Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Review - Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

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?
(From GoodReads)

My Review

Have you heard all the gushing and raving about Daughter of Smoke and Bone? Silly me. Of course you have. Well then, have you looked at the book's rating on GoodReads? Currently, there are 644 ratings and 370 reviews. Which is kinda crazy considering it's not even "released" until September 27. Daughter of Smoke and Bone has a Star-rating of 4.52. That's an incredible number.  And to that I say, Believe it. Believe the hype, people, because this book is beyond incredible.

My head is still spinning. I have too many things to say about Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I'll start with the characters. Karou. She is a dream protagonist. Wry, smart, talented, loyal, brave... She's so lovable. I wanted to tuck the little bird under my wing. The girl is all you want in a heroine and more.
Her best friend Zuzana is a tiny, ferocious, funny and wonderful friend. A powerhouse of a character. Always to be relied on for a quick comment, she consistently made me laugh. None more than when she meets Akiva.

Akiva..... That's pretty much the general response you'll get from those who've read the book. Indescribably beautiful, a warrior, battle-scarred, broken. He's no monster, but has no discernible traces of humanity. Until he and Karou cross paths. Akiva is the ultimate book hero.

And yeah, it's trivial and shallow of me, but I like a good visual. I don't know why, and I'll bet this isn't who Laini Taylor had in mind when she wrote the book, but I kept envisioning Kal Drogo, aka Jason Mamoa.


Okay. He's not exactly how Akiva is described. But, all readers have their own interpretation of  characters. And here's mine. If you read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, you might see where I get this idea of Akiva. Just let me have my fantasy!

Man candy aside, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a masterpiece! Laini Taylor is an artist in every sense. I've never read a book quite like this. Here's how I described it last night on Twitter: "This book is about magic, and love, and war, and hope, and family. Part fantasy, part love story, and all genius. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is poetic and beautiful beyond belief." I actually kissed it passionately when I finished. For realz.

This is my must-must-read book. If you haven't purchased Daughter of Smoke and Bone yet, do yourself a favor. Go get it. You will not regret one moment spent in the intricate, elaborate world Laini Taylor created.


Favorite Quote: Really? Too many to list. But here's a couple.


"Karou was, simply, lovely. Creamy and leggy, with long azure hair and the eyes of a silent movie  
 star, she moved like a poem and smiled like a sphinx." 
 
 
"What people saw was a tall young man, beautiful - truly, breath-stealingly beautiful, in a way one
  rarely beholds in real life - who moved among them with a predatory grace, seeming no more
  mindful of them if they were statuary in a garden of gods."

The Trailer


Hardcover, US, 420 pages
Expected publication: September 27th 2011 by Little, Brown & Company

You can find Daughter of Smoke and Bone at:


* Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book I won in a giveaway.*

14 comments:

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have it here to read. So I will open shortly:D

    Michelle

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  2. HA Kal Drogo!! I love that guy! BUt yes I've been seeing all the rave about this book and it seems like everyone has read it but me. I ave it now though and i'm starting it tonight! :D

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  3. Michelle,
    I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Can't wait to see what you think!

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  4. Giselle,

    I'm glad you have the book. I really hope you enjoy it. And I can't wait to see what you think!

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  5. I havent gotten this book and although its on my TBR list, i was skeptical about getting it. You just kicked that skepticism in the rear with this review. Nice!

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  6. Sherre,
    If you like paranormal fantasy, I'd say you would like this. It just rocked my world, as you can tell! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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  7. I have read fabulous reviews about Daughter of Smoke and Bone and have been really wanting to read it! But then I saw a review of someone talking VERY highly about the book until they said that they started to lose interest in the last quarter of the book. Was this the same for you?

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  8. Honestly, when I read the description and look at the cover, it doesn't scream at me, but I have been hearing so many good things about it.. When I think back though, that's how I felt about hunger games. My friend Suzanne shoved the books in my hands and said.. here, read them now.. :) and so glad I did.

    LOL at man candy.. I think Kal Drogo is hot, but here is my issue.. There is a rental property next door to me, and the owner " From a distance " Looks alot like him.. complete with long pony tail and all. Not nearly as buff though. So perhaps when I read this.. I will picture Akiva as Kal Drogo to, but with a paper bag over his head.. I can make this work damnit!

    And as for you making out with this book? this is the copy you were offering to lend me? Please tell me you were gonna clean the slobber off first. haha.

    Great review though, joking aside.. I am difinitely looking more forward to this one now after reading it.. :) *dreaming about making a sim with blue hair*

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  9. I'm glad this is every bit as good as a read as everyone is saying. Thanks for the awesome review!

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  10. Mindy,
    That didn't happen to me, at all. In fact, the last quarter of the book is when everything came full circle and a lot of details fell into place. In fact, I should have put that in my review. *smacks forehead*

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  11. April,

    When can I move in???!

    Yes, this is the copy I offered to lend you and no, I will not clean my drool off of the book. It's evidence of my eternal love for this book.

    I would LOVE to see a Sim of this.

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  12. Amber,

    I hope you love this book. We seem to have similar opinions about books. *crossing fingers*

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  13. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is easily my favorite book of the year. It's definitely drool worthy.

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  14. Jennifer,
    It's kind of hard to convey how wonderful it is to someone who hasn't read it w/out sounding over-dramatic. SO glad you feel the same way.
    Thanks for the comment.

    ReplyDelete

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