Published: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 417 pages
Source: Bought
Series: Smoke and Bone, #1
Around the world, black hand prints 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 grows 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 one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored 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?
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE was an excellent and well-thought out story... up until a certain point. I was loving this novel so much, but then, something happens and I had to push my way through the last 100 pages.
Oh my gosh, Laini Taylor's prose is exquisite. Her writing style is beautiful and heart-shattering and all of the feels are in this book. I was immediately drawn into this story by the way she described the characters and especially the setting. Taylor made Prague seemed so magical and whimsical and dark. This is one story that makes me want to see the city!
And wow, Laini Taylor has such an awesome imagination! There was so much vivid creations and dark things all packed into this novel, and I couldn't get enough of this world's imagination. Even with all the darkness in this book -- that was really gross with the teeth, by the way -- I was loving the way that Karou and the other ensemble of characters explored the two worlds in this novel.
Speaking of which, Karou was a great character! She didn't take crap from anybody, but she wasn't this "I'm-so-tough-and-I-will-knock-anybody-down-in-my-way" type of girl. But there were so many weird characters in this book that made me shiver. Especially Brimstone: gosh, he was just so freaky! Laini Taylor did an excellent job at weaving these characters together.
And then, we come to... the point. At about page 300, we are thrown into a flashback (NO SPOILERS), and the story started on a major decline. I had to seriously force my way through those final 117 pages, and I barely made it through. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE got super slow and boring, and the new characters we meet didn't capture my attention at all. And even the ending, I'm still kind of like what just happened? I still don't know.
Overall, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE was an awesome book, up until the flashback part. I would still recommend it, though! Can't wait to pick up DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT -- especially since I've heard there is more war than romance in it!
M Y R A T I N G:
(more like 3.5 stars, but I'll round it up to 4)
And wow, Laini Taylor has such an awesome imagination! There was so much vivid creations and dark things all packed into this novel, and I couldn't get enough of this world's imagination. Even with all the darkness in this book -- that was really gross with the teeth, by the way -- I was loving the way that Karou and the other ensemble of characters explored the two worlds in this novel.
Speaking of which, Karou was a great character! She didn't take crap from anybody, but she wasn't this "I'm-so-tough-and-I-will-knock-anybody-down-in-my-way" type of girl. But there were so many weird characters in this book that made me shiver. Especially Brimstone: gosh, he was just so freaky! Laini Taylor did an excellent job at weaving these characters together.
And then, we come to... the point. At about page 300, we are thrown into a flashback (NO SPOILERS), and the story started on a major decline. I had to seriously force my way through those final 117 pages, and I barely made it through. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE got super slow and boring, and the new characters we meet didn't capture my attention at all. And even the ending, I'm still kind of like what just happened? I still don't know.
Overall, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE was an awesome book, up until the flashback part. I would still recommend it, though! Can't wait to pick up DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT -- especially since I've heard there is more war than romance in it!
M Y R A T I N G:
(more like 3.5 stars, but I'll round it up to 4)
LOL, I know exactly what you're talking about with that flashback thing. I thought it was boring as well, because I wanted to read about current Prague, Karou, Akiva, Brimstone, Issa and everyone else, but no, no, no. Of course I couldn't since this whole deal with what happened in the past was supposed to be brought to the readers and it dragged on forever. That being said, I'm so freaking anxious about DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT, but I don't think I'm going to read it right now, because it just came out and the third book won't be out until a year from now. Really enjoyed reading your thoughts though and agree with everything you said. Oh, and I love your taste in books:)
ReplyDeleteSiiri @ Little Pieces of Imagination