The premise of the book and the incredible cover design are what drew me in initially. Laila Lalami's writing style kept me interested. A mix of Kafka's The Trial and the film Minority Report, The Dream Hotel is an interesting thought exercise about a future that might not be so far away.

Ultimately, while there were moments where the reader could connect to Sara, it seemed as if The Dream Hotel may have benefitted from being a short story. The reader never truly gets a sense that Sara is in danger, nor do they share the same frustrations Sara mentions repeatedly. I would have liked to see the story presented in such a way that Sara's isolation was more impactful.

Perhaps it is more difficult to connect to the inherent dangers presented in the novel because the author came up with the idea ten years ago. Our current political landscape makes any attempt at dystopia seem like a pleasant distraction!

The Naming Song promises the reader a trip through a world where words have vanished after a seemingly catastrophic event. Our protagonist is herself unnamed but works as a courier who delivers words to the correct items throughout the book's world.

The language is enchanting and the world-building, while slow, is effective in painting a picture for the reader. Although I expected more action, there are moments of suspense that move the plot along enough to keep the reader interested. I would have preferred to know more about the courier's backstory at the beginning of the book, but the story does not suffer due to the pacing of the reveals.

The cover itself is attractive and incorporates the environment of the book well. The pull quotes are from authors who are representative of the genre that The Naming Song belongs to, so they give the reader a good idea of what to expect, and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to people who enjoy those authors.