Mazeweaver is the second novel in the Dreamwalker series by A.K. Adler.
Finished on: 28.1.2026
[Here are my reviews of the other books in the series.]
[I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

Content Note: (critical treatment of) queermisia

Plot:
Aliya and Luca don’t see each other that often anymore as they are each fulfilling their Shamanic duties. For Aliya that means being her village healer, for Luca it means mostly taking care of the newborn elementals in their city. When Aliya realizes that her best friend Quantum is cursed, as are all other dragons, she is determined to find a solution. But the connection between Luca and Aliya is also a way for the curse to travel to Luca’s world – and threaten all of them.

Mazeweaver is yet another nice read in this unique series that I am very happy to have found. It is thoughtful, hopeful and sweet while covering some pretty hard topics – a good balance to keep, I thought.

From the author’s info I gather that Adler is a Buddhist. But even if they hadn’t mentioned that, I think Mazeweaver would have clued me in to the fact. It is a very Buddhist book, at least from what I know of it. Characters usually get their way from going with the flow instead of fighting against it. It’s all about balance, and a respect for all life. For a minute there I thought that the end couldn’t stay with the general message though, as Luca finds a solution that is only compassionate at the surface level, I thought. But they manage to find another way in the end, thankfully. Otherwise this really would have gone against everything that came before it.

The book introduces new characters and new information about dragons and especially elementals. I quite liked the way that Adler imagines the latter. They are joyful, inventive and each come with their own strengths and weaknesses. Dragons are always cool, but I thought that they were portrayed a little more conventional than the elemntals.

I was a little confused in the beginning, when Quantum’s curse is introduced. It came seemingly out of nowhere and I didn’t really understand the shape of the curse until pretty late – I thought things were headed in another direction. It felt like I missed a part somewhere, but I don’t think I actually did.

Both Luca and Aliya have a tendency to overstep boundaries in their quest to help people, and I felt that this particular part of their behavior remained a little underexplored. If somebody tells you not to help them or to help them in a certain way and not another, it’s their right to do so. And even if you’re convinced that your way of helping would be perfect for them, respecting their personhood means respecting the boundaries they set. That doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to offer help (unless they tell you to stop), or that you can’t welcome them with open arms if they change their minds. But personal autonomy means that everybody is allowed to make their own decisions, and yes, that includes bad ones (or those that you think are bad). Luca and Aliya do get some pushback, but ultimately, their boundary crossing is pretty much forgotten in the grand scheme of things.

Despite these two things, I really enjoyed Mazeweaver. It is a quick, entertaining read with great world-building, engaging characters and good messages. It continues Luca’s and Aliya’s story nicely and provides both enough closure to work as an end to the series, and enough possibilities to continue with them. And that’s great.

Summarizing: lovely, entertaining and thoughtful.