Nightstrider: Book One of the Nightstrider Series
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- Create Date：2022-08-26 08:52:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sophia Slade
- ISBN：1732137668
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Summary
When a vicious night terror lords over the waking world and the dream world， his greatest weapon， a winged assassin born of a nightmare， will have her vengeance。
Wren has spent her life doing the bidding of her cruel creator Para Warwick in the dream world known as the Reverie。 When she learns of a weapon with the power to destroy him， she jumps at the chance to steal it。 Her plan goes awry and she finds herself in the clutches of the rebellion and the rogue Alaric， a nightmare himself with twisted horns and dark magic。 When a plea from a strange being known as a dreambreaker reaches them， the two ’mares find themselves thrown together in a desperate mission to save her before time runs out。
Meanwhile， in the waking world， Caine Fallon， son of King Warwick and Prince of Wolfhelm， prepares to wed Ila Enevoldson， the young queen from the wild kingdom of Galesborough。 But Ila is more than a queen。 She is a weaver， a protector of the ancient Boundary that separates the Reverie and the Wake。 Three nights before their wedding， Caine catches Ila in the act of opening a portal to the dream world and follows her， landing himself in a universe stranger than he could have imagined—a realm where his father is more monstrous than he ever could have fathomed。
Now， the fates of four strangers will become intricately entwined， and the fate of their worlds will be sewn by their choices。
Wren has spent her life doing the bidding of her cruel creator Para Warwick in the dream world known as the Reverie。 When she learns of a weapon with the power to destroy him， she jumps at the chance to steal it。 Her plan goes awry and she finds herself in the clutches of the rebellion and the rogue Alaric， a nightmare himself with twisted horns and dark magic。 When a plea from a strange being known as a dreambreaker reaches them， the two ’mares find themselves thrown together in a desperate mission to save her before time runs out。
Meanwhile， in the waking world， Caine Fallon， son of King Warwick and Prince of Wolfhelm， prepares to wed Ila Enevoldson， the young queen from the wild kingdom of Galesborough。 But Ila is more than a queen。 She is a weaver， a protector of the ancient Boundary that separates the Reverie and the Wake。 Three nights before their wedding， Caine catches Ila in the act of opening a portal to the dream world and follows her， landing himself in a universe stranger than he could have imagined—a realm where his father is more monstrous than he ever could have fathomed。
Now， the fates of four strangers will become intricately entwined， and the fate of their worlds will be sewn by their choices。
Reviews
evelynn kate
，
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3rd person POV - switches between our 4 MCs"If there is one thing I’ve learned， it’s that no dream being is entirely good or evil。 The lines between nightmares and dreams are rarely as stark as they seem。”Nightstrider by Sophia Slade is my first book from this author and let me tell you， it was phenomenal。 You can just tell the level of care and passion that went into this story。 The plot is well flushed out and has clear objectives throughout the book， even when mishaps and side Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3rd person POV - switches between our 4 MCs"If there is one thing I’ve learned， it’s that no dream being is entirely good or evil。 The lines between nightmares and dreams are rarely as stark as they seem。”Nightstrider by Sophia Slade is my first book from this author and let me tell you， it was phenomenal。 You can just tell the level of care and passion that went into this story。 The plot is well flushed out and has clear objectives throughout the book， even when mishaps and side quests interrupt our main character's journeys。 While there isn't any steam or spice （other than one quick scene in the beginning）， there are deeply planted seeds for epic love stories to unfold in future books。 The writing has depth and balance and immediately immerses you into the world Sophia Slade painstakingly created。Here's what you need to know: Sapphic mythology， bisexual FMC （Wren）， arranged marriage （kind of）， adversaries-to-lovers （not quite there yet， but fingers crossed）， reluctant traveling partners， and the start of a potentially tenacious found family。Meet your main characters:Wren aka Nightstrider: 'mare （short for nightmare）， 20 （but age doesn't really count for 'mares as they manifest and mature differently than humans）， current Hand of the Para （i。e。 