Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Publication Date: September 27th, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

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Synopsis:

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 grows 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?

My Thoughts: Oh my god. I think I have finally found a book with angels that I actually like! Seriously, I was starting to get worried that I never would. I guess all it takes is badass angels with fiery wings bent on killing or enslaving the entire chimera race. Wait. No. I actually only like one angel, Akiva. The rest of them are pretty much emotionless "windup soldiers", who kill because they are bred, raised and told to. But hey, it's a start. I've had Daughter of Smoke and Bone sitting on my bookshelf for quite awhile, it's one of those books that I look at in horror after I've finished because I've had it for so long and always passed by it and it's hidden gem of a world. I started reading and it took a short while, but once I was into the story I basically carried it around with me everywhere. Laini Taylor definitely knows how to write a story that will keep the reader engaged. She created a world that was easy to envision because it wasn't really that different from Earth, just the denizens. Also, the cover is just too awesome, I love it!

Alright, so characters, well our main character/protagonist is Karou. She's been raised by a group of four chimera and has no idea who she really is. She's an amazing artist who can kick major ass and speaks a lot of different languages. I really enjoyed her character, she wasn't afraid to kick ass first and ask questions later. I kind of figured out who she was at a certain point, when it was revealed what the tattoos were. But still, was very happy about it! The other protagonist is Akiva, who is an angel bent on the destruction of the chimera for killing his love. He runs into Karou and feels a strange attraction to her and can't stay away from her, even  though she is allied with the enemy.

There are a lot of surprises in this wonderfully written story. I'm really hoping that there are some things that haven't happened for real, things that have been said happened. I really am hoping, but who knows. Maybe I'll be disappointed that they did, but still blown away by what happens next. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Days of Blood and Starlight and seeing what Taylor can come up with next. This is a book that makes you really care for the "bad" guys and despise the "good" guys, at least for me it was.

So if you haven't figured it out, I really loved this book and can't wait for more. If you are still passing by this one, read it. It's too good not to! A must for any fantasy of paranormal lovers!