daughter of smoke & bone by Laini Taylor

50th book of 2021

First book in the daughter of smoke and bone series

Reading period: June 16th 2021 – June 17th 2021

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 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?

Rating

Review

I wanted to read this author for a long time as many people like what she is writing, and it was a good decision as I liked this book a lot.

This book was an easy read as you dive quickly into it, and you don’t feel like you are reading a book that is more than 400 pages. The contemporary Prague or the magical part of the story create a dark and magical ambience that is captivating. Just be prepared; some scenes are heavy lovey-dovey and sometimes ridiculous but still a pleasure to read.

I read the book while listening to the audiobook, and the effect is stunning. Everything feels more accurate; the characters and the places are more vivid and easier to distinguish. The narrator (Khristine Hvam) is doing a great job, especially with the dialogues.

I had a little struggle with the character of Akiva. I didn’t really care about him, and I struggle to have an idea of who he is for most of the book, which is sad as he is one of the main characters. However, there is one character that I like a lot, and it’s Zuzanna. She was the best. I found that she is a colourful character in this dark surrounding, and I want her to stay here.

The past has an important place in the story; its majority helps to understand the world-building and some characters. Even I didn’t mind those parts as I found them interesting and well-done; at some point in the story, they took too much space, and I found that it slows the story’s pace.

The ending surprised me even if I started to understand the whole mystery before the end. The story is a little predictable, but it didn’t withdraw any enjoyment of the story.

I will unquestionably continue the series as this first book finishes on a cliffhanger, and I will do it with the audiobook.

Liz.