HBIC after the Para）， ruthless killing machine- killing for the Para has been her only objective for her 20 years of existenceIla: weaver， 18， Queen of Galesborough and arranged to marry Caine of Wolfhelm， guardian of Saoirse （a child dreambreaker， which is very rare and therefore extremely important to protect）， can travel between the Reverie （dream land） and Wake （human lands） at will but it takes a lot of power and therefore has to be careful of how she uses her energyCaine: human， 19， Prince of Wolfhelm， only son of King Warwick， unaware of the Reverie and what it entails but protective over his betrothed （out of principle） and growing more and more skeptical by the minuteAlaric: 'mare， at least 40 （again， 'mares don't age like humans）， former Hand of the Para， current rebel and presumed dead by Para WarwickAnd yes， in case you are wondering， King Warwick of Wolfhelm and Para Warwick of the Reverie are one in the same。 Caine is unaware of his fathers second life。Here's what happens: This first book follows both Ila/Caine and Wren/Alaric on their separate yet intertwining journey's。 After Ila stages her kidnapping so she can escape to the Reverie， Caine follows her despite not knowing what awaits on the other side。 They travel together looking for Saoirse， Ila's ward and dreambreaker （which makes Saoirse very rare and coveted）， while Para Warwick does the same。 Wren unknowingly embeds herself in this expedition after helping a rebel servant gain knowledge on Saoirse's whereabouts。 Wren is slowly coming to terms with her hatred towards her creator， the Para。 This puts her directly in Alaric's path and they end up working together to try and take down Para Warwick by finding Saoirse and getting her back to Ila so he doesn't get his hands on her。 Wren is motivated by revenge while Alaric is determined to take down Para Warwick and put an end to his evil reign。This book has 2 worlds （the Reverie aka dream world and the Wake aka where humans live） and only the weavers and dreambreakers can traverse the boundaries at will， except for Para Warwick of course。 He's just that strong， which makes him a difficult antagonist to kill。 If he were to get Saoirse， he would become even harder to kill and continue his corrupted reign over both the Reverie and the Wake。All that said， the terminology was slightly confusing at first， but there is a glossary at the end of the book that I referenced until I got the hang of everything。 The side characters （Saoirse， Mica， Nils， Morthil， Solene to name a few） are also very well developed and add something unique to each chapter they're in。 Solene （the aforementioned rebel servant） was adorable and shouldn't have been given the task she was given; she can't keep anything a secret and immediately blabbed on the rebel's plans when Wren pressured her。 It was cute though and it worked out so Solene really got lucky。 Our characters in this book have had vastly different experiences in their lives and it is clear in each of their POVs how they've been shaped into who they are today。 The passion that went into this story is palpable。Overall， I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to book 2。 I can only imagine the adventure our characters are going to go on， but I'm excited to travel along with them。 😊 。。。more
avery
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i actually really enjoyed this book。 the plot was refreshing and new， and the characters all had depth and were interesting。 the world building was a little confusing in the beginning， but it becomes easier to understand throughout the novel。 i actually really like the premise of this fantasy， dreamlike world where dreams are actual living beings in a different dimension that are manifestations of those in the “awake” world。wren， alaric， caine and ila are all the mc’s and all have a pov。 they ea i actually really enjoyed this book。 the plot was refreshing and new， and the characters all had depth and were interesting。 the world building was a little confusing in the beginning， but it becomes easier to understand throughout the novel。 i actually really like the premise of this fantasy， dreamlike world where dreams are actual living beings in a different dimension that are manifestations of those in the “awake” world。wren， alaric， caine and ila are all the mc’s and all have a pov。 they each have their own personalities which i found refreshing because a lot of new authors don’t really flesh out their characters and they often fall flat。 in addition。 this book was more than just the romance subplot， meaning if the romance was taken out， most of the events would still take place。 i’m so glad there’s still an author out there who values plot rather than romance tropes。 my only critique is that i wish the chapters were longer in each pov。 it often felt rushed at some points， moving from character to character a little too quickly for my liking。 it seemed to take away from the storyline that was happening during their specific pov。 i want to be in each characters mind for more than 12 pages at a time if that makes sense。 also the romance seemed a little forced between alaric and wren but caine and ila had me gigglinganyway i’m excited for the second book！！ 。。。more
Lucía
，
