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A Multitude of Dreams
The bloody plague is finally past, but what fresh horror lies in its wake?
Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.
Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?
When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares that lie ahead.
Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years at the boarded-up castle—she and the rest of its inhabitants safe from the bloody mori roja plague that’s ravaged the kingdom. But Princess Imogen has a secret, and as King Stuart descends further into madness, it’s at great risk of being revealed. Rations dwindle each day, and unhappy murmurings threaten to crack the facade of the years-long charade being played within the castle walls.
Nico Mott once enjoyed a comfortable life of status, but the plague took everyone and everything from him. If not for the generosity of a nearby lord, Nico may not have survived the mori roja’s aftermath. But does owing Lord Crane his life mean he owes him his silence?
When Lord Crane sends Nico to search for more plague survivors in the castle, Nico collides with a princess who wants to break out. They will each have to navigate the web of lies they’ve woven if they’re going to survive the nightmares that lie ahead.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2023
About the author
Mara Rutherford
8 books1,401 followersMara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara has lived all over the world with her diplomat husband and two sons. She is the author of Crown of Coral and Pearl and its sequel, Kingdom of Sea and Stone; Luminous; The Poison Season; and A Multitude of Dreams. Her next book, A CURIOUS KIND OF MAGIC, releases Fall '25 from Wednesday Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 704 reviews
April 15, 2023
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...
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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...
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 16, 2023
Hello all! I’m so excited to be sharing my fifth book baby with you this spooky season! A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, where a mad king locks up his subjects within the castle walls while a plague ravages the kingdom. It’s the story of a princess and a grave robber meeting in the most unlikely of circumstances, with Jewish representation, romance, and some major gothic vibes. I hope you enjoy it!
Please note AMoD has a new release date of August 29th!
Please note AMoD has a new release date of August 29th!
January 30, 2023
Dripping with bloody opulence, A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS creeps up on you like a sly shadow. I couldn’t guess at the horrors until it was too late to look away! I loved this book.
June 2, 2024
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Inkyard Press). All thoughts and opinions are my own.
✅ 2 POVs
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Masque of Red Death”
✅🆗 Poetic writing
🆗 Characters
🆗❌ World-building
🆗❌ Romance
DNF at 70%
1.5 stars
When a deadly plague strikes the kingdom, the king and nobles hide in Eldridge Hall to escape the illness. They live their lavish life barricaded in the hall and pretend that nothing changed in the outside world. Seraphina is a Jewish girl who bears a striking resemblance to the youngest daughter of the king, so when the princess dies, Seraphina is forced to go to Eldridge Hall and pretend to be Princess Imogen to make sure that the mad King doesn’t completely lose it if he learns that his precious youngest daughter died of the plague. Seraphina wants to leave the Hall and escape this life of lies, and she might get a chance to do so when she meets Nico, a plague survivor sent by his master to infiltrate the Hall.
While I like that the author wanted to include Jewish representation in her book, it was a little jarring to have Jewish people in a fantasy setting. Especially since there were no details given about belief systems or other religions in this world, besides one or two mentions of God. We just know that Seraphina is a Jewish girl and that Jewish people are living in the kingdom because it is mentioned, but it doesn’t really affect the story. The antisemitism aspect is weak and was not properly exploited if the author’s goal was to make this a focus point of the book.
Some things were just too convenient in this book. I understand that this is a YA fantasy, and not an elaborate and complex high fantasy adventure, but still… First of all, how come no one at Eldrige Hall ever gets sick, even though the servants are in contact with the outside world when they leave the Hall to go get some fresh food? Unless they don’t leave ever? In that case, how do they get a neverending supply of fresh food?
The way the main character is introduced in the first chapter was also very confusing to me. Seraphina is referred to as Imogen before it is explained that she took the place of the dead princess so it was confusing at first. She also speaks about a “Giselle” and I had to guess that she was the third older sister, but it was never made clear until later in the book. Also, I get that she looks like the dead princess and the mad king might be fooled by her disguise, but what about the rest of the court? Can hair dye and a pretty dress really be enough to fool everyone into thinking that both girls are the same? At that point, they must be some identical twins separated at birth, because there is no way that they can fool everyone by only putting henne in her hair and teaching her how to act like the princess.
Overall, I didn’t care about the characters, they were underdeveloped and very straightforward. The dialogues were not better, and I almost rolled my eyes a few times. Nico and Seraphina were both okay (and slightly boring) characters, but when they were brought together, it felt like their relationship was just forced because the author knew that readers were expecting romance in a YA fantasy book. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them and while it was obvious from the start that there would be a romance between them, I didn’t care at all if they ended up together or no.
I started this book expecting a story with a gothic and dark vibe, but instead, I got the usual predictable YA that could have been set anywhere. There was potential here with the mix of dark plague and regency setting, but the execution was very simplistic and the overall result was rather bland. It’s as if the author wanted to tell a story about antisemitism and the Jews’ oppression during the Black Plague (I think it was the black plague..?) as well as a fantasy retelling of the plague with some very fantastical aspects and the second idea ruined the first one.
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✅ 2 POVs
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Masque of Red Death”
✅🆗 Poetic writing
🆗 Characters
🆗❌ World-building
🆗❌ Romance
DNF at 70%
1.5 stars
Here was a fact: three was the unluckiest of all numbers. It was the number of wretched older sisters Seraphina had; it was the number of times per day she had to visit the mad king in his chambers; it was the number of days it took a person to die of the mori roja.
When a deadly plague strikes the kingdom, the king and nobles hide in Eldridge Hall to escape the illness. They live their lavish life barricaded in the hall and pretend that nothing changed in the outside world. Seraphina is a Jewish girl who bears a striking resemblance to the youngest daughter of the king, so when the princess dies, Seraphina is forced to go to Eldridge Hall and pretend to be Princess Imogen to make sure that the mad King doesn’t completely lose it if he learns that his precious youngest daughter died of the plague. Seraphina wants to leave the Hall and escape this life of lies, and she might get a chance to do so when she meets Nico, a plague survivor sent by his master to infiltrate the Hall.
While I like that the author wanted to include Jewish representation in her book, it was a little jarring to have Jewish people in a fantasy setting. Especially since there were no details given about belief systems or other religions in this world, besides one or two mentions of God. We just know that Seraphina is a Jewish girl and that Jewish people are living in the kingdom because it is mentioned, but it doesn’t really affect the story. The antisemitism aspect is weak and was not properly exploited if the author’s goal was to make this a focus point of the book.
Some things were just too convenient in this book. I understand that this is a YA fantasy, and not an elaborate and complex high fantasy adventure, but still… First of all, how come no one at Eldrige Hall ever gets sick, even though the servants are in contact with the outside world when they leave the Hall to go get some fresh food? Unless they don’t leave ever? In that case, how do they get a neverending supply of fresh food?
Her name was Seraphina Blum. She was a Jew who had survived the plague because she was a pretty girl with sad eyes who happened to look like a dead princess.
And that was the most beautiful lie of all.
The way the main character is introduced in the first chapter was also very confusing to me. Seraphina is referred to as Imogen before it is explained that she took the place of the dead princess so it was confusing at first. She also speaks about a “Giselle” and I had to guess that she was the third older sister, but it was never made clear until later in the book. Also, I get that she looks like the dead princess and the mad king might be fooled by her disguise, but what about the rest of the court? Can hair dye and a pretty dress really be enough to fool everyone into thinking that both girls are the same? At that point, they must be some identical twins separated at birth, because there is no way that they can fool everyone by only putting henne in her hair and teaching her how to act like the princess.
Overall, I didn’t care about the characters, they were underdeveloped and very straightforward. The dialogues were not better, and I almost rolled my eyes a few times. Nico and Seraphina were both okay (and slightly boring) characters, but when they were brought together, it felt like their relationship was just forced because the author knew that readers were expecting romance in a YA fantasy book. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them and while it was obvious from the start that there would be a romance between them, I didn’t care at all if they ended up together or no.
I started this book expecting a story with a gothic and dark vibe, but instead, I got the usual predictable YA that could have been set anywhere. There was potential here with the mix of dark plague and regency setting, but the execution was very simplistic and the overall result was rather bland. It’s as if the author wanted to tell a story about antisemitism and the Jews’ oppression during the Black Plague (I think it was the black plague..?) as well as a fantasy retelling of the plague with some very fantastical aspects and the second idea ruined the first one.
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October 13, 2023I don’t know man. I just skimmed through it as I couldn’t get into it. Beautiful cover as usual
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
March 11, 2023
"He who saves a single life, saves the world entire"
Sinister, dark, engaging, gothic - everything I could've ever wanted. The writing was impeccable and the characters were well developed with deep backstories. I LOVED learning about the Jewish representation in the story. I never knew that the Jewish people were wrongfully blamed for spreading plagues in the past. I'll also mention how engaging the tense and scary scenes were within the book. It felt like from 50% onward we were getting jump scares, artfully written scary scenes, and plot twist after plot twist. This was my first Mara Rutherford book and I am now such a stan. I need to read The Poison Season now. If you liked Anatomy: A Love Story I think you'd love the gothic and sinister style of this book as well.
