Gothic, atmospheric, and beautiful retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Mask of the Red Death! Perfect autumnal read, this will give you all the vibes! Certainly adding this to our collection.

This book was full of surprises, with twists and turns sprinkled throughout the story. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that the story offers more than one might expect just based off the blurb on the back of the book. The author does a great job building her characters in such a short book, and I loved both POV characters. And look at that gorgeous cover! The atmosphere and story both make this a perfect autumn read. If you're looking for a soft gothic horror story, pick up A Multitude of Dreams on August 29. You won't want to put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and InkYard Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley & Inkyard Press for an ARC of this book

Welcome to a gothic, YA fantasy Edgar Allen Poe retelling! Enter plagues, madness, corruption, antisemitism and vampires.

A Multitude of Dreams takes place at the end of a deadly plague that has all but wiped out the local population of Gosling. Killing its victims in three days and leaving those called the immune with branch like red markings on their wrists. The castle has been locked up for four years, and the food is starting to run low, but the few survivors sheltered here are not allowed to speak of the Bloody Plague on the orders of their King. The youngest Princess of Goslind wants out but her and her sisters are hiding a huge secret. She's actually not the young Princess Imogen, she's Seraphina, a Jewish girl who has been taken from her home and forced to masquerade as the dead princess. She meets Nico, a ward of Lord Crane, who has mysterious plans for the land of Goslind and the last surviving immaculate's that live within the castle. Nico has come to warn the castle of the disastrous and danger world outside their castle walls and the two of them team up to take on the threats that have spawned in their world.

I had little to no knowledge of the historical fact of Jews being accused of causing and spreading plagues during the Middle Ages and harshly scapegoated for it whenever there was an outbreak. For me personally it felt like it was an anecdote thrown into the background that didn't really change anything for the story because it wasn't fully explored. All seriousness of this getting thrown out the window with the addition of Vampires. But not specifically mentioned as vampires, but all descriptions of these "creatures" lets you know, they are in fact vampires.

The book was a little slow in the introduction, but finally starts to build when the two main characters finally meet. The introduction of Vampires, the battle to save the castle survivors that wasn't necessarily a battle, and unfulfilling conclusion are what have lead to my review. It was an interesting take, but having not read the story this is a retelling of I cannot comment on the connection between the two personally. It was a quick read, but I feel like I'm missing MORE to the story. I wish the Jewish plight of the middle ages had been integrated into the story more. There was more depth to Nico as a character, I just needed More. It was an ok story as is, it could've been a duology easily. I just wish it had more development.

The premise was great and the book was atmospheric. I did sometimes struggle to differentiate characters and I felt that the beginning of the book was a pretty slow burn before a last third that was action-packed. It just didn't feel as smooth as I was hoping.

A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS is based on Poe’s Masque of the Red Death and plagues. A fantasy country is hit by a mysterious plague and the king’s family and many nobles shut themselves up in a country estate and leave the rest of the country to fend for itself for four years as people fight and die. The author also used her Jewish heritage as inspiration for this book—the main character Seraphina is not the princess everyone believes but a Jew stolen to replace the princess who died early on in the plague.

This book has a lot of good ideas going for it, and I did care about the characters and their struggles, but the pacing left a lot to be desired for me. Seraphina does not meet Nico, the gravedigger love interest, until around 40% in. The concerns that the novel starts with also take a turn and become about different things ultimately.

I really did love the author’s previous book The Poison Season and I will definitely check out future books by this author, but I don’t think this particular book was for me.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley got this arc. This is my honest review.

This retelling of The Masque of the Red Death was opulently mysterious and dark with the charm that only a gothic Romantasy can bring! I really loved the characters and overall plot of this story: the grandiose plans of the nobility despite meeting the end of life as they know it leading to needing the help of the underdogs of the normal world to save them? There is plenty of action and plot twists for all!

This was just the lush, gothic inspired, horror I needed. I cannot wait for everyone to kick off spooky season with A Multitude of Dreams. Although based on the Poe story, I felt this was wholly unique, the characters were well drawn and it was very well paced. I loved Nico and Imogen, and I felt their perspectives were distinct and different (sometimes difficult in dual POV novels, but Rutherford knocks it out the park.) I also loved the representation.

Read this. You won't regret it.

