Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC!

This book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I found it slow and hardly any character development. I missed the mystery and intrigue that came along with Masque of the Red Death which the author said inspired her. It read like a children’s bedtime story, which is fine but again, it was just too slow for me and the plot barely existent.

#AMultitudeofDreams #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel.

First off, I adore her books! When I got an eARC from NetGalley, I was jumping up and down. If you LOVE YA fantasy, then her books are for you. I do recommend reading the author's note and acknowledgment before reading this book. You will see her heart for this story.

This story was beautiful and unique. Rutherford added her religion into fantasy setting, and I personally thought it fit wonderfully. This book comes out in September. I will be getting it along with The Poisoned Season in hardcover to go beside my Crown of Coral and Pearl duology.

❤️Princess with a secret
❤️Hidden identity
❤️Plague
❤️Vampire
❤️Jewish Characters
❤️Force proximity
❤️Gothic vibes
❤️Poe retelling

Another fantastic book from Mara Rutherford!!! We also get this stunning cover from artist Elena Masci, and it could not be more perfect for this story.

A Multitude of Dreams is a gothic fantasy retelling based on the infamous Edgar Allen Poe’s Mask of Red Death. This story brings all the spooky, gothic, plague vibes and I am absolutely living for it. In true Mara fashion, the atmosphere is rich and the romance leaves you wanting more. I actually loved seeing a darker side to Mara’s books, and would love to see more romance from her in future works.

This books brings the historical aspect of Jewish persecution, and the Middle Ages belief that Jews brought disease, to a whole new level. We have a bloody plague called the Mori Roja which leaves only 3 types of survivors. The immune, the immaculate, and the zompire! Hahahaha

People, if this book isn’t on your TBR for spooky season, then you are slacking!!

This is basically a Edgar Allen Poe retelling with monsters and a Jewish heroine!

I don't want to spoil anything because I always think that is half the fun of reading so you'll have to read the story to figure out what type of monsters are featured in this book and I think you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat when you do!

I like it and would definitely read a sequel!

This was a super interesting story that kept me captivated from the very first page! I devoured it quickly and loved the writing and dialogue! And the characters! Loved them!

I have read and enjoyed this author’s previous books. When I heard this one took inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, I was so excited for the opportunity to read an early copy!

The first line definitely hooked me.
<blockquote>“Eldridge Hall was a castle built on lies.”</blockquote>

The first half (approximately) of the book I thought was really interesting and building up well, but the second half things just started to fall off for me. The writing started out strong and I was loving the simultaneous plots unfolding and converging.

The two main characters are definitely a highlight of the story. They are very endearing. Although their “romance” lacked conviction and the fade-to-black scene was super awkward.

Other parts of the story also didn’t work well for me. I thought the world-building was okay. I liked the setting but the time period felt a little weird to me for some reason. I think it didn’t mesh well with other aspects of the story. In general, a lot of the story felt disjointed in this way.

The lore and rules of the magic system felt very cliche to me. With little to no explanation as to why it worked that way, or why those choices were made, it just wasn’t totally believable.

The religious issues (though I commend her for wanting to include important themes) felt preachy and disconnected from the rest of the story. The plot was predictable, and by the end the book was skimmable. I think the biggest issue was that all the parts weren’t cohesive enough to make a satisfying whole.

I’m so sad to say that this one was a little disappointing to me. It is definitely my least favorite of this author’s books thus far. It’s unfortunate because it had so much conceptual potential that just wasn’t executed compellingly. Overall, this one is just okay for me, solidly middle of the road as far as ratings go.

I’ll still read anything this author writes. I hope that in the future we can go back to the level of storytelling that Luminous was at. Since then, her books have slowly gone downhill for me.

A deliciously gothic tale that will have you on the edge of your seat!



A Multitude of Dreams is a beautifully intricate and atmospheric tale inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Masque of the Red Death.' Mara Rutherford has superbly depicted the aftermath of a plague filled world; one that oozes with darkness and isolation... and a masquerade ball!



Seraphina, our protagonist, is a royal princess, whom at the behest of the King, is trapped inside the castle alongside her sisters and a bunch of snooty nobles. But not everything is as it seems with this spoiled princess - she's actually a Jew! I know that that's not something scary or horrific, but to those nobles and others it is. I love that Mara weaved historical facts within her tale; I had no idea that Jews were blamed for the plague in the past. It was refreshing to see representation for a group that I don't typically come across in books. I enjoyed reading of her character because she was so complex in her desires, longings and heritage, which I'm not going into too much detail because I think its best to see for yourself. But I did enjoy being inside her mind and found myself wanting her to succeed, even though she sometimes acted like a pick me.



I normally find myself drifting towards morally grey love interests, but Nico, the gravedigger, dug his way into my heart - see what I did there;) This is an innocent young man, who wants to do good for the world, but finds himself trapped in the midst of a Lords villainy. It was great seeing him transform from someone who did as he was told to a valiant protector of the people. I also loved how perceptive he was; I enjoyed the fact that as he began to realise the emerging horrors, so did I! I anticipated the moment when he and Seraphina came across each others path, and lets just say it did not disappoint!