"She was cunning, and brave, and she was never going to hide who she was again."
"She remembered how he'd kissed her bruised wrists, how the pain in her heart contrasted with the butterflies in her stomach at the tenderness of the gesture."
Sinister, dark, engaging, gothic - everything I could've ever wanted. The writing was impeccable and the characters were well developed with deep backstories. I LOVED learning about the Jewish representation in the story. I never knew that the Jewish people were wrongfully blamed for spreading plagues in the past. I'll also mention how engaging the tense and scary scenes were within the book. It felt like from 50% onward we were getting jump scares, artfully written scary scenes, and plot twist after plot twist. This was my first Mara Rutherford book and I am now such a stan. I need to read The Poison Season now. If you liked Anatomy: A Love Story I think you'd love the gothic and sinister style of this book as well.
"She was cunning, and brave, and she was never going to hide who she was again."
"She remembered how he'd kissed her bruised wrists, how the pain in her heart contrasted with the butterflies in her stomach at the tenderness of the gesture."
August 11, 2023
A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford is a retelling of Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" and follows a (fake) princess named Seraphina (who's secretly Jewish) and a grave digger named Nico during the plague. Nico works for this super suspicious guy named Crane (but somehow Nico isn't very suspicious of him at first despite that very obviously suspicious name) and has to leave his little commune in the woods to find some other living people, preferably all of the royals and noblemen who have locked themselves up in a castle a few miles away. Anyway, I'm sure you can guess how this story goes. Nico finds Seraphina and there's a bunch of issues that they have to sort out because... the plague. I really don't have much to say about it. I mean, it was fine I guess, but just very mediocre (sorry, no rants today).
The book takes place in a fantasy world that was very similar to Europe during the Black Plague which makes sense. It was very simplistic to be honest but also kind of confusing at times. It was hard for me to really feel present in the story because I couldn't quite visualize where it was taking place. Most of the book happens inside a closed off castle in some random kingdom somewhere and it was just... weird? I mean, there was no political intrigue or anything like that despite the fact that Seraphina was a (fake) princess and her kingdom was falling apart. I really just didn't understand why the king boarded everyone up inside this castle and didn't actually do any sort of actual ruling. The book basically went like, "Oh no, there's a food shortage! We're all gonna die! Oh no, disease! We're all gonna die!" There were also *vampires* but we'll get to that later.
Both Seraphina and Nico were decent characters to follow overall, and I really appreciated the Jewish representation which isn't very prominent in fantasy novels. I thought that Seraphina was a much more complex and developed character than Nico and I also thought that she was the only one who really had any significant character development. Despite that, they were both funny and I enjoyed reading their povs.
I loved Rutherford's writing and that was probably this book's major high point. It flowed nicely and the word choice was really nice as well.
Now, as promised, the vampires. Going into this book, I had read a few reviews that mentioned this and I was super confused. How is a book about the plague going to incorporate vampires? It turned out that it wasn't actually that hard. The only real magical element in A Multitude of Dreams was that people that weren't immune to the plague (there are immunes and then there normal people like me called immaculates) can drink the blood of healthy immaculates to... well, I'm not quite sure. I think that maybe it made them temporarily immune or something but there were also dead people walking around that weren't really dead so there's that too (not a spoiler, mentioned early on). I'm just super confused about this and vampires give me the icks.
Oh, and there was also a romance which I thought was nice. At first. This was kind of introduced as a minor subplot and didn't really go anywhere until the end where they were having sex for the last two chapters which felt very out of place. Their relationship overall wasn't bad and I thought that they were kind of cute together, but the ending chapters made it seem like the book had a romantic focus which wasn't the case.
Speaking of the ending, it was way too rushed, especially given that the beginning was the slowest start to a book that I've ever read. Our mcs don't even meet until like 30% but the ending just resolved everything in just a few sentences which is NOT a resolution.
Overall, it wasn't terrible, but just very mediocre and unmemorable. If you are a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe and similar dark fairy tales, you might enjoy this, but it's not high on my list. 3 stars.
**Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review
The book takes place in a fantasy world that was very similar to Europe during the Black Plague which makes sense. It was very simplistic to be honest but also kind of confusing at times. It was hard for me to really feel present in the story because I couldn't quite visualize where it was taking place. Most of the book happens inside a closed off castle in some random kingdom somewhere and it was just... weird? I mean, there was no political intrigue or anything like that despite the fact that Seraphina was a (fake) princess and her kingdom was falling apart. I really just didn't understand why the king boarded everyone up inside this castle and didn't actually do any sort of actual ruling. The book basically went like, "Oh no, there's a food shortage! We're all gonna die! Oh no, disease! We're all gonna die!" There were also *vampires* but we'll get to that later.
Both Seraphina and Nico were decent characters to follow overall, and I really appreciated the Jewish representation which isn't very prominent in fantasy novels. I thought that Seraphina was a much more complex and developed character than Nico and I also thought that she was the only one who really had any significant character development. Despite that, they were both funny and I enjoyed reading their povs.
I loved Rutherford's writing and that was probably this book's major high point. It flowed nicely and the word choice was really nice as well.
Now, as promised, the vampires. Going into this book, I had read a few reviews that mentioned this and I was super confused. How is a book about the plague going to incorporate vampires? It turned out that it wasn't actually that hard. The only real magical element in A Multitude of Dreams was that people that weren't immune to the plague (there are immunes and then there normal people like me called immaculates) can drink the blood of healthy immaculates to... well, I'm not quite sure. I think that maybe it made them temporarily immune or something but there were also dead people walking around that weren't really dead so there's that too (not a spoiler, mentioned early on). I'm just super confused about this and vampires give me the icks.
Oh, and there was also a romance which I thought was nice. At first. This was kind of introduced as a minor subplot and didn't really go anywhere until the end where they were having sex for the last two chapters which felt very out of place. Their relationship overall wasn't bad and I thought that they were kind of cute together, but the ending chapters made it seem like the book had a romantic focus which wasn't the case.
Speaking of the ending, it was way too rushed, especially given that the beginning was the slowest start to a book that I've ever read. Our mcs don't even meet until like 30% but the ending just resolved everything in just a few sentences which is NOT a resolution.
Overall, it wasn't terrible, but just very mediocre and unmemorable. If you are a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe and similar dark fairy tales, you might enjoy this, but it's not high on my list. 3 stars.
**Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review
March 10, 2023
Last year I read what I consider one of the best books I’ve ever read: The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford. It was so intimate, quiet in a way where you felt you walked every single step left by its protagonists. Where every scene breathed to life, every hurt caused pain, every joy giddily experienced, and every love come swooningly true. It was perfect. Needless to say: A Multitude of Dreams had high standards to reach.
And met each and every one.
This book cements me as a forever fan of Rutherford, who will devour every future work she publishes.
I loved it.
》Setting the Stage《
Typically I begin a review discussing protagonist(s), but here let me gush at the way the entire atmosphere of this book was brought to life in such a brilliant way.
There’s such an intimate nature to the narrative, not in terms of romance, but in terms of immediacy, the feeling you’re right at the edge of your seat, how the goosebumps prickle your skin, the hairs that raise on your neck, your breath catching in your throat at every revelation. There is intrigue, suspicion, and danger creeping at every corner. At times it felt they were encroaching upon the reader, watching over your shoulder, lingering just behind a closed door…narrowing in on you. Shudders. And I LOVE it.
The story develops in a way that I think you can absolutely tell where it’s going but you need to see it with your own two eyes. You may guess right, but the experience still feels raw and fresh. The stakes are raised high and there’s no telling where a path may led— and who may or may not make it out alive. But you have to find out. You just do.
And that is exciting to read.
》Seraphina《
My beautiful, wistful Seraphina. We learn a significant spoiler concerning her towards the very beginning, but I want to keep that vague for you to experience it as it’s delivered.
For now, let me say the following.
I loved her. I felt I took every single step alongside her. I felt her curiosity, her hope, her desires, her longing, and her fears, but also her strengths. She always chooses to persevere, even if she isn’t fit for a task she wants to help. She wants to be active in decision-making, especially as that’s been ripped from her for so long. I also love how readily she protected her identity and heritage, never forgetting it. Not once.
She’s a gorgeous lead and I’d be so happy to follow her anywhere.
》Nico《
Nico! His arc in particular holds the most intrigue and eeriness. I felt as if I was piecing all the hints together just as he did, in real time. And feeling the horror emerge just as it did for him. I love how perceptive and astute a character he is— and also simply how good he is. So valiant, loyal, steadfast, and good. A protector of the innocent, a young man striving to secure a the best future for all. I was anticipating the moment he would meet Seraphina, and all I shall say: I was not disappointed!
