BOOK REVIEW: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)

by Laini Taylor (Goodreads Author)

Hardcover, US, 418 pages

Published September 27th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads 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 otherworldly 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 beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery 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?

4 Stars

This was my first venture into the fantasy realm and I wasn’t disappointed. I was intrigued by Karou, main character gal, who is an artist. I seemed to be able to relate to her even though I am far from the target market for this type of book. Karou  lives in Prague which was also intriguing to me. I love learning about other cities. She is a collector of teeth for a monster chimera which lives in another dimension. She gains access through these doorways and suddenly her route is cut off by an angel who is triggering memories in her. She is piece by piece discovering who she really is… or was.

This book tends to jump back and forth between Karou in the present and Madrigal ion the past. That part could get a bit confusing. But I was glad I was listening to the audio version of it because that kept me from being so confused. I guess I am a better listener than a reader because the info gained from listening was much greater for me.

I wasn’t too happy with the ending but what did I expect? It was the first book in a three book series. Things must go awry before they can be resolved.

I bought this book with my own money.