Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Laini Taylor
2011; Little, Brown; ISBN 978-0-316-13402-6 (hardcover)

Summary: Karou is a very unique young woman.  She has blue hair, speaks multiple languages, and has vivid tattoos on the palms of her hands.  For the other students at her Prague art school, they're used to Karou's mysterious life, with her unusual sketchbooks full of fantasy creatures.  The truth is stranger than fiction: the creatures in Karou's art are real, and they are the ones who raised her.  What Karou doesn't know is that there is a civil war between seraphs and chimaera, between angels and monsters--a war of which she's in the middle.  The seraphs are lead by Akiva, a beautiful warrior angel.  There seems to be some kind of connection between Akiva and Karou . . . one that changes both of them.

With rich atmospheric details and memorable characters, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is an unusual fantasy. While the story loses steam at the three-quarters mark after a major plot revelation, there is much to like in this novel.  The setting of Prague is vividly portrayed, infusing a sense of history into the story.  Karou is a fascinating yet believable protagonist, grounding the fantasy even as she performs amazing acts.  Laini Taylor's talents for word and description is obvious in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  Pass this novel to fans of Holly Black.

Other Reviews
Good Books and Good Wine:  http://www.goodbooksandgoodwine.com/2011/07/daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by-laini-taylor-book-review.html
Bookanista:  http://scott-tracey.com/2011/08/11/bookanista-review-the-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by-laini-taylor/
Reading Rants:  http://www.readingrants.org/2011/05/15/daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by-laini-taylor/
The Allure of Books:  http://theallureofbooks.com/2011/08/review-the-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by-laini-taylor.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-the-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by-laini-taylor

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