Is this what being in love feels like？？🫣I found out about the existence of this book through TikTok and I am forever grateful。 This book has saved me from my biggest slump this year， and for that I have Sophia to thank for。😢I loved everything about it， but specially the storyline that followed Wren and Alaric （that is not to say I didn’t enjoy Ila and Caine’s part）。 Nightstrider was my favourite character （i surely love a powerful and dark FMC， that knows when to be good and when to stain her ha Is this what being in love feels like？？🫣I found out about the existence of this book through TikTok and I am forever grateful。 This book has saved me from my biggest slump this year， and for that I have Sophia to thank for。😢I loved everything about it， but specially the storyline that followed Wren and Alaric （that is not to say I didn’t enjoy Ila and Caine’s part）。 Nightstrider was my favourite character （i surely love a powerful and dark FMC， that knows when to be good and when to stain her hands） I may not know much about writing but let me tell you the world building was ✨a m a z i n g✨。 It had been very long since I was so invested in a new universe such as this one and it did not disappoint。 Since I read it in a day and I am out of my drug， I find myself impatiently waiting for the next release of this series， which should be out by April and not a single day later （please）。 😫PS: if you ever get kind of lost （which I don’t think will happen since both the worlds and the creatures are really well explained）， I recommend you go to the author’s TikTok account。 Her videos will resolve any doubts that you may have。 。。。more
Catarine
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this book is an amazing first installment in what i know will be an incredible series。 unique world and concept， superb world building， diverse characters， it has all the stuff you want in a fantasy novel and more。 lives up to and exceeds the hype。
Rachel Igo
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5/5 starsIncredible。 Amazing。 Yet again， one of the best books I’ve read this year is by an indie author。 Indie authors are truly taking over。This book was so wonderfully， carefully， and beautifully written。 Each character felt so solid and real。 They all had distinct personalities that Slade carried throughout the book， as well as letting those personalities grow and change as the plot progressed。Of course Wren was an absolute powerhouse of a character， but I personally was drawn to Ila。 She wa 5/5 starsIncredible。 Amazing。 Yet again， one of the best books I’ve read this year is by an indie author。 Indie authors are truly taking over。This book was so wonderfully， carefully， and beautifully written。 Each character felt so solid and real。 They all had distinct personalities that Slade carried throughout the book， as well as letting those personalities grow and change as the plot progressed。Of course Wren was an absolute powerhouse of a character， but I personally was drawn to Ila。 She was fierce in her own right， but there was a softness there that had been hardened over time。 To watch Caine bring this slight softness out of her throughout the story was beautiful， and I hope he’s able to do it again in the next book。 She’s certainly going to need him after what she’s gone through。Caine！ I honestly loved him from the start。 He started out as honestly just this nineteen year old kid who happened to be a Prince and by the end， he had grown so much。 I think his growth was the greatest。 He was the one who had the most to learn， as he was the most naive at the start。 Still， even with his world being completely shattered by the truth， he found strength in himself and in Ila。 He felt like a completely different person by the end of this book。Alaric， my sweet horned ‘mare。 I feel as though we didn’t get to know him and his story as much as I would have liked。 He still feels like partially a mystery to me。 But still， it is obvious that after escaping the Para， he learned how to love so fiercely that it changed him in ways that even maybe he doesn’t totally understand。 I think it was beautiful how Slade chose to give the ‘mare who had once been known as one of the most lethal the most gentle of souls。And Wren。 She really went through it in this story。 I think the person she was truly fighting the most was herself。 And she was fighting herself so fiercely， she didn’t even realize how good at heart she truly was。 I think the ending in this book for her was perfection。 She’s now forced to face herself and find out who she truly is。The lore of the world is this book was really well done and even my little brain was able to understand all the world building。 I do wish the Wake had played a bit more of a role in this， but I understand why it didn’t and why we spent so much time in the Reverie。 Both worlds were well fleshed out， but obviously the Reverie was the coolest， with all these different dream beings and the potential for really anything to happen or appear。I think Slade did such an incredible job with this book。 They should be so immensely proud。 This book truly set us up for an even more epic and harrowing journey and I cannot wait！！！ （Seriously， I can’t wait。 I need the second book now！） 。。。more
Mariam
