Wow! I haven't done a Reader's Ramble in like a month! But, for this one I will be reviewing Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.
Page count- 420
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?
This took me about two weeks to read, which is a really long time for me. Why? Because school keeps getting more time consuming and this book was long, and confusing. I was pretty much speechless after finishing it, so this review is going to be difficult to write.
Plot- You guys may or may not know that Contemporary Fiction is usually my forte. But this.. this.. this... is just remarkable. I don't even care that it wasn't contemporary, I still loved it! This book made me actually get a softer side for fantasy and paranormal books, and now I actually want to read some more like this. (Just no oldie times castles and fairies and ogres, that stuff I still can't stand.)
But this book.. oh my gosh. Laini Taylor is a genius. This needs to be on the NYT Bestseller list NOW! Once you start reading it, you are taken to another world, a unique and magnificent world that Laini Taylor somehow created. I don't know what planet she comes from, but it's not Earth. The whole story line was just so intriguing and mystified. Like as your reading, you don't even know what the heck is going on but you have to keep reading anyway because it's SO DANG GOOD. It leaves you asking TONS of questions, but that just makes you want to keep reading!
The plot was just wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I never expected it to end like it did. The whole time I kept asking myself, who is Karou? What is Karou? And by the end I got my shocking answer. It was just so brilliant, one of the best takes on Angels and Demons that probably exists today.
Not to mention Taylor's writing style. My goodness, that lady has a way with words. They just flow so beautifully and really give you a feel of the story.
All of you will love it. Like I said, fantasy normally isn't my thing but I am in love with this book.
When does the next one come out?! Ahh!
Setting-Some mystical and magical place called Eretz where angels and demons live but are at war. Somewhere where magic exists and people fly and it's just so wonderful. Such a unique setting. It is confusing at times but it's still amazing. I don't know how she came up with it.
Characters- I don't even know how I can form complete and logical sentences about the characters, but I must try!
Karou, mysterious, magical, beautiful Karou. She is one heck of a main character! She is brave, cunning, terrifying, confused, lost, empty, wonderful, amazing, and just so so unique. I wish I was her, or I wish she existed. Even though this story is fantasy, Karou is so real and relatable. She desires what every normal person wants. Love and understanding about who she is.
A lot of the same words would be used for Akiva. He is just great and so mysterious as well, I loved him. Throughout reading, I wanted to know who he was too. Like what's his past? Why didn't he just kill Karou when he had the chance? What stopped him other than love? Where did he come from? Those are the many aspects that make you want to keep reading.
Cover-I love it! The fact that she's wearing a mask, and that the mask is blue is perfect! This cover just pops out on a shelf, and the font is beautiful! Simply stunning and it was a great choice.
Overall- Overall, I am so glad I read this and got to experience such awesomeness. Just the plot of this story was amazing and leaves me craving for more. The romance was so beautiful and I hope one day to have one like that for myself. You all just need to read this book. Do it. I don't care what genre you're into, just. Read. It.
I give this book 5/5 stars! It was an incredible read that leaves you in awe.
5 comments:
This book is WAY high on my list, and I have yet to read a bad review.
Awesome :D
Haha, I have that on my bookshelf waiting to be read! It sounds great, and I'm glad you gave it a chance, even if it is a fantasy. :) Personally, I love fantasy-other-worldly-ness, so I'm sure I'll love it. :) First, though, I have to finish my reread of "Jellicoe Road". Haha, I finished it in about 24 hours, then decided to flip back to the beginning and read it again! SO amazing. SO, SO, AMAZING. I want to own "Jellicoe Road".
Also, if you like the fantasy/other-worldly-ness without the faeries and elves, you should try Philip Pullman's "His Dark Marterials" trilogy. It's set in another world, though one much like ours.
Well, actually, I don't know how religious you are, but I know you're more religious than me, so I should warn you that I heard that the Church didn't like Pullman's books much. There's a big thing in the third book, "The Amber Spyglass", that could be considered VERY sacrilegious. Just a warning. But if you don't mind reading it objectively, the trilogy is awesome! "The Golden Compass", "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass". Love 'em!
great review of the book!
i love reading reviews, it takes me out of my 'normal' book ideas!
sounds really good! :) thanks for following :P
Juliet
I thought Prince Kai was a great hero. I noticed several other reviewers did not agree with his ability to be so distracted by Cinder despite the utter pandemonium happening in his life, but I do not find myself agreeing at all. I think that even if your life is going crazy and you're unhappy and trying to figure out how to make it to the next day without going insane, you still need something to keep you afloat. For Prince Kai, this something was Cinder. The romance was also believable. I believed every word they said, every hope they dared dream, and every possibility of their togetherness.
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