Daughter of Smoke & Bone

**Warning, This review contains some mild spoilers** Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well. Ok, so I'll admit that if this hadn't been a BOTM for the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout, I probably wouldn't have read it, and I would have missed out on a wonderful book. As the line above from the beginning of the book indicates, it's not a happy book by any means, though there are moments of pure joy for the characters, and the way that Karou keeps rolling with the punches so to speak is quite inspiring. She never gives up hope, which, incidentally, is one of the major themes here. Hope, and the power it can wield. Karou is a 17 year old art student living in Prague who is really quite mature for her age, though not without a fair measure of "teenager" left in her as well. She comes from a rather unique background: she is human, but she grew up as the foster child of "demons" in an otherworldly workshop owned and run by Brimstone, a chimaera and a sorcerer, though Karou isn't aware of what he's really doing for most of her life with him. She knows he collects teeth, and strings them into necklaces for some reason, but she doesn't know what that reason is, and he refuses to enlighten her. Thus, she grows up around magic, and learns how to utilize it in small degrees herself, primarily by utilizing "wishes" that Brimstone creates as beads and coins. She has a fairly good life with her classes and friends in Prague, and Brimstone and his helpers that she's grown up with in the workshop, but it slowly starts to unravel due to things that have been going on all along that she's known nothing about. Unfortunately, she'll soon learn more than she ever wanted to know about what's been going on, who she really is, and where she really came from. She has to finish growing up fast, but she's more than up to the task, and her unyielding will and determination make her a force to be reckoned with. Akiva is a seraphim, an angel, and the mortal enemy of the chimaera that Karou grew up amongst. He does have more of conscience than most of his kind, however, as well as an understanding of and sympathy for the chimaera that is unique among them. One of the legion of bastard offspring of the seraphim Emperor, he has been trained as a fierce warrior, though he also possesses something of an affinity for magic from his mother. His life has been fairly stark, ruled by training and warfare, and for most of his life he was pretty much a carbon copy of all of the rest of his brothers and sisters. Until something happened that made him see things differently, and made him begin to question - but which also led to devastating heartbreak that nearly shattered his soul and left him with little but a burning need for vengeance. Along with a few of his brothers and sisters, he's part of carrying out a plan that they believe will lead to the end of the war, and in the course of doing his part, he happens to see Karou, and is instantly intrigued despite himself. As I noted above, this book is more than a little dark in tone, with a an end-of-days type sense of despair running beneath the surface in places (and fully out in the open in others), but it's not all doom and gloom either. There are plenty of lighter moments scattered throughout, whether it be in the the characters' present day lives or in their memories that get retold, and woven strongly throughout is the message that hope is the greatest magic of all and the one thing that you must not let go of, for in many ways it's the one thing that can bring about true change. But as the saying goes, "it's always darkest before the dawn", and such is very much the case with this book, for after taking you on a rollercoaster ride of emotion in the last several chapters it rushes swiftly toward the edge of a cliff and then drops you over it into an abyss. I've no idea if this series will be headed toward any sort of happy ending eventually or not, but it's a bit hard to see how it will come about given the state of things at the end of this book. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading the next one to see where things go next and whether or not there's an HEA anywhere in sight. This is very much a 5 star read with a multi-layered plot and multi-faceted characters that endear themselves to you and break your heart. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, particularly dark fantasy, or who likes stories that explore the ages-old battle between good and evil in different ways. Even if you're not a fan of Young Adult books, consider giving this one a try if your interests are in any way compatible with these genres. You probably won't be disappointed if you do.