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Thanks to Sophia Slade for reaching out and providing me an ARC in return for an honest review！-Let me start by saying I have not read fantasy in a very long time and this was the perfect book to get me back into it。 The world dynamic was complex and intriguing。 The plot was also like no other book I've read， which is nice because I took a break from fantasy because every book started to feel the same in one way or another。 -I also loved every character and how the ebook was written from four po Thanks to Sophia Slade for reaching out and providing me an ARC in return for an honest review！-Let me start by saying I have not read fantasy in a very long time and this was the perfect book to get me back into it。 The world dynamic was complex and intriguing。 The plot was also like no other book I've read， which is nice because I took a break from fantasy because every book started to feel the same in one way or another。 -I also loved every character and how the ebook was written from four povs。 Every character was special and unique in their own way and amazing。 -Please go read this book if you're a fantasy lover！ You won't regret it。 。。。more
Mark Griffith
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Fresh new fantasy series with creative ideas。 I look forward to future releases。
Sarah
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Rise， Nightstrider。 This book was absolutely amazing！ I was hooked from start to finish with the fast paced story following the 4 different point of views。 Wren’s pov was my favorite because she is THE Nightstrider- and I was not disappointed。 Alaric’s pov was very interesting as well because I got to see more of the inside details of a mare working for the rebellion。 And there was the details of wanting to know how he was still alive。 Ila’s point of view was very helpful for the explanations of Rise， Nightstrider。 This book was absolutely amazing！ I was hooked from start to finish with the fast paced story following the 4 different point of views。 Wren’s pov was my favorite because she is THE Nightstrider- and I was not disappointed。 Alaric’s pov was very interesting as well because I got to see more of the inside details of a mare working for the rebellion。 And there was the details of wanting to know how he was still alive。 Ila’s point of view was very helpful for the explanations of the different dream beings and the way the world works in Borge the Reverie and the Wake。 Caine’s pov was intriguing to watch the way he processed all of this new information， and realizing that he never really knew the people he thought he knew best。 While some stories with so many pov’s can get confusing or boring， I was always engaged with what was going on and the cliffhangers from chapter pushed me even farther into the book to get back to that pov。 I devoured this book in four days （in the middle of my first ComicCon） and I cannot recommend it enough。 You will enter the world of your dreams （haha get it？） and find that everything is not as it seems。 Sol liv hjent warrenGood Somnia， friends。 。。。more
Dafne
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I’m actually sobbing with that ending。 I’ve been waiting to read this story since Sophia posted about it on tiktok and now I can say every expectation was met。 This book went above and beyond。 I must say the world building was mesmerizing and every character was truly complex。 I’m so excited to read the next adventures。Good somnia🖤
Marlee Myers
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I don’t even know where to start。 This book was an absolute masterpiece。 From the world building to character stories。 I love everything about it。 I can’t wait to see what this bunch has in store for the next books。 Can’t wait！ Way to go Neon！
Julia Randazzo
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This book deserves all of the stars。 I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POVs throughout the story to get a better background on all of the characters within the book and their feelings。 The attention to detail in Sophia's world building is second to none。 The small details she includes within each description brings the world to life。 And oh ten hells the plot twist（s） at the end！ I am normally pretty good at catching what the author is trying to foreshadow but I was NOT expecting that！ I also lo This book deserves all of the stars。 I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POVs throughout the story to get a better background on all of the characters within the book and their feelings。 The attention to detail in Sophia's world building is second to none。 The small details she includes within each description brings the world to life。 And oh ten hells the plot twist（s） at the end！ I am normally pretty good at catching what the author is trying to foreshadow but I was NOT expecting that！ I also love the LGBTQ representation within this book as well as the witty humor throughout。 I will 100% be waiting impatiently for the next book in this series！ 。。。more
River Hemans
