REVIEW: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Published: 27 September 2011
Format: First Edition; Hardcover: 418 pages
GR Summary:
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?

My Review:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor simply blew me away. From the start, I was immediately captivated by the story and the world that Laini built up. It was so easy for me to just lose myself into this book. Each time I picked up this book, the real world would fall away and I was able to place myself into Karou’s surroundings. I was able to lose myself entirely.



The originality of the plot and the mythology was not only refreshing but entirely compelling. The plot was complex, well-thought out but still easy to understand. Laini really turned this book into a mysteriously creative piece of work centered around war between two entities. The book transported me into this intoxicatingly vivid place never to be forgotten. The imagery and descriptions of Prague, Eretz, Loramendi and all the other places Karou went to were absolutely exquisite. There’s never such a place I would dream to be in but there. Laini took me to this incredible fantasy world filled with Seraphim and Chimaera and left me breathless from amazement.

Laini’s writing overall is extremely divine. I have never been so enraptured by an author’s writing before. Everything, from the places to the characters were magically descriptive and expressive. The way she writes is crystal clear, smooth as glass and clean as pure water. Her writing evoked deep emotions from within my soul. I smiled, laughed and cried. I found myself angry and tormented at all the right moments. Laini’s writing in Daughter of Smoke and Bone left me with this great feeling of contentment that no other author has ever been able to do so. Not only is Laini a genius, she’s brilliant. 



What I completely loved most about this book was the way Laini created her characters. Each and every one was unique. Each character carried themselves with such stunning beauty. They were very well developed and seemingly real. Also, I was able to make deep connections with the characters, especially Karou. She exuded this fierce sense of confidence and strength. She was beautifully flawed, cleverly witty, so human and otherworldly all at once. She has so much personality. There’s no reason at all not to love and adore Karou. She’s everything a heroine should be and more. She literally kicks ass. Akiva was another character I loved. He became this mesmerizingly brooding character that I really enjoyed reading about. To read how he transforms from the experiences of pain and loss broke my heart. He’s such a beautiful character. He’s so broken and conflicted. As I continued to know him better throughout the book, I couldn’t help but feel this intense feeling of sympathy and awe. All the other characters, such as Brimstone, Issa, and Zuzana were extraordinarily likable. There is not a character in this book that you cannot relate to. 



“She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust.” 

This book was most enjoyable for me because it kept me at the edge of my seat at all times. The air of mystery and danger was always apparent. Each page and chapter was always a gasping surprise. I was always uncertain of what was going to happen and when. I felt like anything could leave me drowning or explode in my face at every turn. Nothing was ever foreseen or expected.

Overall, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is strange and wonderful in the best possible way. There really is no book like it. By the end, I was rendered speechless.

“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.” 



My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!