》The Romance《
The closest nitpick I came to was in the romance. And this is the reason why, if asked, I’ll say I prefer The Poison Season. Because that book brought romance more to the front and center, but in this one, it’s more a supporting cast member on a stage set for bigger things.
The romance takes a back seat to everything else. It’s absolutely there. But it’s so very gently and slowly made, there’s promise and hope for it, but it’s not the main focus. Connection is the main focus, not romance. However, I can’t detract from my rating because, although I am a romance reader above all, I think it was a wise choice not to center it in this book.
This book was about about personal journeys into self, identity, and power. Romance is a beautiful added touch, but it’s not one that needed to take focus away from the main event.
I can’t find fault in this decision, but my silly little lovey dovey heart would have welcomed more because I absolutely adored what we did get!
》The Truth in One’s Name《
There’s an eerie feeling that continually develops as the story unrolls, a feeling you’re being closed in at every corner, and it brought so much excitement to the page! But there’s also this quiet, intimate feel of the power in learning one’s self, in knowing who you are and holding on so tight to your core. To who you are, to yourself and to others. It’s about individual power into self, the empowerment in connections, and the light caress of love that helps us face every potential future ahead.
What a journey this one was!
Thank you to NetGalley and Mara Rutherford’s Street Team for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!
And met each and every one.
This book cements me as a forever fan of Rutherford, who will devour every future work she publishes.
I loved it.
》Setting the Stage《
Typically I begin a review discussing protagonist(s), but here let me gush at the way the entire atmosphere of this book was brought to life in such a brilliant way.
There’s such an intimate nature to the narrative, not in terms of romance, but in terms of immediacy, the feeling you’re right at the edge of your seat, how the goosebumps prickle your skin, the hairs that raise on your neck, your breath catching in your throat at every revelation. There is intrigue, suspicion, and danger creeping at every corner. At times it felt they were encroaching upon the reader, watching over your shoulder, lingering just behind a closed door…narrowing in on you. Shudders. And I LOVE it.
The story develops in a way that I think you can absolutely tell where it’s going but you need to see it with your own two eyes. You may guess right, but the experience still feels raw and fresh. The stakes are raised high and there’s no telling where a path may led— and who may or may not make it out alive. But you have to find out. You just do.
And that is exciting to read.
》Seraphina《
My beautiful, wistful Seraphina. We learn a significant spoiler concerning her towards the very beginning, but I want to keep that vague for you to experience it as it’s delivered.
For now, let me say the following.
I loved her. I felt I took every single step alongside her. I felt her curiosity, her hope, her desires, her longing, and her fears, but also her strengths. She always chooses to persevere, even if she isn’t fit for a task she wants to help. She wants to be active in decision-making, especially as that’s been ripped from her for so long. I also love how readily she protected her identity and heritage, never forgetting it. Not once.
She’s a gorgeous lead and I’d be so happy to follow her anywhere.
》Nico《
Nico! His arc in particular holds the most intrigue and eeriness. I felt as if I was piecing all the hints together just as he did, in real time. And feeling the horror emerge just as it did for him. I love how perceptive and astute a character he is— and also simply how good he is. So valiant, loyal, steadfast, and good. A protector of the innocent, a young man striving to secure a the best future for all. I was anticipating the moment he would meet Seraphina, and all I shall say: I was not disappointed!
》The Romance《
The closest nitpick I came to was in the romance. And this is the reason why, if asked, I’ll say I prefer The Poison Season. Because that book brought romance more to the front and center, but in this one, it’s more a supporting cast member on a stage set for bigger things.
The romance takes a back seat to everything else. It’s absolutely there. But it’s so very gently and slowly made, there’s promise and hope for it, but it’s not the main focus. Connection is the main focus, not romance. However, I can’t detract from my rating because, although I am a romance reader above all, I think it was a wise choice not to center it in this book.
This book was about about personal journeys into self, identity, and power. Romance is a beautiful added touch, but it’s not one that needed to take focus away from the main event.
I can’t find fault in this decision, but my silly little lovey dovey heart would have welcomed more because I absolutely adored what we did get!
》The Truth in One’s Name《
There’s an eerie feeling that continually develops as the story unrolls, a feeling you’re being closed in at every corner, and it brought so much excitement to the page! But there’s also this quiet, intimate feel of the power in learning one’s self, in knowing who you are and holding on so tight to your core. To who you are, to yourself and to others. It’s about individual power into self, the empowerment in connections, and the light caress of love that helps us face every potential future ahead.
What a journey this one was!
Thank you to NetGalley and Mara Rutherford’s Street Team for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!
February 18, 2023
A gothic Poe retelling with a plague and a masquerade - I loved literally everything about this book!
Told through dual POV, the reader experiences the aftermath of a bloody plague in two distinctly different ways - through Princess Imogen whose father locked all the royalty and nobility away in Eldridge Hall to quarantine them from the illness, leaving the rest of the country to suffer - and through Nico, a gentleman turned servant who survived the plague due to his rare immunity and thanks to Lord Crane, a man who takes him in after his family perishes. Imogen’s and Nico’s stories align when Nico is sent on a quest to find survivors at Eldridge Hall. Together they learn surviving the plague was just the first challenge.
This book was beautifully written and I was immediately pulled into the world of Goslind. Both Imogen and Nico are extremely realistic and relatable characters and I enjoyed their POVs equally. I also really liked the ways in which the author incorporated her Jewish heritage - showing how they were both blamed for and disproportionately affected by the plague.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat - it’s subtly eery and full of suspense. Everyone’s got something to hide at Eldridge Hall. Mara Rutherford is an auto-buy author for me and this novel only further proves her versatility as a writer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Told through dual POV, the reader experiences the aftermath of a bloody plague in two distinctly different ways - through Princess Imogen whose father locked all the royalty and nobility away in Eldridge Hall to quarantine them from the illness, leaving the rest of the country to suffer - and through Nico, a gentleman turned servant who survived the plague due to his rare immunity and thanks to Lord Crane, a man who takes him in after his family perishes. Imogen’s and Nico’s stories align when Nico is sent on a quest to find survivors at Eldridge Hall. Together they learn surviving the plague was just the first challenge.
This book was beautifully written and I was immediately pulled into the world of Goslind. Both Imogen and Nico are extremely realistic and relatable characters and I enjoyed their POVs equally. I also really liked the ways in which the author incorporated her Jewish heritage - showing how they were both blamed for and disproportionately affected by the plague.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat - it’s subtly eery and full of suspense. Everyone’s got something to hide at Eldridge Hall. Mara Rutherford is an auto-buy author for me and this novel only further proves her versatility as a writer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2023
Eldridge Hall was a castle built on lies.
Last year I had the absolute pleasure of reading The Poison Season! First off, thank you to Inkyard Press and Mara for a copy of this arc!
This book is for you if you like:
🌹 gothic
🌹 edgar allen poe
🌹 fantasy
🌹 low-romance books
🌹 mysteries
🌹 dark atmosphere
🌹 things that go bump in the night
First off, I loved the incorporation of Jews, and Jewish history into this book. When we talk about history and Jewish people we often think of the Holocaust, however, that wasn't the only time Jews were persecuted; it was as common in the Roman Period as it was in the Middle Ages even as it is (unfortunately) today. As Mara notes in her "A Letter from the Author",
I also discovered how Jews were historically blamed for many of them, and how they were slaughtered in pogroms as scapegoats.
While this book is a gothic fantasy, there are darker themes at play here, such as the pogroms mentioned in the book. There isn't gore in this book, but it is dark in the sense of what is happening.
Mara pulls from gothic traditions - manors and halls where not everything is as it seems. And yet, there is also the incorporation of the fantasy elements as well. There are monsters in this book as well.
More gothic traditions are the omens -- the little songs the characters sing. The lack of birdsong, the dark woods etc. You can see how Poe and previous gothic writers have inspired her, because these elements were incorporated smoothly.
There was also the mystery aspects in this book, kind of like a locked room mystery, which I love. The way the characters are laid out, you don't know who to trust, except for our two main characters Nico and Seraphina and their helpers -- sidekicks? -- who are the ones the book focuses on.
There is quite a bit of action in this book, and not a whole lot of downtime. We swing from one arc to the next very smoothly, everything tied together.
The theme of lies and beauty is a theme in this book, which I loved. It helped add to the feel of the book for me. Mara's aesthetic and atmosphere is on point in this book. I literally had chills while I was reading some of it. It made me shiver. This book was everything gothic that I love.
It is going to be a perfect spooky, fall read. Imagine yourself curled up in a chair with a book, a cup of tea and some rain falling and you will not want to stop reading this book.
One last thing, there are some amazing lines in this book, and I've picked a few here for my review that aren't too spoiler-y, but you will be highlighting and marking so many on your read. (At least until you get so into the book you forget what you're doing, like me.)