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The Reverie is where Nightmares manifest into 'mare creatures who will rip your beating heart out--whilst smirking--and you'll thank them for it。Nightstrider has tortured my soul， and gripped the corners of my mind in ways I never thought possible。 The Reverie is where Nightmares manifest into 'mare creatures who will rip your beating heart out--whilst smirking--and you'll thank them for it。Nightstrider has tortured my soul， and gripped the corners of my mind in ways I never thought possible。 。。。more
Dana
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I need book 2 like NOW please。I've been following Sophia for a while and I have been eagerly anticipating this book for a long time。 And it did NOT disappoint。 In fact， it was even BETTER than I expected！ Sophia has a way with words that's entirely absorbing and atmospheric。 Nightstrider follows four main characters; Wren， Alaric， Caine， and Ila。 Each are beautifully complicated and flawed and well rounded。 They live in the Reverie or the Wake， a dream world and real world respectively， and the I need book 2 like NOW please。I've been following Sophia for a while and I have been eagerly anticipating this book for a long time。 And it did NOT disappoint。 In fact， it was even BETTER than I expected！ Sophia has a way with words that's entirely absorbing and atmospheric。 Nightstrider follows four main characters; Wren， Alaric， Caine， and Ila。 Each are beautifully complicated and flawed and well rounded。 They live in the Reverie or the Wake， a dream world and real world respectively， and the fate of these worlds hinge on them stopping the nightmarishly powerful Para Warwick from getting his hands on a power that could unmake the Boundary between the worlds。 I love， love， loved it。 The world building is astounding！ It was a little confusing in the beginning （along with following 4 characters you don't know yet）， but once you hit a stride， the book hooks into you and won't let you go even after you finish the last page。 I am so excited to get my hands on book two in spring of 2023！ The ending is well done and sets up book two perfectly！Overall， a fantastic dark fantasy with unforgettable characters and action！ 。。。more
Viola Smith
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Just finished this book and holy cr*p。。。This was one f*cking wild fantasy ride。 Nightstrider makes me want to read fantasy again as recently I wasn't reading much fantasy honestly。 This is spoiler free as I highly recommend preordering the novel。。。 I absolutely love Wren， Alaric， Caine， and Ila。 The world building was sprinkled throughout which i absolutely loved。 I felt as if I stepped into both the Wake and Reverie to join this cast of unique characters on their different quests。 This was very Just finished this book and holy cr*p。。。This was one f*cking wild fantasy ride。 Nightstrider makes me want to read fantasy again as recently I wasn't reading much fantasy honestly。 This is spoiler free as I highly recommend preordering the novel。。。 I absolutely love Wren， Alaric， Caine， and Ila。 The world building was sprinkled throughout which i absolutely loved。 I felt as if I stepped into both the Wake and Reverie to join this cast of unique characters on their different quests。 This was very immersive and addicting to stay。 This novel is 10/10， 5 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Lane Skye
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I absolutely LOVED this book！ Nightstrider is told from four perspectives， and typically during multiple POV’s there always seems to be one that is lacking for me and that I try to get through is quickly as possible to reach the next POV。 But not with Nightstrider。 I absolutely adored each perspective just as much as the last and found myself needing to know what was happening with each of the characters at all times。 I couldn’t get enough of them。 The world introduced in Nightstrider was so ref I absolutely LOVED this book！ Nightstrider is told from four perspectives， and typically during multiple POV’s there always seems to be one that is lacking for me and that I try to get through is quickly as possible to reach the next POV。 But not with Nightstrider。 I absolutely adored each perspective just as much as the last and found myself needing to know what was happening with each of the characters at all times。 I couldn’t get enough of them。 The world introduced in Nightstrider was so refreshing。 I read a lot of Fantasy。 Like A LOT of fantasy。 Because of this， a lot of fantasy worlds tend to blend together for me。 But the Reverie is a beautiful standout and completely different from any fantasy worlds I’ve read about before。 I fell in love with the characters and the world they live in and cannot wait for the next book in the Nightstrider series。 。。。more
meg
，
i loved this book so much！！ incredible world building， a gripping plot， a diverse and interesting cast of characters - basically everything you could want in a high fantasy novel！ nightstrider was extremely well written and i was hooked from the very start。 i already can’t wait for the sequel！
CourtOfKayla
