Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)
Author: Laini Taylor
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Genre: Young Adult fantasy/romance
Pages: 417
Source: Won in a giveaway last December (I know!) @ Tiffany Reads
Rating: 5 I'd marry this book!
Summary from Goodreads: 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?
My thoughts: This book has been sitting on my shelf for months. Months!!! All I can
say is, I don’t know why I waited so long before reading it, but, in a way, I’m
glad I did since it means I have less time to wait for the next book! I saw
this book featured on multiple Top Ten Tuesday lists last week for one of the
most vivid worlds in a book, and this persuaded me to pick it up (thanks to all
of you who inadvertently talked me into reading this!). Finally. I’m so glad I
did! This is added to my list of favorites.
I love fantasy to begin with, but the world in this story
seems so real. The world-building in this story is some of the best I’ve read. The
visions of Prague made me want to visit (talk about wanderlust); the city was a
character in and of itself. Taylor’s words completely brought it to life. And
even though we only hear of Eretz secondhand, the description we get of that
other world makes it seem as though perhaps those portals really were out
there.
Despite this story being in third-person, I felt so close to
Karou (who was badass in a totally believable way) and the things she experiences.
Akiva sounds simply beautiful (and is described as such), but the improbability
of his perfectness is juxtaposed by Karou’s art teacher’s insistence that “no
one is that perfect” – which made his beauty so much more fantastical yet
realistic (hopefully that makes sense). I liked the secondary characters, and
though I wish we got to know more of Zuzana, this was Karou’s story, so it only
seems fitting that she is the one we know so well.
The romance. Never once did Karou’s relationship feel
overdone or instalove-y, though it appeared to happen quickly. Literally,
sparks. I love reading about forbidden love (and reading about Akiva…)!
And the ending…My jaw dropped and there may have been a few
tears. I shall patiently (haha) await the release of the next book.
I’ve had so much trouble writing this review because I
honestly don’t know what to say. The writing is beautiful, our heroine is
awesome, the story is original and enticing. If you like fantasy even the
teensiest bit, don’t miss this one!
I agree! I put off reading this book for a year after I got it. The hype was overwhelming and I was sure I would be disappointed but I loved it.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine where this story is going to go next!
I was really surprised by how much I loved it! Even from the first couple of pages, the writing totally blew me away. No idea what's going to happen! I just hope there's more Akiva. :) Hahaha.
DeleteYES. I'd marry this book too. This is one of my all-time favorite books, ever. I simply cannot wait for the next book to come out in November, I think. I actually recently listened to this one as an audiobook for re-read since it had been so long since I read it, and believe it or not, I fell even harder in love with it. It's so hard to say what you love about a book that you can find nothing wrong with. Laini Taylor's writing is exquisite, simply put. That is all.
ReplyDeleteI'm SO GLAD you finally picked this one up and that you liked it so much. It's one that I tend to push on people, even people that don't particularly love fantasy books.
Exactly! I had no flaws to point out, so there was very little to say other than "I read this and loved it, and you should read it, too." I was mesmerized by her writing. It makes me want to pick up her middle grade books as well. I think the audiobook is going to be one of the free SYNC downloads in the next couple of weeks- I might have to get that and listen to it before the next book comes out. :)
DeleteSadly, if it hadn't been for the multiple lists last week that takled about the world-building, it would probably still be sitting on my shelf! Thank goodness for Top Ten Tuesday! Hehe.
I'm behind on getting to read this one - it sounds so fabulous and that you would marry it says a lot too! Making sure it's on my TBR list and hoping to get to it soon!
ReplyDelete- Jessica @ Book Sake
Definitely do! I'm sorry I waited so long, but again that means less waiting time for the next book. :) I love the storyline and the characters, but the beautiful writing added a whole other dimension that just made the book an incredible read!
DeleteYeah, this book has been on my TBR pile for a long while now. Must get to it soon!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely do!!
Delete& let me know what you think! :)
DeleteLol. SO glad you love this book! This has been on my TBR pile for so long too. If it weren't for my friend forcing me, I would never have read this. Awesome review! :D
ReplyDeleteFara @ Tumbling In Books
Thanks, Fara! Haha, it's so good to have a friend like that!!! :)
DeleteAhh, this is another of those (numerous) books whose title I've seen around, but didn't inquire into because I already have so many things to read. But since I like well-built worlds, I guess this is going to end on my TBR list fairly quickly.
ReplyDeleteOh definitely, definitely do, Yzabel! The world-building is some of the best I've seen! And let me know what you think if you decide to read it. :)
Delete