It's been awhile since I have picked up a paranormal romance. This one has been sitting on my shelf FOREVER, and despite hearing glowing reviews for it, I just couldn't pull up the enthusiasm to begin it. All I can say is ... I am super glad that I waited to begin this series until it is almost completed. I don' think I could have handled a long wait to find out what happens next for these characters. As it is, with the heartbreaking/surprising ending to this story I am planning on waiting to start the second book until right before the publication of the final book in the series. I don't think that my heart is ready for too much sadness and difficulty unless I know that the (hopefully) happy ending is sitting on my kindle, waiting to be read right away. This is a love story ... an epic love story. It is a love story that has been done over and over and over again. Two people (or angels or chimaera or monsters or whatever you choose) meet up. They come from two different groups who hate one another for different reasons. Love blooms. Differences melt away. Hope runs freely ... until it doesn't. Tragedy strikes. Love is not enough to keep the couple together. Etc. Etc. Etc. Like I say, this is a story that has been done before. But the reason that is has been done so often is because the story line is so intriguing. We want to believe that peace is possible between two peoples or groups who have not known peace before. We want to believe that love can conquer all. So we read ... and we hope. For those of you instalove haters out there, you should know that there is a good amount of instalove going on in this story. But I think that it works in the context of these particular characters and what they represent. Especially when you know the entire history of these two, the instant attraction makes a ton of sense. Karou is a blue-haired art student in Prague who has a side job as a messenger/collector for Brimstone, a chimaera beast who collects lots and lots of teeth from this world. There is significance to these teeth, but we don't see why for a good portion of the novel. On one of these runs for teeth Karou encounters a seraphim soldier named Akiva. Things don't go smoothly during this first meeting. Akiva almost kills Karou ... but doesn't. She intrigues him for some reason, so he finds her again and discovers something REALLY interesting about her that I won't reveal here. I'll just say that Karou is much more than the human girl she believes herself to be. What follows is an intense love connection that, in the scope of things, really doesn't last all that long. This really does follow a Romeo and Juliet sort of story arc where the main characters find tragedy simply by figuring out the truth too late to prevent horrible things from happening. As for the writing ... this is probably the best story of this genre involving seraphim and chimaera that I have ever read. It seems fresh and interesting. The love story is pretty strong, but I can tell that although the love story is essential to the progression of the series, it is not simply going to be this sappy gooey eyed love fest with a plot thrown around it. There are bigger themes and richer plot lines that are simply enhanced by the epic love that drives (hopefully) these characters and their actions. I admit that I was not so excited to read the back story involving Madrigal, but it is essential to understanding exactly how tragic Akiva's final revelation at the end of this book is. It really creates a moment where you can just feel the stake driven straight through your heart. Timing is everything! Ugh! Karou and Akiva are good lead characters for this story. I really appreciated that this story was told in third person so that we could see multiple angles of the action. I still feel like there is so much more to know about each of them, especially after the final scene of the book. Future installments of this series will show whether or not these two have staying power as leads or if they turn into cardboard cutouts of token lovers torn apart by heartache with little else to define them. Normally after an ending like this one I would be clamoring to get my hands on book two, but I expect A LOT of bad things to happen before this story starts to turn in the right direction, so I'll hold off for a couple of months until book three arrives. Still, I do recommend this book for those looking for an epic romance in the midst of an interesting and unique paranormal world. Four stars!

I don't think I could adequately call myself a book blogger if I did not read or at least WANT to read this book. It exploded the blogosphere last year and it was one of the most raved/talked about books of 2011. I was nervous to start to reading it because of all the hype. I hate hate hate being disappointed with books, especially ones that I have been looking forward to reading. Hype is great for books, but sometimes it leaves readers with too high expectations. However, I have to say that this novel deserved every bit of hype it received. The Good: I'm trying to compose myself long enough to write a coherent review, but it's kind of difficult when I have a million things running through my head and several pieces of paper with chicken scratch notes about the novel. The one thing that I realized while reading is that it's impossible for me to describe to people what it's about. I've tried. I mean, essentially the book is about "angels" and "demons" but it seems that novel is so far removed from those two adjectives that it doesn't seem to do the book justice. It's SO much more than angels and demons. I've read plenty of angel/demon books and NONE of them have been like this book. It's not your typical biblical angels/demons thing. Taylor's world building is incredible in this novel. I mean, from Karou's blue hair and hamsas to Brimstone and his magical world to Akiva. It's honestly, so incredible to see how someone's mind created this entire world. I'm a huge fan of Karou's personality. I thought she was strong, badass and yet... maleable. She still has this innocence to her that makes her seem more multi-faceted than some other stock characters in YA lit these days. I, of course loved Akiva. I can just imagine him as sexy, brooding, mysterious angel. Yum. I also enjoyed Zuzanna, Karou's best friend. She was spunky and I like that. She had enough face time in the novel to make an impact and yet not enough to full form an entire opinion. I like that. Leaves me wanting more. I think the thing I loved most about this novel was the creativity and thought in the plot. I love this door to the other world idea and the whole teeth/resurrection idea. Lastly, the writing. Oh my god, the writing. It was superb. Laini Taylor is a master at the craft of writing. Her sentences were lovely without being overly poetic. I am a fan of the way she leaves some of her chapters off with that questionable last sentence. It sets up perfect tension for the next chapter. And of course the ending of the book totally left me wanting more and I can't wait for the second novel! The Bad: I don't have to0 many negative things to say about this novel. I wasn't too fond of the fact that Akiva and Karou (even though they have a rich, romantic history together) seemed to fall in love so suddenly. It did seem very insta-love to me which usually turns me off in YA books. I didn't have AS much of an issue in this book as others, because there was that whole other life story line. That is just a minor thing though. Overall, I really fell in love with this book. I find myself trying to figure out the correct way to describe it to someone and I can't. I just tell them they have to read it and find out for themselves. It's that good. I give it an A!