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OH MY GOD， THIS BOOK IS AMAZING。 I read a lot of fantasy， and so sometimes it's hard to find a book that really stands out BUT NIGHTSTRIDER EXCEEDED ANY EXPECTATIONS I HAD。 A unique fantasy world that is like nothing I've read before， check。 My favorite trope， enemies to lovers？ CHECK！ （Times Two） A plot that had me hooked on every chapter？ CHECK CHECK CHECK。 Nighstrider is a whirlwind of the best that fantasy can offer， and Sophia's writing is absolutely phenomenal。 Nighstrider brings powers to OH MY GOD， THIS BOOK IS AMAZING。 I read a lot of fantasy， and so sometimes it's hard to find a book that really stands out BUT NIGHTSTRIDER EXCEEDED ANY EXPECTATIONS I HAD。 A unique fantasy world that is like nothing I've read before， check。 My favorite trope， enemies to lovers？ CHECK！ （Times Two） A plot that had me hooked on every chapter？ CHECK CHECK CHECK。 Nighstrider is a whirlwind of the best that fantasy can offer， and Sophia's writing is absolutely phenomenal。 Nighstrider brings powers to dreams and nightmares and crafts a beautifully intricate and tragic world that I cannot wait to dive into again。 The characters are amazing， the tension everything I could have wanted AND MORE， and I am still completely shook writing this review because MY GOD IT'S AMAZING。 I read a lot of fantasy， and so when I tell you YOU NEED TO ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR I MEAN IT。 Nighstrider takes place in a world divided in two， the waking realm （aka the normal fantasy world） and the reverie （the dream/nightmare world）。 Dreams and nightmares have the power to create monstrous and magical beings in the reverie。 Magic spills from the edges as the ruler of both， Para Warwick， makes an attempt to ultimately tip the scales of power in both。 You read from four POVs， the winged Assassin Nighstrider， Alaric， Queen Ila， and Prince Caine。 The dynamic four are thrown into a high-stakes mission to stop the Para from ruining both worlds and save the dreamweaver-- a gifted child who has the power to maintain the divide and sees what is to come。 Past and present clash as literal nightmares come to life and they must work together and survive the unsurvivable to save the realm。 Step into the dark and twisted world of the reverie and into a realm of nightmares。。。 and try your best to cling to the light。。。 （make sure to check Trigger Warnings before reading！ Sophia noted them in the front of the book。） 。。。more
Catriona
，
I absolutely loved this book！ the whole concept of dream beings and universes is unlike any book i've read。 The plot was so detailed and intricate！ The characters are so well written and I love the tension between the love interests。 I can not wait to own my own copy of this， I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves high fantasy and fantasy romance。 I absolutely loved this book！ the whole concept of dream beings and universes is unlike any book i've read。 The plot was so detailed and intricate！ The characters are so well written and I love the tension between the love interests。 I can not wait to own my own copy of this， I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves high fantasy and fantasy romance。 。。。more
Elizabeth Sagan
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This was GOOD。 Like really， really good， from the writing to the world-building to the dialogue and fight scenes， not even mentioning Nightstrider （the character）， who's in the same league as Manon for me。I especially liked the world。 Two connected worlds， the Wake and the Reverie， the Reverie being populated by dream beings created by the dreams of the people in the Wake。 People who can walk between them。 Different types of dream beings for different types of dreams， the most powerful being the This was GOOD。 Like really， really good， from the writing to the world-building to the dialogue and fight scenes， not even mentioning Nightstrider （the character）， who's in the same league as Manon for me。I especially liked the world。 Two connected worlds， the Wake and the Reverie， the Reverie being populated by dream beings created by the dreams of the people in the Wake。 People who can walk between them。 Different types of dream beings for different types of dreams， the most powerful being the ones born out of sleep paralysis。 All in all a lush world with a solid magic system。I say you only need to read the first chapter to convince yourself。Also， there are two enemies-to-lovers arcs， like wow ok :）） 。。。more
Cam Nova