There was a certain level of eeriness and danger that this novel carried from the very beginning. Mara played with our minds and emotions far too much in thinking we were being preyed upon in every page. I found myself feeling the cold seeping through my bones, someones breath on the back of my neck and goosebumps running down my arm as the characters faced their ultimate battle for survival.



A brilliant, brilliant book.



I'm so grateful for being on Mara's street team in that I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book. I think that it didn't always flow as nicely as I would have wanted but I was engaged the whole time and I was definitely entertained. I also really loved the Jewish representation and liked hearing the reasons from the author for including that in her novel. If you liked the Plosion Season you will like this. The pacing is similar and the story is easy to get into. I also really liked the gothic vibes and the idea that you are living in opulence at the expense of the rest of the world. I would have loved to have more background on the characters since they were really enjoyable. Regardless, I liked it and will be recommending it !

This was a very interesting book! I really liked the writing, the themes and the retelling aspect of a Poe story.

However, the world just wasn’t for me— it didn’t draw me in. I found myself growing bored at times. So, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me overall.

I loved this! I loved Seraphina right from the beginning and the mysteries left me wanting more. It was tough to put down! I’m so glad I read the authors note about her interest in Poe. It made reading the story even better. The world was amazing, the characters were immediately people I wanted to read more about, and I can’t wait to snag this on as a physical copy for my shelf. Another amazing story from Rutherford!

First I have to mention that the cover is beautiful. It fits the vibe for the feel of this book.

I think the overall concept of this book was super interesting and had so much potential. It didn't completely blow me away but there were still lots to enjoy about the story. I feel like I was definitely more interested in Nico than Seraphina but I always love a book that has a dual perspective.

And while I'm not jewish, that aspect of the book was fascinating.

I thought that the idea for this book was really, really interesting, but the execution was a bit strange. I really wish that the author had made a fantasy religion, to go with her fantasy world, which could allude to Jewish people and their struggles. But having Jewish people in a non-Earth fantasy world was kind of weird? There was also no explanation or "lore" given for their existence or why they were confined to their own quarters *before* the onset of the plague? I stopped about halfway in, so maybe it is explained in more detail, but yeah I don't know. I just think having Jewish people in this story (a fantasy story not set in our Earthen reality) there needed to be more exposition there. The world just feels sort of incongruous and lacking a bit of logical flow. I think that we either needed an in-world explanation and world-building for the Jewish people or there needed to be a fantasy culture, which could allude to Jewish people, that fit in logically with the world. It felt like the author was like "everybody knows the present and historical struggles of this cultural group, I don't need to explain it that fully", but that makes no sense in a fantasy world.
I almost wish this was a historical fantasy, set in *our* world/Earth, instead of a fantasy in a secondary world (with just Jews and not any other cultural groups).
I also wasn't a huge fan of the characters. Nico was just kind of one-note--a little boring . Imogen was okay but she just wasn't supported by the world-building at all, which made her fall a bit flat.
Regardless, there could have at least been a really interesting dissection of antisemitism and this strange plague and mysterious castle, but then the vampires show up. Don't get me wrong, I love vampires and what they can bring to a story, but this just didn't work here. The story was set up pretty well, and I was relatively interested to see where we were going next, and after the vampires I just couldn't suspend my belief any longer and really dig into the story.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book due to be released in Sept. 2023. Absolutely loved this book! Love the cover of the book which sucked me in, the very first chapter and every moment all the way to the end! Love that it was intertwined with the Black Death, Edgar Allen Poe, well developed characters, a castle, romance and vampires. I was sucked into a fantasy world that I was sad to leave when it ended! I will definitely be watching for more from Mara Rutherford!

Delightfully twisty and gothic! I liked Rutherford's characters and setting--at once both foreign and all-too similar to those early lockdown days. I appreciated having a Jewish character as the main protagonist, and having that faith and life experience be an integral part of who she is.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I want to die as me.

Thanks to netgalley, Inkyard press and Mara Rurtherford for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is Seraphina’s story, a girl who lives at Eldridge Hall, a castle built on lies. Some years ago the Mori Roja attacked and a lot of people died, but the Mad King closed the castle's doors and now, almost four years after the plague, at Elridge Hall people are running out of food, so some of the nobles are trying to escape. In the meantime, Nicodemus Mott, Nico for his friends, lives under Lord Crane’s protection and works as a grave digger there. He and his friends have a task, to know if someone is alive inside the walls of Eldridge Hall. But oh surprise! There’s more, in the woods there are reborn people craving immaculate blood, AKA people who never faced the Mori Roja. These reborn as you maybe are figuring out are vampires, and here is when I stop writing.

Quick opinion, I loved this book. This story is a retelling of The masque of the red death by Edgar Allan Poe, who is one of my favorite gothic authors, and this book took every good detail of this story and turns them into something amazing. This book is creepy, it has an amazing story line, here are lies, complots, political intrigue, religious discrimination, vampires... I couldn’t ask for more.

