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.
With constant heartache and a strictly gothic feel, A Multitude of Dreams is something out of historic nightmares.
With A Multitude of Dreams, we get dual POVs from both Nico and Seraphina. Seraphina is a Jew who was stolen from her home to impersonate the youngest princess who unfortunately passed away from the plague. On the other side, Nico is the son of a butcher who is immune to the plague ravaging their lands and finds himself becoming a gravedigger for a lord who also survived.
The story is very dark from whatever angle you look at it. It pieces together how royals and subjects alike felt during the plague era. The tale is weaved with lies, death, and harrowing situations. For me personally, the two main MCs do not meet until about 50% through the book and even though that first 50% was setting up the story I felt it was very slow-going. Once Nico and Seraphina meet though the story takes off.
In the last half of the book, I really enjoyed the constant thrills, fighting, and inter-court workings. Overall a truly unique story and the gothic themes weaved throughout were super well done.
Special thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for an ARC of this story.
Jotted by Jena 