And that was the most beautiful lie of all.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Grief, and Antisemitism
Read
September 27, 2023Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford reimagines The Masque of the Red Death in this Jewish YA gothic fantasy following Seraphina, a young Jewish girl who has been forced to abandon her community and disguise herself as a princess in a locked castle amidst the plague.
I LOVE The Masque of the Red Death and have been SO excited to see a modern (and Jewish!) take on it. I think Poe’s tale has so much potential to be retold with new perspectives, especially right now, as we ourselves have a very close and personal relationship to pandemics.
And this story sets up a lot in terms of what it has to say, primarily: 1. commentary on classism as a king has locked himself, his family, and wealthy nobles in a castle as the rest of the populous is left vulnerable to a fatal plague and 2. the history of Jewish people being blamed for plagues leading to violent pogroms.
But the thing I love about gothic stories is the way they employ allegory and nuance, and I think the themes of A Multitude of Dreams were addressed in too straight-forward of a manner. Especially considering The Masque of the Red Death itself is SO mysterious and abstract, I was hoping for some real thematic depth. But these themes just weren’t properly saturated into the characters and the plot lines, or tucked in-between the words. The bits of symbolism and metaphor that were utilized felt more sprinkled around as an afterthought for the sake of vibes rather than used as the core force of the narrative.
It was almost trying to execute a gothic tale but structured in the style of a fantasy adventure, and it was very much at conflict with itself. Because what happens when themes are confronted directly is that they end up being kind of one-and-done, so as to not feel too repetitive for readers. And the story ends up needing more content that isn’t related to the themes to keep it moving. But because this content isn’t related to the rest of the story’s themes, it ends up feeling tangential and frankly, distracting. And that’s what happened with this book. Particularly with the vampires.
I actually really liked the idea of vampires in this world. And I think these vampires COULD have added something allegorically to these conversations (I even expected them to! I thought they were going to be an allegory for greed or for the brutality of pandemics), but they just didn’t say anything (I mean you could kind of argue that they were some sort of punishment on the upper class for their sins but that’s not even consistently accurate). And that’s just the thing here. There were so many times I thought a certain plot line or story element would be Saying Something, just for it to turn out to be nothing.
This book was trying to do a lot. And I felt like it could have accomplished it with the right pushes. I think all of the elements were set up in the right places, and I really liked the writing and the characters. But it felt like it just struggled to be precise and lost its way. In attempting to solve one problem, it would mess up another. Reading this book almost felt like watching one of those clown sketches where someone sets up something and then turns around and sets up another thing just to turn back to the first thing having fallen and they just keep going back and forth with each object falling right when they fix the other. It struggled to juggle all its elements and frankly just wasn’t smart enough or precise enough to really accomplish what it set out to.
I wouldn’t say this is a bad book by any means. In fact, I do think YA audiences who aren’t too caught up in worrying about allegory could really enjoy it. It does indeed talk about Jewish people being blamed for plagues (though in a slightly messy way) and does have some cool atmospheric choices (I loved the clock!!) and a lovely romance. (Though considering the intimacy of the romance, I think this book was intended for an older YA crowd, who probably would prefer a little more finesse in its craft.) And I didn’t have a bad time reading it by any means! Again, I liked the characters and the writing quite a bit! But sadly A Multitude of Dreams did not reach the height of my hopes for it.
As a side note: I've seen some non-Jewish reviewers say that the problem with this book is its Jewishness and I'd like to respectfully ask that if you are not of a community, you don't get to decide which stories that community does and does not belong in. I will say: the Jewishness of this book was is highs and its lows.
Highs:
-Seraphina's love for her community and culture
-The very real discussion of the fact that Jewish people and communities were forced to live in ghettos and then were mass murdered when their forced isolation kept them safe from disease.
Lows:
-the use of "anti-Semitism" instead of "antisemitism" which I hope was fixed in the final copy (Google it please)
-“What were you expecting? A hooked nose? A foul odor? Cloven hooves?” the careless lumping in of an actual facial feature commonly occurring in Jewish and non-white people with horrific antisemitic myths
-the lack of closure we got with the world's antisemitism considering the fact that Seraphina was a Jew disguised as a gentile princess–she never really reckoned with this at the end.
But seriously, if you're not Jewish, you have no right to speak on this portrayal or the Jewish presence in this story in general.
CW: plague, antisemitism, forced confinement, loss of loved ones (past), dead bodies, violence, gun violence, blood & gore, beheading, animal death, death, poisoning, alcohol consumption, self-harm, death in childbirth (past), home invasion (past), emesis
A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford reimagines The Masque of the Red Death in this Jewish YA gothic fantasy following Seraphina, a young Jewish girl who has been forced to abandon her community and disguise herself as a princess in a locked castle amidst the plague.
I LOVE The Masque of the Red Death and have been SO excited to see a modern (and Jewish!) take on it. I think Poe’s tale has so much potential to be retold with new perspectives, especially right now, as we ourselves have a very close and personal relationship to pandemics.
And this story sets up a lot in terms of what it has to say, primarily: 1. commentary on classism as a king has locked himself, his family, and wealthy nobles in a castle as the rest of the populous is left vulnerable to a fatal plague and 2. the history of Jewish people being blamed for plagues leading to violent pogroms.
But the thing I love about gothic stories is the way they employ allegory and nuance, and I think the themes of A Multitude of Dreams were addressed in too straight-forward of a manner. Especially considering The Masque of the Red Death itself is SO mysterious and abstract, I was hoping for some real thematic depth. But these themes just weren’t properly saturated into the characters and the plot lines, or tucked in-between the words. The bits of symbolism and metaphor that were utilized felt more sprinkled around as an afterthought for the sake of vibes rather than used as the core force of the narrative.
It was almost trying to execute a gothic tale but structured in the style of a fantasy adventure, and it was very much at conflict with itself. Because what happens when themes are confronted directly is that they end up being kind of one-and-done, so as to not feel too repetitive for readers. And the story ends up needing more content that isn’t related to the themes to keep it moving. But because this content isn’t related to the rest of the story’s themes, it ends up feeling tangential and frankly, distracting. And that’s what happened with this book. Particularly with the vampires.
I actually really liked the idea of vampires in this world. And I think these vampires COULD have added something allegorically to these conversations (I even expected them to! I thought they were going to be an allegory for greed or for the brutality of pandemics), but they just didn’t say anything (I mean you could kind of argue that they were some sort of punishment on the upper class for their sins but that’s not even consistently accurate). And that’s just the thing here. There were so many times I thought a certain plot line or story element would be Saying Something, just for it to turn out to be nothing.
This book was trying to do a lot. And I felt like it could have accomplished it with the right pushes. I think all of the elements were set up in the right places, and I really liked the writing and the characters. But it felt like it just struggled to be precise and lost its way. In attempting to solve one problem, it would mess up another. Reading this book almost felt like watching one of those clown sketches where someone sets up something and then turns around and sets up another thing just to turn back to the first thing having fallen and they just keep going back and forth with each object falling right when they fix the other. It struggled to juggle all its elements and frankly just wasn’t smart enough or precise enough to really accomplish what it set out to.
I wouldn’t say this is a bad book by any means. In fact, I do think YA audiences who aren’t too caught up in worrying about allegory could really enjoy it. It does indeed talk about Jewish people being blamed for plagues (though in a slightly messy way) and does have some cool atmospheric choices (I loved the clock!!) and a lovely romance. (Though considering the intimacy of the romance, I think this book was intended for an older YA crowd, who probably would prefer a little more finesse in its craft.) And I didn’t have a bad time reading it by any means! Again, I liked the characters and the writing quite a bit! But sadly A Multitude of Dreams did not reach the height of my hopes for it.
As a side note: I've seen some non-Jewish reviewers say that the problem with this book is its Jewishness and I'd like to respectfully ask that if you are not of a community, you don't get to decide which stories that community does and does not belong in. I will say: the Jewishness of this book was is highs and its lows.
Highs:
-Seraphina's love for her community and culture
-The very real discussion of the fact that Jewish people and communities were forced to live in ghettos and then were mass murdered when their forced isolation kept them safe from disease.
Lows:
-the use of "anti-Semitism" instead of "antisemitism" which I hope was fixed in the final copy (Google it please)
-“What were you expecting? A hooked nose? A foul odor? Cloven hooves?” the careless lumping in of an actual facial feature commonly occurring in Jewish and non-white people with horrific antisemitic myths
-the lack of closure we got with the world's antisemitism considering the fact that Seraphina was a Jew disguised as a gentile princess–she never really reckoned with this at the end.
But seriously, if you're not Jewish, you have no right to speak on this portrayal or the Jewish presence in this story in general.
