Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

 

Summary:

 

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?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 417 pages

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Publication Date: September 27th 2011 by Little, Brown & Company

 

I know I'm a little late to the party with just having read this one last month but I was extremely hesitant to give Daughter of Smoke & Bone a try due to all the hype surrounding the book. I don't know about you but when a book gets too hyped up I kind of shy away from the book in question for feat that I'll be the odd one out and not like it at all.

 

Luckily, Daughter of Smoke & Bone turned out to be one of the better YA novel's I've read in a the last few years and although I was mostly nervous about the hype surrounding the book in terms of my hesitation I also didn't give it a try before because it just didn't sound like my type of book.

 

I thought the way that Laini Taylor told the story of Karou was awesome. It's about time readers experienced such a strong female lead with a good head on her shoulders and a bold spirit. For me Karou is one of my favourite female heroines now because of all her flaws which I found to be the most likable thing about her besides her personality.

 

The overall story was a really unique and it took place in a variety of settings that you don't often see represented in young adult novels which I found to be really refreshing because the author wrote the story in such a way that  no matter the setting the story is currently in it's as if you're there watching the story play out in front of you and are experiencing the sights and sounds of Prague, Marrakesh or wherever else Karou might be on her journey through the novel.

 

Daughter of Smoke & Bone brought a lot to the table. Both the primary and secondary characters were well developed and all had their own little parts to play in the story and for once I didn't have a problem with any of the characters except Karou's annoyingly obnoxious ex-boyfriend who appears a few times in the book.

 

I liked the fact that the author wasn't afraid to put herself out there creating some really awesome characters like those of Akiva, Brimstone and Karou. Each brought something new, refreshing and fun to what is becoming a really bogged down genre in YA fiction. 

 

I really enjoyed the tone of the novel. For once it was a YA novel that was dark and not just a little bit either. There are many a scene in the novel that is quite dark and somber and as odd as it sounds I enjoyed those parts almost as much as the joyous parts between Akiva and Karou.

 

Which brings me to another plus about the book. The romance between the beautiful angel boy and the blue haired artistic girl with the hamsa tattoos on her hands was damn near perfect. At first I thought it would be a dreaded case of the blasted insta-love sort but thankfully those fears were misplaced as the story went on. The chemistry between the two of them was remarkable, but not to the point that it was inappropriate for the younger reader, just subtle enough with the passion to appease the older readers.

 

Overall Daughter of Smoke & Bone was a fantastic read. Dark and unsettling on the one hand and beautiful and elegant on the other. The characters development was wonderful, the story was fun, unique and completely and utterly sucked me in to the point that I finished it withing a few hours of starting it. Laini Taylor delivered a refreshing young adult read for the young adult fantasy genre giving readers a female heroine that while flawed represents strength, courage and determination. I loved the world that much of the novel takes place in and cannot wait to return to it and see some favourite characters again in the second book.

 

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone. It's unfortunate that it took me so long to read and review the novel because I was afraid it might not live up to the hype but I really do suggest giving it a go if you're nervous borrow it from your local library. This is one series that I hope continues for a while.

 

Loved It!
★★★★★

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