The characters were amazing, I loved Seraphina a lot, she is such a brave woman, she faced a lot of things, she lives with a mask and the weight of it is super heavy, but she did amazing during the book. Nico, on the other side, was curious, as brave as Seraphina, and his love for saving people was one of the best things of him. I love them. But I wanted more of them together, I wanted a little more of their relationship.

But besides that little detail, A multitude of dreams is a standalone that catches the reader very quickly, approx at the end of the first chapter you want to know what the hell will happen and how these people are gonna play their cards inside this castle. And that’s the reason I gave it 4.5 stars.

This was a fairly quick and interesting take on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death! So naturally I had to do a reread of The Masque of the Red Death as well. This retelling turned out to be just as morbid with a more fantastical side note that I enjoyed.

The story takes place during a time after the plague ran rampant. The king has barricaded all the nobles in his castle while the rest of the world dies. While the nobles live well off with masquerade balls and no worries, after 4 years time, supplies begin to dwindle. It alternates between 2 perspectives; Princess Imogen locked away in the castle and Nicodemus “Nico” Mott locked outside of the castle. The writing was well done and cohesive with Poe’s and I really enjoyed the whole story. While the first half of the book was rather slow and not much happened at all, reminiscent of an uneventful historical fiction piece, the second half of the book become much more interesting. There were still no wild twists but this was a unique retelling of The Masque of the Red Death with a fantasy aspect that was quite interesting. The characters were well executed I think as well and I especially enjoyed the Jewish representation that was incorporated. Overall an enjoyable YA fantasy with the gothic vibe.

Mara is a fantastic and vivid storyteller. This book pulled me in from the very beginning and on the edge of my seat. I didn't realize I was reading a vampire book at first but was so very pleased that was what it turned into.

I have never read the Edgar Allen Poe story that influenced this but I have lived through a "plague" and it makes parts of this story more vivid.

This was an imaginative story brought to life so vibrantly by the authors words that I felt part of the it.

I would have loved more story developement for Nico & Seraphina but the way it was left off maybe there is more to come? Otherwise, there is nothing about this book that I did not enjoy. It was an incredible read.

I really enjoyed this book. It has dark gothic vibes and is very fast-paced. I was able to read it quickly and never felt bored. It has the main character living a trapped life. She does come into herself through the novel and becomes more independent which I loved, even if she doesn't always make the cleverest choices. This book does have a romance but it is a side plot and not that substantial, though I do like the couple.

My only issue would be that I don't love it when characters make some not so well thought out choices. Like in scary movies going out alone and investigating something when they should have just said "nope."

The book does deal with the ramifications of a plague and being locked away from the world. It is different from what we just went through, but if you are still struggling with the ramifications of our recent pandemic, I would pause on this one.

With such an idea for a plot like this book has, you'd think this would work wonderfully, but the book ends up shooting itself in the foot with the introduction of a plot element that totally strips the seriousness off of the story for me.

Weaving historical antisemitism into fantasy isn't a new idea, Naomi Novik did it in "Spinning Silver," and she's not the only one. In this book, Mara Rutherford takes the sad 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, and uses it to create a world ravaged by the Bloody Plague, a terrible disease that has exterminated a great chunk of the population. Sheltered in a castle and one of the few survivors left, the princess of Goslind wants out and wants free, but she's hiding a weighty secret: she isn't really Imogen, she's a Jewish impostor masquerading as the princess. She soon meets Nico, a vassal of the sinister Lord Crane, who has plans of his own that involve Goslind and the plague survivors, and the two have to team up to survive the disastrous aftermath of the plague and the new threat that looms large over the survivors whilst dealing with the issues brought about by their secret identities.

Put like that, it sounds intriguing, dark, gritty, and gloomy, right? The perfect Gothic, you'd think.

And then it all goes up in the air when to this intriguing set-up based on medieval plagues and antisemitism you bring in . . . vampires. Prissy vampires that aren't harmed by sunlight, to boot.

At that, any pretence of respectability and seriousness just flew away for me. I couldn't take the story or the characters seriously after such a reveal. What a sad way to sabotage your own story, I thought. And don't even get me started on the incongruousness and lack of logic of this world, which isn't Earth as we know it and isn't History as we know it, but somehow has Jews, a people from our Earth and our History. This type of taking a real event/person/people to a fantastical world where only they exist as if in a vacuum is, to me, like taking a tank to a non-industrial planet where there is no technology, no electricity, no tank fuel, no gunpowder, and pretend it still runs and fights and fires its cannon.

Some things demand too much suspension of disbelief for my poor mind, that refuses to comply and do the gymnastics necessary to accept plots like A Multitude of Dreams, so this book failed miserably for me in the credibility aspect. The characters didn't compensate either, Nico is boring, and Imogen could've been so much more if this world wasn't so underdone and implausible. The blurb says it's a retelling of a Poe story, which I can't analyse because I've not read it, but if the intention was "Jewish representation" and to use antisemitism as a strong plot point, it would've been much better, plausible, and conveyed the message much better if this had been a historical fantasy in our real world instead of pure fantasy in a secondary world with just Jews and not the rest, and definitely no vampires.

At least the cover is gorgeous...