CW: plague, antisemitism, forced confinement, loss of loved ones (past), dead bodies, violence, gun violence, blood & gore, beheading, animal death, death, poisoning, alcohol consumption, self-harm, death in childbirth (past), home invasion (past), emesis
March 21, 2023
Firstly I’d like to thank Mara, Inkyard and NetGalley for the arc 🥰❤️
A Multitude of Dreams tells the story of a land that has been ravaged by the terrible Mori Roja plague, a plague that is so horrible it leaves complete devastation in its wake. There are hardly any survivors and those that do try there very best not to venture out.
Nico Mott, who once lived a comfortable life as a butchers son, now lives with a few immune in a safe house with his master, Lord Crane. Cranes house is run tightly but fairly until they have an unusual visitor who confuses the house. When newcomer Elisabeth arrives Crane’s demeanour changes and she quickly disappears. Nico becomes determined to find out what happened to Miss Talbot and when Crane sends Nico and 2 others out to find other plague survivors in the castle not only does Nico get the opportunity but he also finds much more than he bargained for…
Princess Imogen is not quite who she claims to be. After the real (and king’s favourite) princess passed away from the plague Seraphina was scouted as a replacement for her. Seraphina now finds herself masquerading as Imogen when she, in reality, she is really a Jew, the people who they had been persecuting. For 3 years they has been shut up in the castle together slowly running out of food and people are getting desperate, angry and starting to leave.
When Nico arrives at the castle he immediately finds out that Princess Imogen is stronger and feistier that she looks and that the situation there is definitely not want he thought it would be. And Seraphina and her friends learn that there are far, far worst things outside the castle walls to be afraid of and they’re very, very hungry…🩸🩸
Seraphina is such a brilliant character, she’s so strong and tenderhearted. She was taken from her family and plucked to be a princess and just had to get on with it and the fact she is surrounded by bigots makes her even more special and dynamic. She’s strong willed and knows what she wants and is always hatching plans and she’s the perfect MC. ❤️❤️ Nico completes her amazingly with his level and scientific head (and the amount of blushing as well 🥰😏). I love them both so so much!!
I ADORED THIS BOOK!! 😍😍 I’ve tried to be vague as much as I can as I really don’t want to ruin anything for anyone but it’s so so brilliant, so dark and so gothic!! I love it!! Please add it to your TBR now!! 5✨
A Multitude of Dreams tells the story of a land that has been ravaged by the terrible Mori Roja plague, a plague that is so horrible it leaves complete devastation in its wake. There are hardly any survivors and those that do try there very best not to venture out.
Nico Mott, who once lived a comfortable life as a butchers son, now lives with a few immune in a safe house with his master, Lord Crane. Cranes house is run tightly but fairly until they have an unusual visitor who confuses the house. When newcomer Elisabeth arrives Crane’s demeanour changes and she quickly disappears. Nico becomes determined to find out what happened to Miss Talbot and when Crane sends Nico and 2 others out to find other plague survivors in the castle not only does Nico get the opportunity but he also finds much more than he bargained for…
Princess Imogen is not quite who she claims to be. After the real (and king’s favourite) princess passed away from the plague Seraphina was scouted as a replacement for her. Seraphina now finds herself masquerading as Imogen when she, in reality, she is really a Jew, the people who they had been persecuting. For 3 years they has been shut up in the castle together slowly running out of food and people are getting desperate, angry and starting to leave.
When Nico arrives at the castle he immediately finds out that Princess Imogen is stronger and feistier that she looks and that the situation there is definitely not want he thought it would be. And Seraphina and her friends learn that there are far, far worst things outside the castle walls to be afraid of and they’re very, very hungry…🩸🩸
Seraphina is such a brilliant character, she’s so strong and tenderhearted. She was taken from her family and plucked to be a princess and just had to get on with it and the fact she is surrounded by bigots makes her even more special and dynamic. She’s strong willed and knows what she wants and is always hatching plans and she’s the perfect MC. ❤️❤️ Nico completes her amazingly with his level and scientific head (and the amount of blushing as well 🥰😏). I love them both so so much!!
I ADORED THIS BOOK!! 😍😍 I’ve tried to be vague as much as I can as I really don’t want to ruin anything for anyone but it’s so so brilliant, so dark and so gothic!! I love it!! Please add it to your TBR now!! 5✨
March 14, 2023
I've had the opportunity and privilegie to receive this book from the author as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here we go ❤️
Rating: 5/5⭐️
“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.”
I confess I’ve never heard of Edgar Allan Poe, so I went a little blind into this Poe retelling inspired story with a deadly plague and a masquerade. And I can say that Mara has done it again! With a darker twist to an already dark plague, this adventure follows Seraphina - known as Princess Imogen to others - and Nico - or Prince Martin -, while they discover the true of the world post plague and the courage to move on. This is a tale about resilience, found family and bravery.
I loved the writing, found the pace enjoyable and engaging and I found myself devouring this book quite quickly! All characters are very interesting and I felt they were all needed! The dual POV was absolutely magical to discover more about the plot and the world Mara had created and to experience the aftermath of the bloody three in two very distinct ways: Seraphina’s is locked inside Eldridge Hall by the King with some nobility to avoid the plague and Nico has survived the plague by being immune and serving Lord Crane.
Everything is plotted together so nicely, the little twists, the clues; you can see the author took her time to make sure everything would come together perfectly. There’s some macabre to this story and you can’t help but be mesmerised by it until the end! It’s a mix of a gothic ya fantasy with an infusion of supernatural and subtle romance.
Keep an eye on my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf) as I’m promoting this book monthly as part of being in the street team!
Rating: 5/5⭐️
“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.”
I confess I’ve never heard of Edgar Allan Poe, so I went a little blind into this Poe retelling inspired story with a deadly plague and a masquerade. And I can say that Mara has done it again! With a darker twist to an already dark plague, this adventure follows Seraphina - known as Princess Imogen to others - and Nico - or Prince Martin -, while they discover the true of the world post plague and the courage to move on. This is a tale about resilience, found family and bravery.
I loved the writing, found the pace enjoyable and engaging and I found myself devouring this book quite quickly! All characters are very interesting and I felt they were all needed! The dual POV was absolutely magical to discover more about the plot and the world Mara had created and to experience the aftermath of the bloody three in two very distinct ways: Seraphina’s is locked inside Eldridge Hall by the King with some nobility to avoid the plague and Nico has survived the plague by being immune and serving Lord Crane.
Everything is plotted together so nicely, the little twists, the clues; you can see the author took her time to make sure everything would come together perfectly. There’s some macabre to this story and you can’t help but be mesmerised by it until the end! It’s a mix of a gothic ya fantasy with an infusion of supernatural and subtle romance.
Keep an eye on my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf) as I’m promoting this book monthly as part of being in the street team!
March 22, 2023
This book was everything my gothic novel obsessed self needed and more. AMoD is a dark, creepy story filled with castles and manors and plague and kings and vampires and romance- a wonderful retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. I loved the characters; Nico was adorable and honorable and his blushing charm was so endearing. The princess was so brave and humble and I really felt their chemistry! The world building was also expertly done; the details of the plague that ravaged their land and the effects it had on all aspects of their lives was truly interesting, as well as the way Rutherford mixed in the Jewish representation and how we know the Jewish culture to be treated throughout history was also so meaningful and important. I also found the vampire situation to have been done very originally and I loved it. If you haven’t read any of her books yet, I highly suggest you pick them up!
Recommended for anyone looking for a new gothic, fantasy, mystery that’s very unputdownable!
Thank you so much to @mararutherford and @inkyardpress for my advanced readers copy, all thoughts and opinions here are completely my own.
Recommended for anyone looking for a new gothic, fantasy, mystery that’s very unputdownable!
Thank you so much to @mararutherford and @inkyardpress for my advanced readers copy, all thoughts and opinions here are completely my own.
March 14, 2023
A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS by Mara Rutherford is a gothic standalone Young Adult Fantasy inspired by The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. This book was dark, luscious, and mysterious, with vivid settings and transformative character arcs. Just when I thought I'd figured out where the story would go, another twist would happen, and all twists had been hinted at, so my surprise was well-earned. Before I gush on more, let me tell you what this book is about.
It stars Princess Imogen of Goslind, a young woman who has lived a sheltered three years inside a boarded up castle in order to stay safely away from the mori roja, a deadly plague. Princess Imogen has a big secret, and she's unhappy being trapped, so she tries to figure out how she may escape, and with whom. It also stars Nico Mott, whose family and home were devastated by the plague. Thanks to the generosity of Lord Crane, he at least has a roof over his head and work to do, even if it's not that glamorous. Their paths collide when Lord Crane sends Nico to the castle to discover if there are any people hiding there. Each of them must steer through a multitude (see what I did there?) of twists and turns if they want to survive something even worse than the plague... it's coming to get them, and they are running out of time.
