Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Fantasy/ Romance
Release date: September 27th, 2011
Pages: 417 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Won
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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 grows 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?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone completely shocked me with its beautifully written story about a fascinating girl named Karou.  She holds so many more secrets than the reader realizes, even some that she doesn't realize herself until we learn much more about her.

It's easy to say that when I first picked this book up, I had no idea what an incredible and carefully constructed world I was going to get lost in, but I'm so glad that it turned out that way. Though the main setting is in Prague, the author makes it seem as though the reader is thrust into a completely different world.  The line between magic and reality begins to blur and we're left wondering where we'll end up next.  Laini Taylor will have her readers wrapped around her fingers as she tells a captivating story about a forbidden romance between two very mysterious people.

I found everything about Karou to be appealing, from her blue hair, to her intriguing tattoos and her awesome personality.  She was definitely what I imagine to be the perfect main character, especially for a book like this.  Truthfully, once Akiva was introduced, I didn't like him very much.  It wasn't until I realized what a large role he actually played in Karou's life that I really became attached to his character.  That being said, both of them were very strong, and well thought-out.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone left me with so much more than what I first thought I was getting into.  The story behind Karou's people and their everlasting battle between the seraphs is enthralling and emotional and the fact that Karou and Akiva were willing to look past that was inspiring. Incredibly original and awe-worthy, this book is definitely one I can call a new favorite.  Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of its sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight.