Friday, February 28, 2014

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: ARC                        Pages: 418
Genre: YA Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Sources: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


My Thoughts:

The Cover:  The beautiful cover to this one got me excited right away. The picture, colors and the shadows, suggesting mystery and danger or darkness, were very enticing. I just had to read it. And once I started, I could not stop. I loved every second of it.

The Plot: The plot was absolutely amazing. It aroused such a wide variety of emotions. There were parts where I was angry, sad, frustrated, or cheering on Karou. Watching her go through all she endured, I experienced her feelings. Karou and Akiva are like watching a volcano erupt (from a safe distance, of course…..or maybe not!) The storyline was full of surprises and at times was very intense. Miss Taylor created an absolutely breathtaking world, which leaves you wanting to know more and experience more.

Characters: I loved all the characters. They were all funny, mysterious, deep, or in Kaz’ case, shallow (you’ll understand when you read the book) Truly, they all fit together so very well, I could not imagine Karou without the wonderful, evil, little fairy, Zuzanna. But Karou and Akiva’s story eclipsed everything else. It was so powerful; because they were so strongly drawn to one another, I could not help but feel that they must have a backstory. But I promise you, that backstory is like nothing you have ever experienced before.

Is it Worth Reading?: Definitely!! I enjoyed Daughter of Smoke & Bone very much. Book 2: Days of Blood & Starlight is already on my ebook and I can assure you that a review for that will be forthcoming as soon as I can get a chance to read it.
I give Daughter of Smoke & Bone 5/5 crossbows smitting Angel fire and highly recommend it to readers of YA contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, angels, and magic.


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