What I loved most about this book:
- how many times the story surprised me
- Nico! Such a kind, smart, hard-working person who just wants to help those who need it. His perspective, and the roller coaster of feelings he experiences, made me feel so badly for him and his situation
- The Jewish representation, and the author using her novel as an opportunity to educate readers who may have never heard of the word pogrom or understand how much the Jewish people have been persecuted and blamed unfairly over the centuries
- Princess Imogen... once I knew her secret, I just... wow. She'd been through so much and had lost almost everything near and dear to her. Her transformation made me smile with joy.
- The stakes kept rising and shifting in unexpected ways, which kept me reading and kept the pacing top notch, especially in the second half of the book
- The romance was slow burn and really well written
- The secondary characters: I'm looking at you, Colin, and you, Jocelyn, and you, Lord Greymont!
- The well-written villain with clear motivations, and who ends up being the scariest monster of a villain
What didn't work:
- There were too many princesses. I had trouble keeping track of who was who. This may be a me thing.
- Towards the end of the book, Princess Imogen makes a foolhardy error that I don't think anyone would make given the circumstances. It sets off an avalanche of predicaments, which I found so frustrating (of course, this also means that I was super invested in the story to get that frustrated!)
A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS is a rollercoaster ride through the darkness of secrets, the spiraling emotions of being trapped by fear, and the triumph of grasping one's own power and truth. I highly recommend it. Run, don't walk, to pre-order this entertaining novel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest feedback.
It stars Princess Imogen of Goslind, a young woman who has lived a sheltered three years inside a boarded up castle in order to stay safely away from the mori roja, a deadly plague. Princess Imogen has a big secret, and she's unhappy being trapped, so she tries to figure out how she may escape, and with whom. It also stars Nico Mott, whose family and home were devastated by the plague. Thanks to the generosity of Lord Crane, he at least has a roof over his head and work to do, even if it's not that glamorous. Their paths collide when Lord Crane sends Nico to the castle to discover if there are any people hiding there. Each of them must steer through a multitude (see what I did there?) of twists and turns if they want to survive something even worse than the plague... it's coming to get them, and they are running out of time.
What I loved most about this book:
- how many times the story surprised me
- Nico! Such a kind, smart, hard-working person who just wants to help those who need it. His perspective, and the roller coaster of feelings he experiences, made me feel so badly for him and his situation
- The Jewish representation, and the author using her novel as an opportunity to educate readers who may have never heard of the word pogrom or understand how much the Jewish people have been persecuted and blamed unfairly over the centuries
- Princess Imogen... once I knew her secret, I just... wow. She'd been through so much and had lost almost everything near and dear to her. Her transformation made me smile with joy.
- The stakes kept rising and shifting in unexpected ways, which kept me reading and kept the pacing top notch, especially in the second half of the book
- The romance was slow burn and really well written
- The secondary characters: I'm looking at you, Colin, and you, Jocelyn, and you, Lord Greymont!
- The well-written villain with clear motivations, and who ends up being the scariest monster of a villain
What didn't work:
- There were too many princesses. I had trouble keeping track of who was who. This may be a me thing.
- Towards the end of the book, Princess Imogen makes a foolhardy error that I don't think anyone would make given the circumstances. It sets off an avalanche of predicaments, which I found so frustrating (of course, this also means that I was super invested in the story to get that frustrated!)
A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS is a rollercoaster ride through the darkness of secrets, the spiraling emotions of being trapped by fear, and the triumph of grasping one's own power and truth. I highly recommend it. Run, don't walk, to pre-order this entertaining novel!
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest feedback.
March 13, 2023
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.
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.
March 14, 2023
Inspired by “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, this YA fantasy has a strong gothic vibe. Plagues, pogroms, and zombie vampires, oh my! It’s tone is dark and thought-provoking. There’s even a fake princess who has to pretend to be the princess who died. The plot is fascinating and twisty. And let’s just admit—the cover is drop dead gorgeous!
July 8, 2023
thank you netgalley for the arc !
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 3/5 stars ✩࿐
read if you like:
♡ dual pov
♡ lies upon lies upon lies
♡ jewish rep
♡ edgar allen poe
⁀➷ dear reader,
you’re cordially invited to a bloody and gothic masquerade, seething with intrigue, skin-crawling discoveries and leering, shadowy twists and turns.
location: a multitude of dreams.
length: 384 pages
⁀➷ princess imogen of goslind kingdom has been dancing in one endless masquerade ball since coming to eldridge hall. for should the dance end and her mask fall, her doom will be writ in stone. the real princess imogen died four years ago of mori roja, the same plague which ravaged and pillaged the kingdom. only a privileged few in her midst know that beneath the mask is jewish commoner seraphina blum. but within the shadowy walls of the palace she is by no means the only dancer in this game of pretend. with a mad king who has locked them all up in the palace and makes impossible demands of them, everyone has been bullied into two-stepping around this ballroom of charade. now that the food supplies are petering out, it’s looking like the masquerading is about to forcefully come to a long-overdue end. meanwhile, elsewhere in goslind, plague survivor nicodemus mott resides in crane manor thanks to the benevolence of lord crane, who granted tenancy to nico and other immunes. with the plague ostensibly having burned itself out, nico’s been tasked by the same man who saved him to get the lay of the land, as well as scour for survivors. when he ends up at eldridge hall, nico and seraphina’s paths and their manifold lies weave together.
⁀➷ as a retelling of edgar allan poe’s the masque of the red death, a multitude of dreams already has a weighty mantle to bear. it’s no easy feat to honour such eerily lush material and yet, with the conceit of a masquerade, unsettling imagery dripping with blood and gothic notes ringing in the mysterious passages of eldridge hall - rutherford has exceptionally paid her due to the original over and over. thumbing through each page you’ll feel the horrors within breathing down your neck and continuing down the shadowy path of the story to see where it leads to will seem almost involuntary.
⁀➷ unfortunately, here comes the universally dreaded caveat of but… in determining to embrace an element of historical fiction by virtue of having jews represented and in turn scapegoated by the people of goslind for the plague outbreak, the story takes on an even heavier load (before anyone attacks me for this - i’m jewish myself…). by itself this was not an unwise authorial choice and very well could have even enriched what is otherwise a story more concerned with thrill than perhaps some sort of moral discourse. it’s only when you juxtapose it with the more gauche, over the top supernatural ingredients going into the mixing bowl that you’re then left with everything feeling a bit cheapened all around. the load carried on this plot’s shoulders is far too cumbersome and in effect, the masterful execution of the gothic genre is rendered a little ungainly.
⁀➷ i found nico as a character to be a little one-note although sweet in his bashfulness. his chivalric tendencies were endearing if not a bit trite at times. seraphina i wanted desperately to like what with her eschewing her opulent room in favour of a drafty abandoned tower - i mean, the girl has principles!! but it was not to be for us. the humbleness swiftly turned into a bit of a martyred routine and her insistence on being not like other girls was pretty on the nose. that said, in the company of one another i did find them both to be far more enjoyable as the youthfulness of their romance warmed the cockles of my heart.
⁀➷ conclusion :
as a gothic fairytale, a multitude of dreams will seize your attention and hold it captive till the end with its shadowy vaults of secrecy. disregarding my sentiments towards the jewish subplot, the twisting, foreboding sentences and pages cobwebbed with lies will leave you breathless until the final act.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 3/5 stars ✩࿐
read if you like:
♡ dual pov
♡ lies upon lies upon lies
♡ jewish rep
♡ edgar allen poe
⁀➷ dear reader,
you’re cordially invited to a bloody and gothic masquerade, seething with intrigue, skin-crawling discoveries and leering, shadowy twists and turns.
location: a multitude of dreams.
length: 384 pages
⁀➷ princess imogen of goslind kingdom has been dancing in one endless masquerade ball since coming to eldridge hall. for should the dance end and her mask fall, her doom will be writ in stone. the real princess imogen died four years ago of mori roja, the same plague which ravaged and pillaged the kingdom. only a privileged few in her midst know that beneath the mask is jewish commoner seraphina blum. but within the shadowy walls of the palace she is by no means the only dancer in this game of pretend. with a mad king who has locked them all up in the palace and makes impossible demands of them, everyone has been bullied into two-stepping around this ballroom of charade. now that the food supplies are petering out, it’s looking like the masquerading is about to forcefully come to a long-overdue end. meanwhile, elsewhere in goslind, plague survivor nicodemus mott resides in crane manor thanks to the benevolence of lord crane, who granted tenancy to nico and other immunes. with the plague ostensibly having burned itself out, nico’s been tasked by the same man who saved him to get the lay of the land, as well as scour for survivors. when he ends up at eldridge hall, nico and seraphina’s paths and their manifold lies weave together.
⁀➷ as a retelling of edgar allan poe’s the masque of the red death, a multitude of dreams already has a weighty mantle to bear. it’s no easy feat to honour such eerily lush material and yet, with the conceit of a masquerade, unsettling imagery dripping with blood and gothic notes ringing in the mysterious passages of eldridge hall - rutherford has exceptionally paid her due to the original over and over. thumbing through each page you’ll feel the horrors within breathing down your neck and continuing down the shadowy path of the story to see where it leads to will seem almost involuntary.
