Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

First in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy

5 stars

Black handprints start to show up on doorways. In one of these doorways, there is a shop. A shop where demon collects human teeth for wishes, but these teeth are becoming scarce. In the beautiful streets of Prague there is a young girl. A girl with freakishly blue hair and she’s in the middle of a war. Karou draws creatures in sketchbooks and everyone thinks they are just the work of a talented artist, but they are real. No one knows where she came from and she wants to know why she’s so different. When she meets a beautiful stranger named Akiva in an alley her questions are answered and her world destroyed. I’m rereviewing this because my previous review was somewhat choppy and mostly jumbled thoughts of the aftermath of finishing this book. What an amazing book it is! I grabbed this book in the library not knowing much about it, but having high hopes. I had heard a lot of good things about this book and I was hoping I would like it just as much as everyone else. From the first page I was drawn in. I was swept away by the beauty of Taylor’s writing and of the world created. This book probably sounds a lot like most YA books, but it’s not. This book deserves its own genre. It’s that amazing. This book was full of secrets and wonders and mysteries with each knew I found myself tearing into them. I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted this book to last forever.


The main female character is Karou. Karou is very different from most heroines. She is strange, but in a good way. She’s mysterious and no one knows anything about her. She doesn’t really know much about herself. She’s one of my favorite characters. I’ve never come across a character like Karou. She’s a gem in a sea of stones.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 10

The main male character is Akiva. Excuse me while I say this, but I love this guy’s name. It’s fun to say. OK now that I’ve got that out of the way. I really like Akiva. He isn’t nearly as prominent of a character as Karou, but he’s story is just as interesting. I have so many mixed emotions toward him right now though and it’s been months since I’ve read this book, but the hurt is still fresh.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 9.5

The Villain- Yeah, no. Read the book and find out for yourself. I don’t want to spoil anything!

Villain Scale: 8


Zuzanna is also a refreshing friend in YA. She’s a lot like Karou, but nothing like her at all. I know it makes no sense, but it’s hard to describe. I like Zuzanna she brings life to the book just as much as Karou does. The chimaera that raised Karou are Brimstone, Issa, Kishmish, Twiga, and Yasri. I love the chimaera. They are so different and just all so live and they have their own personalities. Razgut is actually the way I would expect a fallen angel to look. Taylor does it right and it seems more believable than most of the attractive males in YA. Madrigal is well I’m not going to spoil who she is because I know people haven’t read it yet.


Character Scale: 10
Laini Taylor had me wrapped around her finger. I would always think I knew what would happen next and then what would happen was more shocking and sometimes heartbreaking. Taylor’s world was fleshed-out and I felt like I was in the streets of Prague watching everything alongside Karou and Akiva. I went in to this book thinking there would be no romance. I didn’t know what to expect. There was romance and it was beautiful and heartbreaking. I wantSCRATCH need Days of Blood and Starlight! I need it now, but I have no money for it. I will own and soon. Someway it shall be mine and I’ll know the beauty of this world again. This book turns me into a fangirling mess.



See what it does to me?


Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. The mask is so pretty and so blue. I want a mask like that, but this cover isn’t nearly as beautiful as Days of Blood and Starlight’s cover, but it’s still beautiful.