This is really more along the lines of four and a half stars, but five works just as well. Ahh. 2011. What a crappy time to be an adult reading young adult literature. Like many, I suspect, I had been burned by the young adult genre, and burned badly. I bought books in series where the plot was stretched thin to accommodate the obligatory three other books in the quartet (all hoping for a film franchise because, come on). I read books where the unbelievably plain girl (who everyone else thinks is amazingly gorgeous) ends up with the male co-lead who treated her like dirt for a quarter of the book. I read books that found ridiculous, convoluted reasons for the couple to not get together, so that I had to keep reading in “hopes” that they did. I rolled my eyes at the number of Duckie, best-friend-who-passive-aggresively-wants-to-be-more-and-glowers-about-it-while-insisting-he’s-a-nice-guy’s. Books with love triangles for no reason other than to give readers something to argue over. A lot of these books, I was sort of asking for it from. Some of them, I really wasn’t. Most of them went back and I continued my search. I wanted to find ones I honestly liked, but I was losing faith and getting burnt out. It was dark, dark times, friends. I knew about Daughter of Smoke and Bone when it first was published. I avoided it like the plague. Nay. I avoided it like the young adult supernatural romance genre because that was more terrifying than bubonic. At least, it had spread like bubonic and made me feel dirty to come into contact with it. I didn’t read the series until 2013 when I borrowed it from the public library. Ha! Disappoint me if you will, at least I would be disappointed for free. I was not disappointed. I wish I had read Daughter of Smoke and Bone earlier. It’s pretty much exactly what I was combing through endless clones for. It had plot and character, length without filler, a prose I could actually love, and something I’d found oddly missing from the fantasy genre: worldbuilding. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is equal parts teen romance and Jim Henson. And I mean dark Jim Henson, circa Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. The fantasy elements of the book are so dark but so grounded and easy to except. There was no suspension of disbelief because Laini Taylor makes the world live and breathe and bleed. You know that wide-eyed look most of us had with Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter book? That’s the one. Best of all, it’s one of those young adult entries that earns the title young adult. Karou’s quest for identity, love, and family and truth feels personal, and I can care about it because it’s so humanized. Karous herself is likeable because she stands out as a heroine. Her insecurities feel real without the need to make her sound self-loathing, which is a real plus in a genre with female leads who must find themselves ugly and stupid and boring so as to appear humble. Because you can only earn your unbelievably, enviously hot boyfriend if you don’t like yourself too much. I mean, how else can you devout all your time to him? How else can he rebuild your self-esteem? I’m getting off point. There is a romance in the book, but it’s more on the back burner because Karou first and foremost is concerned for her family of monsters, most concerned with finding out who she is, and most concerned with staying alive. Akiva’s arrival is at best a catalyst at this point, not the sum total of Karou’s concerns. There isn’t much to him yet, and that might be a problem for some readers. For me, I was braced to wait until the next book to pass judgment. Series, I usually rationalize, are one big story. If the payoff is there, I can wait. As long as my goodwill is not squandered. Besides, Karou is who I cared about here. If I had to point to any detractors, I think others have pointed out the latter half of the book contains a reveal that is less of a twist and more an ‘of course’. I won’t outright call it a cliché, but I spent a good chunk of the book hoping that wasn’t the twist, just so that it would be something else. It isn’t disappointing, per se, I had just wanted the book to aspire to be a little different. It’s a small nit to pick, but there it is. You could also find fault with the fact that Akiva almost falls in line with the other hostile male leads that inexplicably fall in love with the heroine after attempting to harm them in some way. For me, context mattered, and context was there later in the series. I can see it being an issue for others, it just wasn’t for me (it also mattered that he outright showed remorse. He didn’t shrug his shoulders and expect Karou to get over it. So point to him). She also doesn’t handwave his attack. There is introspection and not just, I’m not fussed about it, let’s just move on. Lastly, I can see putting an age on the book of fifteen or sixteen and up because of references to sex that aren’t exactly oblique. For some that could be a deal breaker. Others will find it refreshing: teenage girls do talk about sex. They have their hearts broken. They get suckered in by emotional conartists. In my eyes, the more fantastic the story, the more grounded the human experience needs to be. Karou has a hell of a story in front of her, but she also has very human, believable experiences that have formed her. it’s what makes reading about a schoolgirl having adventures work: she’s recognizable. And for what it’s worth, the next book in the series might be even better. This is my favorite for reasons I can’t get into, but I can say that the next book does not fall into that trap of filler middle book syndrome so many series suffer from.