⁀➷ unfortunately, here comes the universally dreaded caveat of but… in determining to embrace an element of historical fiction by virtue of having jews represented and in turn scapegoated by the people of goslind for the plague outbreak, the story takes on an even heavier load (before anyone attacks me for this - i’m jewish myself…). by itself this was not an unwise authorial choice and very well could have even enriched what is otherwise a story more concerned with thrill than perhaps some sort of moral discourse. it’s only when you juxtapose it with the more gauche, over the top supernatural ingredients going into the mixing bowl that you’re then left with everything feeling a bit cheapened all around. the load carried on this plot’s shoulders is far too cumbersome and in effect, the masterful execution of the gothic genre is rendered a little ungainly.
⁀➷ i found nico as a character to be a little one-note although sweet in his bashfulness. his chivalric tendencies were endearing if not a bit trite at times. seraphina i wanted desperately to like what with her eschewing her opulent room in favour of a drafty abandoned tower - i mean, the girl has principles!! but it was not to be for us. the humbleness swiftly turned into a bit of a martyred routine and her insistence on being not like other girls was pretty on the nose. that said, in the company of one another i did find them both to be far more enjoyable as the youthfulness of their romance warmed the cockles of my heart.
⁀➷ conclusion :
as a gothic fairytale, a multitude of dreams will seize your attention and hold it captive till the end with its shadowy vaults of secrecy. disregarding my sentiments towards the jewish subplot, the twisting, foreboding sentences and pages cobwebbed with lies will leave you breathless until the final act.
April 3, 2023
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.
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.
August 29, 2023
I’ll admit this story was a little bizarre, but I thought it was a creative take on a vampire story which is hard to find. It also had the feel of a retold fairy tale (although it is truly a reimagined Edgar Allen Poe story) which is one of my secret favorites so I enjoyed this bizarre and wild ride. The story feels like it could hav been set in Europe when the plague was occurring, but with a slightly mythical twist. There are three ways to survive the plague: lock the doors and stay away, hope for natural immunity, or die and be reborn. A simple nursery rhyme holding a warning as well. Seraphina is living the life of a princess, but she is actually a poor born Jewish girl who happens to look like the princess who died early in the plague. Nico is currently a gravedigger serving a lord who saved him when he was alone and desperate. The two of them both have a lot to learn of the world and what changes the plague brought several years before. I’ll admit the last couple of chapters didn’t totally fit for me, but I did like the slight romantic plot in between the monsters and bloodshed.
September 2, 2023
{AD|GIFTED} [4.5 stars] After reading and loving The Poison Season I became part of Mara Rutherford's street team aimed at sharing news about and hyping her upcoming books. As such, I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS, a retelling of Poe's The Masque of the Red Death.
This is a loose retelling as the source material is so short but all the main elements are there - a plague, nobility hiding in a castle from this plague, and a masquerade ball that takes place in rooms all decorated a different colour. The author though has expanded on this and fleshed out the story by exploring the world outside the castle and the devastating effects of the plague, as well as life inside the castle. She's even added zombie vampires to the mix who hunger for the blood of Immaculates (those rare people who have never contracted the plague).
Told in a dual POV, the story alternates between Princess Imogen, living in the boarded-up and reclusive castle, and Nico Mott, a survivor of the plague who is sent to see if any people remain alive in the castle after the plague seems to have passed. I loved the Jewish representation which is a central aspect of the book. The author touches on how Jewish communities have so often been unfairly blamed for tragedies such as the Black Death. The trauma of survivor's guilt and its wide-reaching consequences is another well-written aspect.
I had a couple of small niggles that knocked off half a star but nothing major. One was that a rare couple of modern phrases jarred me out of the reading experience. The other was the reveal that women zombie vampires tended not to live very long as they refused to drink human blood. I felt this perpetuated the gender stereotype of women as caring and nurturing whilst men were unable to stop themselves from succumbing to their hunger.
Overall, though, this was a sumptuous Gothic retelling, drenched in dread and tension.
This is a loose retelling as the source material is so short but all the main elements are there - a plague, nobility hiding in a castle from this plague, and a masquerade ball that takes place in rooms all decorated a different colour. The author though has expanded on this and fleshed out the story by exploring the world outside the castle and the devastating effects of the plague, as well as life inside the castle. She's even added zombie vampires to the mix who hunger for the blood of Immaculates (those rare people who have never contracted the plague).
Told in a dual POV, the story alternates between Princess Imogen, living in the boarded-up and reclusive castle, and Nico Mott, a survivor of the plague who is sent to see if any people remain alive in the castle after the plague seems to have passed. I loved the Jewish representation which is a central aspect of the book. The author touches on how Jewish communities have so often been unfairly blamed for tragedies such as the Black Death. The trauma of survivor's guilt and its wide-reaching consequences is another well-written aspect.
I had a couple of small niggles that knocked off half a star but nothing major. One was that a rare couple of modern phrases jarred me out of the reading experience. The other was the reveal that women zombie vampires tended not to live very long as they refused to drink human blood. I felt this perpetuated the gender stereotype of women as caring and nurturing whilst men were unable to stop themselves from succumbing to their hunger.
Overall, though, this was a sumptuous Gothic retelling, drenched in dread and tension.
March 14, 2023
I’ve had the opportunity and privilegie to receive this book from the author as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, so here we go ❤️
Rating: 5/5⭐️
“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.”
I confess I’ve never heard of Edgar Allan Poe, so I went a little blind into this Poe retelling inspired story with a deadly plague and a masquerade. And I can say that Mara has done it again! With a darker twist to an already dark plague, this adventure follows Seraphina - known as Princess Imogen to others - and Nico - or Prince Martin -, while they discover the true of the world post plague and the courage to move on. This is a tale about resilience, found family and bravery.
I loved the writing, found the pace enjoyable and engaging and I found myself devouring this book quite quickly! All characters are very interesting and I felt they were all needed! The dual POV was absolutely magical to discover more about the plot and the world Mara had created and to experience the aftermath of the bloody three in two very distinct ways: Seraphina’s is locked inside Eldridge Hall by the King with some nobility to avoid the plague and Nico has survived the plague by being immune and serving Lord Crane.
Everything is plotted together so nicely, the little twists, the clues; you can see the author took her time to make sure everything would come together perfectly. There’s some macabre to this story and you can’t help but be mesmerised by it until the end! It’s a mix of a gothic ya fantasy with an infusion of supernatural and subtle romance.
Rating: 5/5⭐️
“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.”
I confess I’ve never heard of Edgar Allan Poe, so I went a little blind into this Poe retelling inspired story with a deadly plague and a masquerade. And I can say that Mara has done it again! With a darker twist to an already dark plague, this adventure follows Seraphina - known as Princess Imogen to others - and Nico - or Prince Martin -, while they discover the true of the world post plague and the courage to move on. This is a tale about resilience, found family and bravery.
I loved the writing, found the pace enjoyable and engaging and I found myself devouring this book quite quickly! All characters are very interesting and I felt they were all needed! The dual POV was absolutely magical to discover more about the plot and the world Mara had created and to experience the aftermath of the bloody three in two very distinct ways: Seraphina’s is locked inside Eldridge Hall by the King with some nobility to avoid the plague and Nico has survived the plague by being immune and serving Lord Crane.
Everything is plotted together so nicely, the little twists, the clues; you can see the author took her time to make sure everything would come together perfectly. There’s some macabre to this story and you can’t help but be mesmerised by it until the end! It’s a mix of a gothic ya fantasy with an infusion of supernatural and subtle romance.
August 29, 2023
A perfectly fine young adult fantasy
In an Author's Note, Mara Rutherford explains A Multitude of Dreams as follows:
The monsters are vampires. (Vampires, Ms Rutherford? Why?) They are fairly conventional vampires, with some of the weird hang-ups that Bram Stoker bestowed on them (e.g. they can't enter a house without an invitation) but differing in others (while Rutherford's vampires prefer darkness, sunlight appears not to have lethal effects). In fact, the second half of A Multitude of Dreams is a fairly conventional mortals vs vampires adventure. It's competently done, and I enjoyed it.
I thank NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advance reader copy of A Multitude of Dreams. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Blog review.
In an Author's Note, Mara Rutherford explains A Multitude of Dreams as follows:
A Multitude of Dreams is my fifth published novel, but it’s a first for me in many ways. I was interested in playing with the idea of an unconventional retelling, but more importantly, I wanted to include Jewish representation—an integral part of my identity that I’ve always wanted to tie in to my fantasy writing.So, there we have it -- a Poe retelling with a secretly Jewish princess shut up inside a castle while a deadly plague ravages the country around, and there are monsters, because, apparently, the gothic genre demands them (even though, aside from the plague itself, there are no monsters in Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death").