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Alright。 *cracks knuckles* Sophia， hi！ I was offered an e-ARC and snapped it up immediately。 Who wouldn't want to read about nightmare assassins and queens who weaved magic， or about a himbo （sorry） prince and a broody （affectionate） man-monster？ WELL， I FINISHED IT IN ONE SITTING。 LOL。 It's a 400-over page chunky boi， and it starts off chock-full with beautiful imagery and distinct voices ranging from gritty to hilarious， courtesy of our four main protagonists。 My absolute favourite is still Wr Alright。 *cracks knuckles* Sophia， hi！ I was offered an e-ARC and snapped it up immediately。 Who wouldn't want to read about nightmare assassins and queens who weaved magic， or about a himbo （sorry） prince and a broody （affectionate） man-monster？ WELL， I FINISHED IT IN ONE SITTING。 LOL。 It's a 400-over page chunky boi， and it starts off chock-full with beautiful imagery and distinct voices ranging from gritty to hilarious， courtesy of our four main protagonists。 My absolute favourite is still Wren， our assassin nightmare （as in literally， she's a product of nightmares。 she lives in a world of dreams and she's a fuckin' nightmare， how cool is that？） with her viscerally sharp instincts and her moral compass made of steely chaos， but it's easy to say that EVERY character got me straight in the heart。NIGHTSTRIDER hit me with tropes I hadn't known I'd need until I read it （won't say anything because spoilers， but if you're a reluctant allies lover？ This is for you。 If you're a enemies to lovers？ Also for you。 Fan of murderous women？ For you）。 Also， it's funny when you don't expect it。 Caine， the clueless innocent prince （golden retriever with NO braincells my beloved） has a whip-smart sister， so prepare yourself for some excellent sibling dynamic rep！ And as a bisexual， I had a fun time， okay？ If you're looking for badass women AND badass men in the same book？ Yeah。 I， um。 I REALLY enjoyed heart-eyeing every character， no regrets！Admittedly， I do think the book could be slightly confusing for readers who went into it without knowing much of its premise。 Call me obtuse， but I did struggle a little bit to understand that half our cast was in a literal dream world， while the other existed in reality。 Still， I wouldn't take a star off for it - it's a small storytelling glitch， and you get it in the end。Otherwise？ Get ready for a world of ethereal darkness， a cast full of sharp grins and even sharper wit， and a plot that will leave you breathless <3 Fantasy fans。。。you're going to love NIGHTSTRIDER， and I can't wait for you to read it。 。。。more
indy
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absolutely solid 4 stars :-） one of the better fantasy books i've read in a long time！ so so promising。 i love how lush the world is and how vivid the characters are。 unapologetically dark and queer。 can't wait to read the rest of the series！ so much girlbossing！ i love when women <3 also alaric i am free everyday for u。。。 everyday！ absolutely solid 4 stars :-） one of the better fantasy books i've read in a long time！ so so promising。 i love how lush the world is and how vivid the characters are。 unapologetically dark and queer。 can't wait to read the rest of the series！ so much girlbossing！ i love when women <3 also alaric i am free everyday for u。。。 everyday！ 。。。more
Brenna
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i absolutely LOVED this book！！ Sophia Slade has crafted such a unique， complex fantasy world in this book！ I loved each of the four main characters， and loved the POV changes。 Ila， Wren （can i say how much i love this name btw）， Caine， and Alaric all are such interesting characters， with intriguing backstories and development （and omg the fanart is so incredible！） I LOVED the drama， the romance， the world， and the magic！！！ i absolutely cannot wait to get a physical copy or for book two！！
A。 L。 Slade
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Oh man， I don't know where to start with this review。First of all， READ THIS BOOK WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE。 IT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT。Now， to begin。One of my all-time new favourite books。 So fresh， new， exciting， unparalleled， unique， captivating， immersive， extremely well-developed， phenomenal， show-stopping， and incredible。 I could go on and on with more complex words to describe this book， but I'd be writing an even longer novel than this one if I did。 So， I'll leave all my descriptions to these word Oh man， I don't know where to start with this review。First of all， READ THIS BOOK WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE。 IT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT。Now， to begin。One of my all-time new favourite books。 So fresh， new， exciting， unparalleled， unique， captivating， immersive， extremely well-developed， phenomenal， show-stopping， and incredible。 I could go on and on with more complex words to describe this book， but I'd be writing an even longer novel than this one if I did。 So， I'll leave all my descriptions to these words。I'm genuinely honoured to have received an eARC of this ASTOUNDING book by unimaginably talented Sophia Slade。 I cannot WAIT for the following books in this anticipated series， and even more， I can't wait to be able to buy my very own copy of this absolute masterpiece。Did I mention yet that you should buy and read this book when you can？ Because you should。 Please。 Trust me; you won't regret it。 。。。more
Melissa Karibian
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Slade weaves a complex world of dreams and nightmares in this chilling High Fantasy。 Rich with four POVs， Nightstrider is a wild ride from start to finish （and that ending left me wanting more！）What a terrific start to a series where the monsters are not all terrible and the pure are not all good。
mith