The story of the art student Karou who lives in Prague is beautifully written throughout. The world Laini Taylor has created is a vivid place that's easy to get into. When the story starts unfolding, a creative spin on familiar things keeps your interested. For me, the first half of the book is better than the ending. Taylor built up tension really well and from early on I had this terrible sense of dread in my gut as I read on. The sort of feeling that I just couldn't believe the story would give all its characters a happy ending, that something just awful was going to happen. The other thing that kept me interested was the fact that the author kept making me believe she was giving me an entirely predictable storyline and then go on and prove me wrong. Then, halfway through, something starts to happen. The storytelling becomes more disjointed and hard to keep track of and suddenly there's flashback scenes all over the place just as I was getting well and truly excited about what was going to be happening. Flashback scenes, same story told twice from different perspectives and a really juvenile romance story tied into it. From that point on I started losing my emotional connection to the characters as it went on, especially as I realized there were constantly fewer and fewer pages left to move on with the real story. I never knew this was a story to be continued and when I reached the end, I felt a little let down that most of the second half had been spent on explaining the past. I didn't really care for so many details on things that had happened years ago. After such a powerful and gripping start, I wanted continuance. Despite the lackluster second half I may still go on and read the sequel, the author's talent is clearly there, both regarding her prose and plot creation. Hopefully all the back stories and flashback scenes are over and she can follow this story up with an enthralling sequel.

Basically, this novel is another paranormal YA romance, but I promise it will be like nothing you've read thus far. So here's my two cents: What I liked: 1. The writing This book ranks in my top 3 YA novels for best writing... possibly the very best actually. Taylor wrote this novel in such a fashion that was beautiful but not overwhelming. I feel like so many writers try to "impress" the reader with showy writing, but Taylor was subtle about it. She never went overboard with her words... it was just right. 2. The setting I had absolutely no desire to visit Prague before this book. I mean, I was more likely to go to somewhere in Australia or India or Greece, but now... Prague is on my destination list. This is partly due to Taylor's extraordinary writing and because she's clearly been there before. The city literally jumps off the pages. I don't think I've ever read a story with a better written setting. It was unique and vivid and lots of fun to read about. 3. The characters, especially the supporting characters As if things weren't good enough, Taylor takes this book the whole nine yards with the characters. They're absolutely unique and completely lovable. Karou, the chimera, Zuzanna, even Kaz in a way... They're all very realistic characters. I could say more, but that could lead to some spoilers. However, I'd say the least interesting character--in my opinion-- is Akiva, but book 2 does him more justice. What I didn't like: 1. The star-crossed romance In short, it was just too cliche. Now, the second book does the romance a lot more justice, but the first book... ehhhh. It could've been better. 2. Madrigal Without giving away any spoilers, I'll just say this character was just...... "hard to reconcile" would be the best way to put it. After you've read the story, you'll know what I mean. Overall..... This book did live up to the hype. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it's been one of the better paranormal YA novels I've read. I'd readily recommend it to anyone.

