A Multitude of Dreams

A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford is a stunning YA gothic masterpiece!
This was an intriguing, picturesque, atmospheric, and unpredictable story.
The writing was exquisite; the detail exquisite. I was swept away by the writing of this book.
Well written, great premise and interesting characters Rutherford created a deliciously and utterly captivating scene.
Mara Rutherford drew me in from the very first page and sucked me into a new world I didn’t want to escape from.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Inkyard Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I would have given this book SIX stars is I could - This was such a fun book to read!!

This book follows the perspectives of Princess Imogen from locked within the castle at Eldridge and Nicodemus "Nico" Mott on his way to the castle. There are many other characters that you will fall in love with along the way - and a few that will make you mad as hell. I will say that I don't remember reading "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe, so I can't give an accurate opinion as far as how this was done as a retelling, but it was so satisfying as its own story and I'd say its release is timely with the status of our current world.

My favorite thing about this book is that things are not as they seem - I found this book to be very UNPREDICTABLE at times and throw me for twists and turns that I was not expecting. Everything was woven together beautifully - the connections that we reveal as the story goes on are incredible. I would love to continue to learn and grow with these characters, I feel like there's so many more adventures that could come from this story.

I thought it was really neat that despite this being a "fantasy" story - it still was able to touch upon the very real and relevant issue of antisemitism. I think this was done in a tasteful and meaningful way. It was also interesting to reflect that this piece discusses the "plague" which in society right now is also pretty spot on as we have all been living through COVID.

Although this story is brief, I felt as though the characters were well developed and had adequate backstories to captivate us the readers and keep us wanting to learn more. This is definitely a YOUNG ADULT book that can be enjoyed by "older folks" like myself (people 30+). It doesn't get too spicy, but there's enough "adult material" that it doesn't read too young. If you like creepy gothic mysteries with some romance, dive in!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

4.5 stars. Mara is a great writer and I love everything I’ve read by her so far. This book has the eerie vibes of The Poison Season but with a much more gothic atmosphere. It revolves around a plague and a castle full of nobles who have shut themselves away while the rest of the world suffers. It’s a dual POV from Princess Imogen inside the castle, and Nico Mott living on an estate with other immunes.

I feel like saying too much will give things away, but I will say that things are not at all as they seem in this book and there are lots of exciting secrets to uncover. It was suspenseful and bloody at times, but also had strong characters and sweet moments. I liked both MCs and the romance was cute, although the book was on the shorter side which didn’t leave much room for development. Overall I really enjoyed this and the cover is stunning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.