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In light of this book's Kickstarter coming out tomorrow—which I am screaming about！！—it seems like it's a good time as any to rave about this book。 Listen。 I have the hardest time finishing books lately。 Hell， starting them。 It's ridiculously difficult to focus on anything no matter how much I want to， so when a rare instance comes across， such as Nightstrider， I thank the gods willing to take pity on me。 Sophia is so beyond talented。 This world they've created is honestly unlike anything I've e In light of this book's Kickstarter coming out tomorrow—which I am screaming about！！—it seems like it's a good time as any to rave about this book。 Listen。 I have the hardest time finishing books lately。 Hell， starting them。 It's ridiculously difficult to focus on anything no matter how much I want to， so when a rare instance comes across， such as Nightstrider， I thank the gods willing to take pity on me。 Sophia is so beyond talented。 This world they've created is honestly unlike anything I've ever read。 Mirror worlds—the Reverie and the Waking World—one a dream land of sorts， the other that creates those inhabiting it—the whole idea of it is so enticing。 Her world building is superb and I fell deep whilst reading。 All I wanted was to get to the next chapter， just absorb everything in these worlds。 I love how they used the concept of dreams and made something so intricate out of it。 The book is told from four points of view。 In cases like these， I can't help it: I always end up picking favorites。 At first， it was Wren， because。。。 Well。 Look at that cover。 Then it became Ila， and then Caine， and then Alaric。。。 At some point， it just turned into me needing to know what was going to happen as soon as possible。 The way Slade wrote these characters made themselves feel so real， and more than once I had to stop and yell at her for making me go through so many emotions。 Just thinking about the lil nightmares has me yelling into the void。 （Btw if you're seeing this lmao thank you for letting me do that。）Writing reviews for books I adore is so damn HARD。 Because all I wanna do is rave about this book because it genuinely was one of the most interesting and engrossing books I've ever read， even though I feel I'm failing at depicting that。 Slade's writing is beautiful and brutal， and I loved every word they wrote。 Unfortunately， I am not as good with words as she is， so all I can end with is pls do yourself a favor and get this book。 • • •Bruh。 Literally gonna have a Meltdown thinking about the wait for the next book。 。。。more
Naomi
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Wren— Nightstrider— hates being the monster her creator has forced her to become。Prince Caine is starting to wonder if his father might be a bit more cruel than he thought。Queen Ila agreed to marry the prince， but she’s lost the person who’s most important to her— and the greatest weapon for the war that’s looming。Alaric fights with the rebellion against his creator。In a world split down the middle between the waking and the dream realms， one man rules over both。 He’s a Para— a sleep paralysis d Wren— Nightstrider— hates being the monster her creator has forced her to become。Prince Caine is starting to wonder if his father might be a bit more cruel than he thought。Queen Ila agreed to marry the prince， but she’s lost the person who’s most important to her— and the greatest weapon for the war that’s looming。Alaric fights with the rebellion against his creator。In a world split down the middle between the waking and the dream realms， one man rules over both。 He’s a Para— a sleep paralysis demon come to life。 Because everyone in Reverie， the dream realm， was brought into being by someone in the Wake dreaming them into existence。 Everyone except the ‘mares the Para creates to do his bidding， including Nightstrider， his right hand。 But she defects， running away from the castle— and into a complex web of people and weapons who want to take the Para down， as well。Nightstrider beautifully balances multiple POVs— enough that it could have been confusing， but Sophia Slade weaves the stories together masterfully。 The worldbuilding is also gorgeous， with a whole host of dream beings ranging from powerfully good ones to harmless ones born from regular nightmares to sleep paralysis demons。 The two worlds are distinct， even when there’s overlap， and everything about the interplay between the two is intriguing。 I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for years， and it absolutely did not disappoint。 。。。more
Kaitlyn
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*grabby hands in gay* I NEED THIS BOOK ！！！
Krystal Viola
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I have read all of her other works and love this author。 I can't wait to get my hands on this book。 I have read all of her other works and love this author。 I can't wait to get my hands on this book。 。。。more
Kimberlee King
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Read the first exclusive chapter and all I can say is I need more！
Sofia
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