Soft, inexperienced puppy mmc meets reluctant Jewish “princess” fmc in this gothic Poe retelling filled with romance, heartbreak AND vampires.
This book was decadent and bloody.

A decent book, all in all. Fast-paced (which I love) and gothic scene setting! A good purchase for YA collections and those who like grim retellings.

I really enjoyed The Poison season so looked forward to gettin this. Dark creepy gothic novel with a bit of eerie vibes from Poison Season. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mara Rutherford has a way of writing such uniquely original stories and A Multitude of Dreams is no different! This has got to be Mara's darkest book so far and I have to say I am a big fan!

A Multitude of Dreams is dual POV and follows an imposter princess and a grave digger in a unique re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death.

After four years locked away from the plague that has devastated Goslind the servants and nobility of Eldridge Hall are growing restless and food is becoming scarce. When Princess Imogen convinces the mad King to have the boards covering the windows pulled down, they unknowingly let in a lot more than the sunrise.

Mara has always written strong and intriguing characters and that was no different in AMOD. While I enjoyed the characters I did find the main relationship lacking in depth and a little forced.

I really enjoyed this gothic fantasy full of monsters, Death and suspense and I highly recommend it for all fantasy lovers.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Mara's Street team for this advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with an ARC of A Multitude of Dreams.

I found this story so intriguing and unlike anything I’ve ever read before! The writing was so unique, and the fantasy entwined with the dark elements made this such an interesting read!

I loved the dual-POV and that the characters storylines began separately but ended up intertwining. I found myself really drawn to the characters throughout the book as well, although I do wish some of their backgrounds were explained in a bit more depth.

Overall, this was such an intriguing gothic fantasy story, and I look forward to reading other books by Mara Rutherford!

A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford is inspired by Poe's classic short horror story, "The Masque of the Red Death." I wouldn't necessarily call it a retelling; instead, Rutherford borrows story elements from Poe to weave a clever, new tale. The story is told from a dual POV until the two main character's stories intersect.

Despite a slow start and a couple of confusing sections, I enjoyed this gothic fantasy. Rutherford created an ominous mood, adding suspense. The characters are relatable, if underdeveloped, and it's refreshing to see ordinary people with no special skills or magic fight the antagonist. It is a fun, easy read, and the worldbuilding is simple.

One aspect I don't care for is Rutherford's choice to incorporate actual elements of history into this gothic fantasy. The main characters live in a fictional world ravaged by a plague, which has mutated to create imaginary monsters. Yet Seraphina is a Jew who has experienced persecution due to antisemitism. Jews in the story are despised and become the scapegoat for the plague. Despite Rutherford's explanation for including this element of history, the fantastical and supernatural elements do not mesh well with this historical addition.

Overall, I rate this book 3.5/5. In "A Multitude of Dreams," nothing is as it seems, and appearances are deceiving! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

I adored Rutherford's Poison Season, so I was really eager to read her next release. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite grip me in the same way. While the story was interesting, I didn't feel a strong emotional connection to the characters, which I need to truly love a book.

Mara Rutherford spins a tale of deadly secrets in “A Multitude of Dreams,” which follows the POV of two characters caught in very different circumstances, who live in a world ravaged by an apocalyptic plague.

The premise of “A Multitude of Dreams” is absolutely riveting, and the story features a host of characters to follow along with; including a mad king, a lonely girl posing as a dead princess and a conflicted boy employed by a rather shady father figure. Where the book falls a bit flat lies with the likability and relatability of the characters themselves. The main missing element is in motivation — why several of the key characters make the choices they do isn’t really ever delved into. (It’s also worth noting the relationship between Imogen and Nico felt too insta-love to be interesting, which is a big drawback for a book built around their inevitable collision.)

At its best, ”A Multitude of Dreams” is an intriguing read, boasting a plot that offers up a fresh new twist on some classic YA tropes.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC in exchange for a review.*

Liked: where to start? Once you start reading it get drawn in and you have to know what happens next. The story is wonderfully told and is a vidid gothic fantasy that has a little bit of everything- romance, plagues, vampires, betrayal, found family, and more. I loved how strong Seraphina is despite everything she goes through! I enjoyed watching the masks each character wore start to peal away and see their true colors. Many things and people aren’t what they seem. I loved the references to Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death.

Dislike: I would have liked more relationship building between Serpahina and Nico.

