers in specific, and the system of trading offerings and stories back and forth. And that’s all without going into the various different cultures the story introduces, which are also brilliant and hugely varied and distinct. The world(s) Huerta has created are incredible, basically!

And I fell in love with the main characters very quickly; two teenage Dreamers living very different lives, both of which you really can’t help but sympathise and empathise with. I started rooting for each one pretty much the moment I was introduced to them. That doesn’t happen to me very often.

The story itself, the plot, is also a delight; I suppose if you zoom out on it, it follows the general arc of stories we’ve seen before, but it feels unique and unpredictable. I freaking treasure a book whose ending I can’t predict, okay? And I really don’t know where this one is going, or how everything will be resolved or what that resolution will look like.

So why am I DNFing it? It’s hard to put into words – the only way I can describe it is that the rhythm of the writing is off. The paragraphs don’t break where they need to, which is the kind of thing that probably won’t bother literally anyone else on the planet, but which is the equivalent of putting itching powder in my clothes, for me. But! I am extremely hopeful that this is an issue with the ARC rather than the book, especially because there are also scene breaks where they are clearly not supposed to be. So the ARC definitely has formatting issues, and I’m hoping this thing with the paragraphs, and thus the rhythm of the prose, is a part of that.

The TL;DR version: I’m putting the ARC aside, but I have the book preordered and will be giving it another go once it’s published! And if it’s not an issue with the ARC, it’s still something that probably won’t bother any other reader, so I encourage you to give it a go when it’s released!

Do you dream in color? You will after reading this. The story is about a lineage of female seers who clash with a new king. The world building in this story was outstanding! I really felt like I could see, hear, smell, and touch everything in this book. The two main characters are seers. Indir is also a dreamer who can dream the truth. Saya is a seer but not a formally trained dreamer. The description of the dreams in this book are so vivid and vibrant! I read a physical copy of the book but I will go back and listen to an audio version of it. This was an experience I want to close my eyes and be transported into this world. It is so difficult to write this review because I don't want to spoil anything. This book would make a great book club selection. There is just so much to talk about! Get this book!

The Lost Dreamer is a great YA book inspired by ancient Mesoamerica. The main character Indir is a Dreamer, while the other Saya, is not. The story has great world-building and a unique style to it. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I was, it flew by. It is a unique story with strong characters.

This book slaps. 11/10. I am absolutely going to have to reread it because it was so good that I read it too fast.

First off, The Setting: Ancient Mesoamerica? In a totally unique and incredible culture, with rich history, prophecies, and an incredible magic system? Yes please!! The vivid imagery of the Dreams was stunning and I’ve never read anything quite like it before. I’m picky about both worldbuilding and writing styles, and The Lost Dreamer has my seal of approval.

The Plot: This isn’t your cliche YA “Princess goes on quest to save kingdom with two cute boys, which one will she love” plot that I’ve read a hundred times before. This is something entirely new and unique. You follow two girls, one of them a Dreamer, living in the temple and hiding the fact that she can no longer Dream, and the other a wanderer who hides the fact that she can Dream for her own protection (or so she thinks). The story is rich and complex, with high stakes and plenty action, and with a fullness that is often lacking in YA fantasy.

The Characters: The main two girls, Saya and Indir, are both fully worthy of carrying the story. Indir is a girl trapped, hiding secrets that could destroy her, and trying to live a life in a world that is crumbling down around her. Saya is finally free, able to make her own choices for the first time and realizing in her freedom just how little she knows herself. I appreciated how they each chose to face their own story, and while they had help and support, they never fell into the trap of simply following a guide character around and being useless.

The supporting characters were well done; I felt they each had more of a story and personality than we were shown. I would read a full book on each and every supporting character in this book. There was a slight romantic subplot for Indir, but it never detracted from the plot. The love interest was a very respectable choice (no “I can fix him!” trope here!) and I appreciated the way it was worked into the story. It was an important aspect of the book, but it wasn’t the focus.

Conclusion: Overall I loved this book. It has all of the best aspects of the YA genre without any of the negative ones. Really my only complaint is that there isn’t more. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author, and I have high hopes of more in this world.