Geez…I’m not really sure where to start. There’s nothing I can write that will do this story justice and whenever I become obsessed with a book I never seem to find the right words to express what I feel. It’s no secret that I love urban fantasy and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone could potentially be the MOTHER OF ALL BOOKS in this genre. I realize that’s a serious statement to make but it’s certainly how I feel at the moment and I don’t anticipate that changing any time soon. “Happiness. It was the place where passion, with all its dazzle and drumbeat, met something softer: homecoming and safety and pure sunbeam comfort. It was all those things, intertwined with the heat and the thrill, and it was as bright within her as a swallowed star.” I’ve been fortunate enough to read some really amazing books this year and this story is one of them. This book captivated me with its message of hope and love, not to mention that the writing is beyond AMAZING! Laini Taylor’s writing felt lyrical and incredibly beautiful, I couldn’t get enough and I suppose that’s why I couldn’t put the book down! “She had a sadness that was so deep, but it still could turn to light in a second,and when I saw her smile I wondered what it would be like to make her smile. I thought...I thought it would be like the discovery of smiling.” Karou the blue-haired, Hamza wearing heroine has had an unusual upbringing because she’s been raised by the chimaera which are half beast and half human. Crazy, right? And Brimrose who looks after her and is her adoptive father, sends her on various missions to find teeth. Totally creepy but that’s one of the twists that had me hooked, I had to know more. Karou is fantastic protagonist because she’s feisty and she’s on a mission to discover who she is and won’t stop until she finds out. “Once upon a time, a little girl was raised by monsters. But angels burned the doorways to their world, and she was all alone.” Akiva the beautiful warrior angel is the hero or anti-hero, depends on how you look at it and you can feel how robotic he is until he meets Karou and instantly the switch is flipped. Normally the instant connection bothers me but somehow, in this story it worked beautifully. It happened instantly for Akiva and it took Karou a bit to feel that connection but there’s a reason for that which doesn’t make sense until the flashback sequences are revealed. “As for Ellai, she told her sister what had passed, and Nitid wept, and her tears fell to earth and became chimaera, children of regret...” There are two elements that were ever present throughout the story, darkness and an overwhelming feeling of melancholy but as I mentioned earlier, there is a message of hope and love. However, with that being said I wasn’t sure if I would get my HEA and book 1 leaves you on a massive cliff-hanger. Lucky for me and everyone else, Days of Blood and Starlight, book 2 in the series is currently available on Amazon. Thank God for small miracles. “The thing he wished for most was a thing he had never wished for at all, not until he had discovered her. And it came true that night, and many nights after. A brief and shining span of happiness, it was the pivot point around which his whole life spun.” Daughter of Smoke and Bone is heavy on the imagery, you’ll want to google everything you can about Prague, the world building is beyond amazing and the story is absolutely unique and unlike anything I’ve read before. Clearly, I’m over simplifying my feelings and thoughts about this book but it’s the best I can do considering I’m not a writer. “Rushing, like wind through a door, and Karou was the door, and the wind was coming home, and she was also the wind. She was all: wind and home and door. She rushed into herself and was filled. She let herself in and was full.” If you are a fan of urban fantasy and need something a bit different, look no further. This is a must read and one that won’t disappoint!

It seemed like just another Monday, innocent but for its essential Mondayness, not to mention its Januaryness. I had just read an epic book that left me with a book-hangover and was seeking out a new one that could match its greatness in order to move on. This one had been on my to-read list for quite some time and it did not disappoint. Light to Fill the Darkness The writing is the first thing I noticed. The descriptions are unique and beautiful though definitely not overly wordy. I've always loved stories about angels, in this case Seraphim, but part of what sets this one apart are the Chimeara. There are a lot of angel stories, but I assure you that this one is a complete original. In this series, the Chimeara are creatures of all kinds blended together with some human element. There is also a great back story and so many things that I haven't seen before like the collection of teeth and the dispense of wishes as coins. The characters are a lot of fun. Karou is a human student that was raised by Chimeara and has no knowledge of where she came from. While she goes to art school during the day, she travels the world for her Chimeara guardian, Brimstone, by night running his errands in the collection of teeth. She constantly has to lie about her home life and job. I felt for her immediately. Her human best friend, Zuzana, is a tiny ball of fire (though not literally) and her Chimeara family are easy to love. The Tears of the Moon I wish there wasn't an insta-love to tarnish such a beautiful story, but it was explained away in an acceptable and fitting manner and overall ended up increasing the depth of the story. Like Moths to a Flame Akiva meets Karou and is drawn to her. She feels like her emptiness is filled when he is near. They are enemies from birth due to Akiva's war with her Chimeara family so they have a definite Romeo and Juliet feel of star-crossed lovers. I can only hope it doesn't end in the same tragic way for them. To the Top of the Cathedral Such a great start to the series! The back story and elements of the world are explained well and are not only unique but deeply interesting. The characters are full and loveable all with their individual priorities and personalities. The writing flows smoothly and the imagery is poetic. Definitely recommended. Originally given 4.5 stars at <A href="http://jcbookhaven.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone.html">JC's Book Haven</A>.