A Multitude of Dreams was a satisfying read, though I would classify it under a quick palette cleansing type book. For me that means I've either read a lot of emotionally heavy work and need something to breeze through, or I'm in a bit of a slump and need something fun to breeze through. (This isn't a bad thing to me!!)

Princess Imogen is sick of the walls, the people, and the lack of food and freedom surrounding her.

Nico is tired of digging graves, of seeing death, and suspicious of the life and second chance he's been given.

I liked both characters, but Nico of course was a gem. The story was not overly complex, and neither was the prose but I did have a 'well I didn't see that coming' moment, so I can file this away as a successful, fun read with enjoyable characters.

If you enjoy a moody read with monsters and death and wonderful characters, this book is for you :)

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of A Multitude of Dreams in exchange for my honest opinion

Absolutely delightful and addictive.

This is a dual-POV, gothic, fantasy. It follows sour two main characters, a grave-digger named Nico and a “princess” named Seraphina. Seraphina has spent the last four years locked in a castle with the mad king while a plague ravaged the lands. Nico has spent the last four years surviving a plague-stricken land and burying his loved ones.

Everything isn’t how it seems, however. Seraphina may be dressed as a princess, but she certainly wasn’t born one. Before the plague Nico has been a gentleman, although his hands now are calloused and dirty. With food running out, the king being ill, and strange happenings afoot, Seraphina and Nico both have their roles to play.

This was a really fun time. I loved the mysterious and gothic vibes. I really enjoyed the dual-POV. I was never disappointed when switching POVs and I felt they were paced really well. The worldbuilding was so interesting, and honestly every page held twists and turns.

This story is dark, but cozy and was so easy to get lost in. It feels like a fairytale and a nightmare wrapped in one. I loved being in this world. I really liked how the story unfolded. Information was given piece by piece, and I loved building this world while the story progressed.

Seraphina is Jewish, and this plays an extremely essential role to her as a character and her story. I cannot speak on how she represents the community as I am not part of it. However, I really loved her as our fmc. She was witty, strong, and spunky.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It is my first by this author, and I will definitely read more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the arc in exchange for a review.

*Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for sending me this eARC to review!*

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾overall rating: 3.5/5 stars, but rounding up to 4 stars☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

↪this book is for you if you like...
☽ dark academia
☽ retelling
☽ edgar allen poe
☽ horror
☽ enemies to lovers slow burn
☽ gothic
☽ dual pov
☽ erin a. craig books

↪length: 384 pages

༻✦༺ old king stuart's lost his head, hoping he won't end up dead. ༻✦༺
༻✦༺ lock the windows, bar the door; the plague will come for rich and poor. ༻✦༺
༻✦༺ if you want to stay alive, there are three ways to survive: ༻✦༺
༻✦༺ run away across the sea; pray for blood immunity; ༻✦༺
༻✦༺ or die and be reborn again, and drink the blood of living men. ༻✦༺

dear reader, you're in for a treat of you love gothic horror retellings, masquerade balls, enemies to lovers and tons of deceit.

what i liked
☽ overall vibes
☽ writing style (very fast-paced, didn't feel like it dragged)
☽ can we talk about the cover?? like, hello gorgeous
☽ action-packed ending
☽ well-written villain
☽ well-written secondary characters that actually had plot-relevance

what i didn't like
☽ i wish that there was more jewish rep other than the occasional mention of seraphina being jewish--it felt somewhat out of place
☽ i wish there could have been a little more development of the romance between nico and seraphina
☽ nico was a little bit of a flat character, but was cute ⁎ᵕᴗᵕ⁎
☽ i wish there was more explanation of the vampires and what exactly they can and can't do, because it felt like they were just

☾trigger warnings☽
death, blood, violence, mild self-harm, antisemitism, death of a parent, grief

*i will be posting this review to my goodreads and storygraph on August 1st, and well as a shortened version to twitter and instagram on that date as well.*

I didn’t realize that this was a Poe retelling until the end! It was amazingly well written and I read it so quickly. Seraphina as an imposter princess was a fantastic plot device and the romance with Nico was so sweet. I loved Nico’s character the most. He’s so kind and tries to do the right thing and he cares about the people around him so much. The ultimate soft masculinity. I felt like I was in the castle with how well it was described. Very well done!