Forgot to review this one upon release but truly loved it. Bought a copy and Rutherford is now perhaps an auto-buy author. Haunting and wonderful.

First:
Talk about great opening lines! "Eldridge Hall was a castle built on lies."

Second:
The gothic fantasy setting is chilling and immersive. As a fan of Poe, the Prince Prospero hook got me from page one.

Third:
The characters are deeply moving. I cannot help but root for them. Even in their darkest moments.

Finally:
There's a not-so-subtle anti-racist message running throughout. The weight of prejudice and fear covers everyone in the story, and the author deftly urges the reader to push back against racism in the real world while the fantasy world struggles to find its way. (Don't skip the author's note.)

"Memento mori"

A refreshing tale with gothic imagery and fantastic prose. This storyline was very interesting and right from the get go instills the reader with beautiful imagery. This tale takes inspiration from Edgar Allen poes “The masque of the red death” and it shows throughout the story. It also reminded me of the goose girl fairy tale by the brothers Grimm.

I was intrigued from the first chapter and even more so after learning about the plague and switch up of the princesses. The different povs complimented each other well as did the fantasy elements. The romance storyline was tasteful and fit its young adult rating and I think it was all very well done. Would recommend for young fantasy lovers and those that want to dip their toes into gothic story elements and tales.

Thank you, Inkyard and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Princess Imogen of Goslind has lived a sheltered life for three years in her castle, protected by the plague in her kingdom, hiding her own secret. But as the king Stuart slowly descends into madness, she's forced to reveal it.
Nico Mott did enjoyed a comfortable life, before the plague took everything from him and, after being saved by Lord Crane, now he's forced to own his silence too. When he's send out to search for more survivors in the castle, he meets the princess who is fleeing away. In order to survive the nightmares, they will have to join forces and navigate lies and secrets.

A multitude of dreams is a unique book, incredibly atmospheric, intense and filled with unexpected horrors.
The writing style weaves a fascinating story with intriguing characters, with their own secrets, plots and lies to tell in order to protect themselves and a story set in the aftermath of a terrible plague and its consequences. Mara Rutherford wrote a brilliant and captivating story and I loved every single page of it.

This was interesting, This author really does create something different in a genre that is much the same. I enjoyed it but I do not think the target audience will find it as interesting as I do.

I did not realize that this book was a loose retelling of the Poe story the mask of the red death, which definitely makes for an interesting read. I loved the world and the creepy concept of a plague and the infected being reborn, but I am always a sucker for a good zombie book (or in this case zombie vampire-ish?).

I was not really into the romance aspect of the story, I would have been perfectly fine if it did not exist to be honest. Both characters were interesting and well thought out as individuals (the story is dual narrated by both main characters) but the last fourth of the book pushed them into a meeting and then romance that felt forced and unnecessary. Keep in mind I am sure others will love them together but I enjoyed them both independently and doing their thing. Overall this was an interesting standalone YA fantasy romance with a solid plot line but a little bit too rushed ending and relationship.

This was such a lushly atmospheric read, I want to immediately delve back in. Rutherford has a real way with words that captivates you so completely you don’t ever want to leave the world she built. Although it was short, I feel as if it did exactly what it set out to do with the amount it was given, as that would be my only gripe about this book. Overall, a quick and enjoyable book that was perfect for spooky vibes.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

A MULTITUDE OF DREAMS is Mara Rutherford's first adult fantasy. I love Rutherford's other fantasy books so I was very excited for this standalone - Rutherford is prolific at prose. This is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death (one of my fav Poe's stories). This is the story of a Princess with a secret locked up with the entire royal court to avoid the Plague ravaging the country..... Now, the King is most certainly Mad and four years have passed. On the other side of the country, a plague survivor struggles in a country where the majority of the population has perished. Mix in some paranormal activity and romance - and you have a great plot.

- Jewish Representation
-Grave Robbery
- Gothic Fantasy
- Secret Identity
- SIsterhood
- Paranormal Activity

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

A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. Although I have never read the original story I'm always interested in retellings that put a spin on things.

This story follows a secretly Jewish girl, Seraphina, who has been impersonating and living as Princess Imogen for the last four years since the plague struck, after being taken from her family. Living among the royal family as if it were her own, everyone inside the manor refuses to mention or discuss what the conditions outside might be after so many years locked away behind boarded-up windows and doors.
Nico, a grave digger working for a strange man named Crane, along with a couple of other servants are sent out toward the royal manor, Eldridge Hall, in search of any Plague survivors who may still be quarantined inside.
After Nico manages to sneak inside the manor during a masquerade birthday party under the guise of Prince Martin, he stumbles into a meeting with the mysterious Princess Imogen. Secrets quickly come to light as the condition of the outside world is uncovered and a children's horrifying nursery rhyme is revealed to be more than just a tale.

The concept for this book was really interesting and I did enjoy my time reading about the Reborn as well as the different blood types. (Immunity and immaculates) I was hoping for a little more darkness and maybe a more in-depth writing style.

