Daughter of Smoke and Bone by: Laini Taylor (2011)
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
418 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Summary: Barnes and Noble: “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 has
grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student,
Karou, is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.”
Review: First when reading this book I was bored, and then I
became intrigued, next I was sitting on the edge of my seat, and then I was
like WHAT?!?!
I saw and read so many reviews on-line about how amazing
this book is, so over a year ago I added it to my TBR list, it was rarely ever
in at the library so I stopped looking, and then I got it for Christmas. I have
two major things to say. One, it wasn't the best book I have ever read. Two, it
was however good enough that I will read the second one.
Although I didn't find the first half of the book to be
anything more than boring, it got better throughout. For some reason I just wasn't getting wrapped up in the plot, no matter how hard I tried to enjoy it. I felt
like nothing was happening and there were too many unanswered questions. Luckily,
once the action picked up I got so wrapped up in the novel that I couldn't put
it down for the last 100 pages or so. It got really intense.
I will say that Taylor is a great writer. I really enjoyed
the descriptions she gave and the emotion she was able to show through the text.
One big positive note about this book is how different it is
from most of the other young adult supernatural/fantasy type books out there. I
enjoyed reading something that was different and outside of my comfort zone. I
at first worried it was going to be too much like the Fallen series by Laruen
Kate, which I wasn't a huge fan of, but it turned out to be pleasantly different.
Karou, the main character, is really great. She is an
independent, although at times lonely and somewhat pathetic, strong (seriously
she can kick butt) woman. The only thing that really bothered me is her need
for answers and her unwillingness to get them for so long. I know my
description of her is a little contradictory, but like I said, I didn't like this
book at first and then I fell a little bit in love. Akiva, the main male
character, is described as dark and brooding and otherworldly attractive. At
times I liked him, and at times he drove me insane. For someone his age, he does not always act it. Brimstone on the other hand is my favorite character,
utterly complex and scary.
I will warn you in advance, the book ends with a frustrating,
yet pretty shocking (although I kind of had a feeling it was coming)
conclusion. This alone is going to get me to read the second book. Overall, I
would still recommend that you get your hands on this book. Although it wasn't the best, it
was still an enjoyable different read, and it was very well written.
