User:Bflx 11/the lost dreamer

The Lost Dreamer is a young adult fantasy debut novel written by American writer Lizz Huerta. It was published by Farrar Straus Giroux in March 2022.

Background
The idea for the novel came about through Huerta's recurring dreams that she's had since she was a teenager. Huerta, who is of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Indigenous descent, describes the want to create a world in the fantasy genre that felt like Mesoamerica and was representative of her lineage. She utilized visualization meditation as a writing tool when creating The Lost Dreamer.

The story of The Lost Dreamer was written originally written as two different books. Huerta merged and rewrote these two books into one in the style of a dual narrative during the COVID pandemic.

Huerta has stated that her writing is influenced by The Clan of the Cave Bear books by Jean M. Auel.

Genre
The Lost Dreamer is written in the genre of young adult fantasy. Huerta set the coming of age story in a Mesoamerican inspired world. Huerta centered women in her story as the leading characters, while men were written in supportive roles or as antagonists to the main characters to convey how, as described by Alex Brown of Locus Magazine, "patriarchy destroys everything it touches."

The Lost Dreamer is described as a love story to family and to the strong women in the author's life. The narrative explores the relationship between gifts and how they are manifested within and outside of tradition and practice.

Reception
Daniel A. Olivas of the Los Angeles Review of Books described The Lost Dreamer as "a stunning debut novel by a writer who is in total control." Entertainment Weekly writer Seija Rankin wrote that it was the "buzziest fantasy debut of the spring." Reviewer Alex Brown of Locus Magazine described it as a "vibrant novel that focused on the importance of the tradition and the love of family."

Writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune, Seth Combs, commented on how Huerta flipped two common tropes of young adult fiction by not depending on romance to drive the plot, and for not heavily relying on action sequences or plot twists. Combs wrote how the book relies on "Huerta's talent as a storyteller to build and sustain the reader's interest."

The Lost Dreamer was featured in the top 10 of the New York Public Library's 50 Best Books for Teens.