I’m a fan of many of Poe’s works, but “The Masque of the Red Death” has long been my favorite. I love the imagery of the colored rooms, the idea of nobles dancing at a masquerade ball while the world around them rots, and the final twist that reminds us that no one escapes death, not even princes.
All of these things led me to write about a princess and a grave digger, neither of whom is who they appear to be, and the bizarre circumstances that bring them together. Of course, I started drafting this book years before we’d all be living through a plague of sorts, before I’d come to understand the concept of social distancing or lockdowns. The Petrarch quote at the beginning of this book speaks to how I conceived of plagues before I experienced one for myself; they really did seem like some kind of fable from the past to me, back then. Pretty naive, in retrospect.
But hey, at least our plague didn’t include vampires.
The monsters are vampires. (Vampires, Ms Rutherford? Why?) They are fairly conventional vampires, with some of the weird hang-ups that Bram Stoker bestowed on them (e.g. they can't enter a house without an invitation) but differing in others (while Rutherford's vampires prefer darkness, sunlight appears not to have lethal effects). In fact, the second half of A Multitude of Dreams is a fairly conventional mortals vs vampires adventure. It's competently done, and I enjoyed it.
I thank NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advance reader copy of A Multitude of Dreams. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Blog review.
April 4, 2023
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!
August 30, 2023
Sum of my review: This book did not spend enough time on any single part of the book, so all of it ended up being a letdown.
A Multitude of Dreams could have had it all. A mysterious deadly plague, a fake princess, and a forbidden romance are solid tropes to build a great fantasy novel with. But was this really a fantasy novel? It tried to be a combination of historical, fantasy, and supernatural, which did not work out.
The novel started off pretty solid. We get to know Princess Imogen, or Seraphina, a Jew stolen from her home to take the place of the real princess who had died from the plague. Not willing to break the King's already fragile state of mind, Seraphina plays her roles for years, held captive in the castle with hundreds of other nobles to avoid the plague. But as food starts to run out, and the King becomes even more determined to keep them all in the castle, Seraphina devises a plan to escape. We also follow Nico, an immune, who lost his position of comfort when his family was killed off by the plague. He now works for a Lord, who Nico has come to see as a father figure. When an immaculate (untouched by the plague) woman goes missing from the manor under odd circumstances, Nico questions his employer. Sent on a mission to discover more immaculates, Nico and Seraphine met under a web of lies they've spun, endangering those closest to them.
When Jews were introduced, I rechecked the blurb. While it is sadly true that the Jewish community has been unfairly blamed for plagues in the past, it is wildly out of place here. Outside of the one Jewish community mentioned, nothing resembled the modern world. Everything was still fantastical. The countries had no resemblance to our own geography, and the plague did not resemble any set part of history. Upon reading the acknowledgments, I found out the author is Jewish, so it makes sense that she would want to include this part of her history in her writing; this was not the book to do it.
Another thing that was out of left field was the
As a STEM girlie, the use of inoculation hurt. Inoculation is a sterile process. It does not work by cutting open your palms and giving each other high fives! This is also a super cool way to give yourself infections and all kinds of wonderful bacteria. This is the third thing in this novel that the author included that was not given the proper attention or care it deserves. I understand that in medieval times science was not like it is today, but in that case, inoculation should have just not been introduced in the first place.
While these are my three main gripes with A Multitude of Dreams, the whole book just did not click for me. The characters were underdeveloped, the romance happened within three days, and I couldn't bring myself to be invested in one thing taking place.
I really don't know who this book would work for. I wish I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own!
A Multitude of Dreams could have had it all. A mysterious deadly plague, a fake princess, and a forbidden romance are solid tropes to build a great fantasy novel with. But was this really a fantasy novel? It tried to be a combination of historical, fantasy, and supernatural, which did not work out.
The novel started off pretty solid. We get to know Princess Imogen, or Seraphina, a Jew stolen from her home to take the place of the real princess who had died from the plague. Not willing to break the King's already fragile state of mind, Seraphina plays her roles for years, held captive in the castle with hundreds of other nobles to avoid the plague. But as food starts to run out, and the King becomes even more determined to keep them all in the castle, Seraphina devises a plan to escape. We also follow Nico, an immune, who lost his position of comfort when his family was killed off by the plague. He now works for a Lord, who Nico has come to see as a father figure. When an immaculate (untouched by the plague) woman goes missing from the manor under odd circumstances, Nico questions his employer. Sent on a mission to discover more immaculates, Nico and Seraphine met under a web of lies they've spun, endangering those closest to them.
When Jews were introduced, I rechecked the blurb. While it is sadly true that the Jewish community has been unfairly blamed for plagues in the past, it is wildly out of place here. Outside of the one Jewish community mentioned, nothing resembled the modern world. Everything was still fantastical. The countries had no resemblance to our own geography, and the plague did not resemble any set part of history. Upon reading the acknowledgments, I found out the author is Jewish, so it makes sense that she would want to include this part of her history in her writing; this was not the book to do it.
Another thing that was out of left field was the
As a STEM girlie, the use of inoculation hurt. Inoculation is a sterile process. It does not work by cutting open your palms and giving each other high fives! This is also a super cool way to give yourself infections and all kinds of wonderful bacteria. This is the third thing in this novel that the author included that was not given the proper attention or care it deserves. I understand that in medieval times science was not like it is today, but in that case, inoculation should have just not been introduced in the first place.
While these are my three main gripes with A Multitude of Dreams, the whole book just did not click for me. The characters were underdeveloped, the romance happened within three days, and I couldn't bring myself to be invested in one thing taking place.
I really don't know who this book would work for. I wish I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own!
March 13, 2023
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.
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.
March 28, 2023
I have not read a Mara Rutheford book that I did not enjoy, and as of now, the only one I have yet to read is the Poison Season.
I enjoyed this retelling of the Red Masque of Death. I would say that it’s a little slow in the beginning, but I got more into it after our two main characters finally come face to face.
The FMC, Serephina, is a girl who’s been trapped by circumstance, but longs for freedom and the people she left behind. She made for a compelling character, and a believable representation of survivors guilt even when things are out of our control.
Nico is someone who is really not special in any way, and honestly that’s the good thing about him. He’s not a prince, or a soldier, or a king. He’s someone who has almost nothing left, and still chooses to do the right thing. He’s undaunted by the odds when it comes to those he cares about, and that’s what makes him so likable.
I do feel like the story could’ve made for a good duology or even trilogy. I found myself wanting more at the end, and feeling like we didn’t get a good enough conclusion to the story since realistically the circumstances were still decently dire at the end.
I would still say it’s a solid 4 star read!
I enjoyed this retelling of the Red Masque of Death. I would say that it’s a little slow in the beginning, but I got more into it after our two main characters finally come face to face.
The FMC, Serephina, is a girl who’s been trapped by circumstance, but longs for freedom and the people she left behind. She made for a compelling character, and a believable representation of survivors guilt even when things are out of our control.
Nico is someone who is really not special in any way, and honestly that’s the good thing about him. He’s not a prince, or a soldier, or a king. He’s someone who has almost nothing left, and still chooses to do the right thing. He’s undaunted by the odds when it comes to those he cares about, and that’s what makes him so likable.
I do feel like the story could’ve made for a good duology or even trilogy. I found myself wanting more at the end, and feeling like we didn’t get a good enough conclusion to the story since realistically the circumstances were still decently dire at the end.
I would still say it’s a solid 4 star read!
April 22, 2023
I don’t think y’all are ready for this one! It’s perfectly spooky, beautiful, hopeful, perfect. I’m so excited for you guys to be able to read it in September!!
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Not only does this book feature some amazing characters and tropes, but I felt like a lot of Mara’s experiences in her life shaped this novel. The choice to keep Judaism in this novel, instead of creating or calling it something else, I think was rightfully done. It’s truly a beautiful book and I’m so grateful I had the chance to read it early.
March 25, 2023
What I loved
-The commoner forced to pretend they are royalty trope
-exceptionally atmospheric writing
-well executed fantastical elements
What didn't work as well for me
-Slight information overload in the first 3 or so chapters as the author is bringing the kingdom to life for the reader
-oddly modern phrases kept popping up in places that distracted from the story.
Who I would recommend this book for
Fans of gothic fantasy who enjoyed Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. and are ready for a story that expands on the premise of nobility hiding from disease while adding vampires to the mix are going to have a good time with this story.
-The commoner forced to pretend they are royalty trope
-exceptionally atmospheric writing
-well executed fantastical elements
What didn't work as well for me
-Slight information overload in the first 3 or so chapters as the author is bringing the kingdom to life for the reader
-oddly modern phrases kept popping up in places that distracted from the story.
Who I would recommend this book for
Fans of gothic fantasy who enjoyed Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. and are ready for a story that expands on the premise of nobility hiding from disease while adding vampires to the mix are going to have a good time with this story.
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