Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Book Review)

Book: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor 

Pages: 418

Published: September 27, 2011

Obtained: Purchased off of Amazon for Kindle

Started: June 7, 2013

Finished: June 13, 2013


Summary (Courtesy of Goodreads):
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone?ac=1

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?

Cover: I love the blue in this cover, but as you all already know I love the color blue. That that mask? Can I just have that? Thanks. And that font. Just. Yes.

Plot: The plot was so unique to most plots that I've read before. It was hard not to fall in love with the way Laini Taylor described the setting of not only our world but also of the world she created. I fell in love with all of the Karou's "family". They all had just unique personalities. 

The writing was fantastic and her friendship with Zuzana was the greatest thing possible. I love Zuzana so much. I love that Karou is an art student. I love Karou's name and it's meaning. I love that her hair grows blue out of her read. I love her humor, her personality, and the errands she has to run.

The plot was great... for the first half. I was getting really involved in the world Laini Taylor was creating and I could imagine Prague as if I was living there. But towards the end it was just backstory backstory backstory backstory. I found myself wishing it would STOP so I could read the present. It just kept going and going and going. It would be different if she pieced bits here and there at the end. But it was so overloaded. And I HATE that. I really loved the first half. I hate that I could predict what happened to her. I also just hate Madrigal. I can't explain why. 

I was really loving Akiva's and Karou's love story in both present and backstory. But that ENDING. I was so frustrated with that ending. I understand where Karou is coming from. I do. But Akiva has a point, as well. I'm just frustrated at the both of them. Damn them. I need a moment. So. Much. Baggage. 

My God, I wanted to love this book more. But if I promise my subscribers anything, it's honesty. And that's about as honest as I could be.

Series: This is the first book in a trilogy.
The second book is Days of Blood and Starlight which was published on November 6th, 2013.
The third book is Dreams of Gods and Monsters which will be published on April 29, 2014. 

Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars

Next Review: A Tale of Two Cassies by Nick Brown

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo