Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Published by Little Brown Books on September 27, 2011
Genres: Paranormal
Goodreads

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 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?

 

   Rose’s Review       

I really really liked this story. I usually prefer stories that are contemporary, set in present day and real time. I am honestly not one for high fantasy. However, this book was amazing. I loved how unique it felt. I have truly never read another book like it. The book is written in the third person, usually being told from the POV of that of Karou, but occasionally switching to Akiva. For me, the characters either make or break a book. I absolutely loved Karou. She was funny, intelligent, unique (to say the least) and genuinely a “good” person. She was witty and saracastic and never ceased to entertain me. Akiva was likable as well. He was raised in a brutal world of nothing but war and strife, and yet, he was kind and gentle. I liked how he was instantly protective of Karou even before he knew much about her. I found their story very believeable despite being about fantastical creatures like seraphim and chimaera. I loved the setting in this book as well. Prague was unique and ghostly; the hauntingly perfect place for such a story as this to seem real and possible. Zuzanna was another favorite character, too, of mine. Her dry humor was absolutely hilarious throughout the book. I ached for these characters. The plot kept me guessing and just when I, along with Karou, uncovered the past and the truth, my heart broke right along with her’s and Akiva’s. I am very glad there is a sequel to this book, because I so desperately want my HEA. A book that had a similiar feel to me, was Kristin Cashore’s Graceling. Both books are fantasy and have a strong female protagonist.

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