I did have some trouble with the logical aspect of things. After all, it's kind of hard to believe that a man wouldn't recognize his own daughter, right? That part just kept bothering me as I was reading through the story. I also respect the addition of the Jewish nature within this story but honestly, there wasn't enough of that aspect for it to seem necessary. I wish we would have touched more on that, or just left it alone completely.

I have to say Nico was probably my favorite character, I found him endearing with how bashful and modest he is. So near the ending was very cute and probably my favorite part of the whole book. We are left slightly open-ended with mention of future plans but no finalized wrap-up of what happens to everyone and what the situation moving forward was going to be, which was a bit of a bummer because I would have liked to see where everyone ended up in the end. Was a pretty okay story and was enjoyable for the most part.

One of the rare gems that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let you out of its grip until the last word! I couldn't put it down--the characters, the story, the mystery, the haunting sense of something terrible coming that creeps up on you midway through and builds and builds and BUILDS.

Truly, this is one you don't want to miss!

(Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.)

A lovely, gothic story with the perfect amount of angst. I am so thrilled by the story line and the pacing. I love all things about Poe and so this hit perfectly. The fmc was strong and bold and I can’t wait to read more from Mara Rutherford.

You would think a book with this summary and supposedly based in the work of my beloved Poe would be good. You would be incorrect.

This story promises so much with such an interesting concept - but falls short of its delivery - 2.5 stars

First, let’s start with the world-building - I loved the idea of the Jewish representation done in a fantasy setting - but the execution felt incredibly simplistic. The world seems to model Europe around the time of the Black Plague, and centers around the antisemitism that was experienced - but neither Jewishness nor the antisemitism felt like a central part of the story… while also feeling like it was meant to be the entire point at the same time? This might just be my take, but I felt the story would have served better if it was more a historical retelling with the addition of fantasy elements, rather than a full fantasy setting with tidbits of realistic elements (realistic elements that are never fully explained or built out - all of the readers context is assumed by the author)

Ultimately, the plotting felt very heavy-handed - the main plot points felt disjointed at times and I had a hard time getting in the flow of what was unfolding.

The romance is very subplot, and while its progression did not feel overly organic - it was a nice addition to the storyline.

I unfortunately felt entirely removed from the characters, which I think was the biggest downfall of this book. They felt very surface and I was incapable of connecting with them.

And lastly, the pacing was a little slow and inconsistent - then we get a very fast-paced, almost rushed ending.

A massive thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGally for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was not what I expected it to be. I picked this up thinking it was going to give me a gothic, dark, and creepy vibes. Instead the execution was very simplistic and quite bland. It had so much potential with the plague and regency setting and I ended up not caring at all. It was also confusing at times and it was hard for me to feel present in the story. oh and there are vampires. I liked and appreciated the jewish representation.

Overall, it wasn't terrible, but not memorable. if you like Edgar Allen Poe, you might like this.

Goslind is hit hard by the mori roja plague, but instead of helping out, the king and his crew cozy up in the castle, ignoring the suffering outside. When the king's daughter succumbs to the illness, Seraphina steps in to pretend to be the princess, trying to keep the king from going off the deep end. After a few years of playing pretend, life inside the castle gets rough, and Seraphina is itching to escape, especially with food shortages, dwindling servants, and the king's worsening madness.

Nico Mott, immune to the mori roja, is a grave digger sent by Lord Crane to break into the castle. He discovers that some survivors are vampires, relying on the pure blood of the untouched Immaculates to stay alive. Now, Nico and his crew must warn the Immaculates and save Goslind from the bloodsuckers.

"A Multitude of Dreams" had potential with its intriguing plot of a plague turning people into vampires. However, the execution fell a bit flat, with overly resilient vampires and an underwhelming romance between Nico and Seraphina. While the book held attention, it left the feeling that something crucial was missing.

A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford is a darker YA fantasy standalone. This is a great book to read if you're looking for a dark, gothic, fantasy romance book. This is the perfect book if you're still looking for a fall book before the year is over! I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this book since it takes place during the black plague. I also enjoyed the romance between Seraphina and Nico. They were probably my favorite part of the book! If you have read and enjoyed Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz, then this book is definitely for you! Pick this up if you want a gothic fantasy romance with vampires!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

It’s a fairly interesting retelling of an old story. It has a young adult twist, some cultural aspects, and a princess in the tower aspect.

But I also didn’t find it, particularly special or outstanding compared to other stories.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book and ended up not completing it after about 20 percent. I thought the concept was interesting but it missed the mark for me. Others might find it interesting though, the writing was good.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC

I love gothic literature and this book made me so excited to read modern gothic literature but I was just sort of shocked by the nonsensical nature of it. Like if we're in a mystical fantasy world that's not our own why are we emplying the usage of current bigoted idealogy in our society. It just felt like antisemitism was used as a tool and it was kind of a disservice to Jewish people, and the fact that the character was Jewish felt like it came out of nowhere in the first chapter. Like WHAT? I really feel like if the author wanted to do a service for Jewish representation there would have been better ways to do it than invent a new world so far removed from ours, and put Jewish people and their historical struggles in it. It just felt like nonsensical and tone deaf milking of the struggles faced by an entire ethnic group.