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

This novel was really a reread for me as I read it back in February 2013. You may wonder how I even remember that because back then I didn't have Goodreads, I got it a few months later. This was the very first book I got to read after my surgery. I was so happy to be able to focus on reading again that I remember crying softly to myself. I felt like me again after years of not being able to read. It was magical. Just like this book. I decided to reread it because I never got to finish the rest of the series and that it just sad. Because I just know it's going to be utterly perfect. This is also one of the only series that I've not got spoiled for. Maybe where it's an older series...

The world building in this book is completely superb! One of the best I've ever seen. The characters are so richly developed that I feel like they are really out there somewhere. I feel like the author just sat down with these characters and wrote as they told their story to her. It seems that real. The author's writing feels almost like poetry. It's simply wonderful. She really knows how to tug emotions out of me! I cried when the sad moments hint and laughed and giggled at the happy moments. I simply can't praise this amazing book anymore.

This novel follows Karou, a young girl with bright blue hair and tattoos on her palms that she has had as long as she can remember. She lives differently than we do, she was raised by otherworldly beings and has tiny wishes. She has never felt whole though, there is always a sad longing in her. But as secrets begin to unravel and an Angel removes her only way to see her family, things get dark. Karou will stop at nothing to find them. Though she starts to fall for this angel, starts seeing things about him... maybe even from another life? But will she still love this angel when she found out what he's done to her family?

Karou is a strong character, I know some may see her as that girl that longs for a guy and while she does, don't we all? We all want to find that special someone. She just doesn't let it consume her, it's not her only reason for living. She loves her family and is very loyal to them. It's nice to see a decent family element for once. Some YA books leave out the family or they are dead... just something along those lines. That is not the case here. She is also very strong, she doesn't let people bully her. It's nice to see someone that can be a good role model. Also I totally want bright blue hair now.

So really this is such an amazing start to what I know is going to be one of my favorite series ever. It's just so epic. If you haven't read this book yet, you need to! Drop whatever book you're reading and get this book! I know that you will thank me for it.

A really great story that's unlike anything I've read before. Author Laini Taylor gives us a whole new look on angels vs. demons or in this case chimaera. I loved the beautiful captivating details of Prague that made me feel like I was really there. Fun and action packed with a strong female character whom is loyal to her friends and family. Able to defend and take care of herself, Karou is definitely no damsel in distress. An amazing plot with some romance that will leave readers wanting more!

Let me say up front, this was a supremely difficult book for me to rate/review...especially in coming up with a spoiler-free assessment. But it deserves that much, so here we go.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone begins as a sort of YA urban-fantasy, teetering on the verge of New Adult thanks to the heroine's raised-by-monsters state of independence and the Euro-centric cultural feel. (Oh, and more mentioning of 'penis' than I normally encounter in YA.) I would argue that, at a little past the halfway mark, the whole tone shifts and we're plunged into a full-on NA Fantasy...but I'll get to that a little later.

The story more or less swept me off my feet from the onset, and into the tantalizing vividness of modern-day Prague. The city itself was probably my favorite character. (At once archaic and exotic, by my meager American standards.) The heroine, Karou, lives what must be every art student's reverie—though she's also adrift, not allowed to know who or what she is. I flew through the first half and can honestly say I loved it—largely due to Laini Taylor's evocative prose and liquid-awesome style. Beautiful, darkly complex writing that rolls around in the mind and clings like a warm syrup.

While I deeply enjoyed the first 250 pages or so, I also have to say the dropping of details and backstory was somewhat sparse. The reader is strung along at great length waiting for more pieces of the puzzle. I was willing to be patient, hoping for a grand payoff. But what I ultimately encountered was a sort of atom-bomb of world-building encased in one of the longest flashbacks I've ever encountered. The abrupt surge of other-worldly sociopolitical, cultural, historical, alternate mythological, and fantasy elements left my head a bit muddled. At that point, it also seemed like we lost Karou and had to become acquainted with someone else entirely. And for this reader at least, that last 1/3rd of the book became a somewhat dissonant slog that almost felt like an entirely different book.

Oh, and there's insta-love—or near enough to it. Which is apparently fated, but I'm not clear on why. Don't get me wrong—I appreciated the fantasy parallels to Romeo and Juliet. But as the hero/love interest, Akiva fell a bit flat. He just seemed to be missing some intangible -something- I couldn't quite put my finger on, but which would have made him come more alive. And at the (somewhat dismal) end...I find I'm still not clear on why, exactly, so much critical information was kept from Karou. (If someone can offer some reasoning I may have missed, I'm all ears! Er...eyes? >.> But certainly not teeth, hehe.)

I will be keeping an eye out for more of Taylor's works. A different sort of plotline could make all the difference, and her way with words is too delectable not to sample further.

This book was really good! I started and finished it in one day!

I loved the characters and all of the attention to detail that Laini Taylor put into the chapters. I felt like I was actually there most of the time. Amazing writing!! Definitely worth a read!

I loved the plot development and the character development throughout the entire book. I was not able to predict the ending, which is something that I find is happening more and more with YA novels. It was really refreshing to read a book that kept my interest and surprised me throughout the entire story.

I'm well aware of the fact I'm 2 years too late. I get that but hey! I'm here now and that's what counts.

I set out to write this review but I'm still not sure what to say. I keep thinking about the romance between Karou and Akiva. I'll explain my issues with it soon.

First of, the whole paranormal world in Prague was interesting. The architecture, the art, the culture... even the people pretending to be vampires were fun. We meet Karou in a dark alley getting felt up by her ex boyfriend who's an vampire/actor. They broke up because he cheated on her and Karou doesn't want to see his lying face anywhere near her. Kaz doesn't feel the same way and follows her to her art school where he poses naked in front of her whole class. Awkward. She eventually gets her revenge, wishing Kaz gets nasty itches to scratch in his most private places. Her friend Zuzana's there to cheer with her.

Karou's a blue haired girl who loves to draw strange characters with snake tails, bull heads and some human parts. What you didn't know is those characters are real. They are Issa and Brimstone, her sort of guardians. They deal with wishes and can open a portal to just about any place on Earth you could imagine with simply opening their door. Karou helps them acquire human/animal teeth for some reason she's still not aware of. She does try to get some info about her parents, herself, even about the teeth but Brimstone is not giving away any secrets.

Like with every other story, things get messy after 'the guy' shows up. A mysterious angel attacks Karou in the streets of Marrakesh. I'm just going to stop here for just a second cause I feel like I should say this. Everybody knows I love a good romance but in this case I prayed for less. I didn't want to read about feelings when there's so much to see in this crazy paranormal universe. Everything was going along fine till Akiva showed up. And they were attracted towards each other right from the start.

I was so ready to hate the second part of the book because of the dreaded romance but the craziest thing happened. I started liking the whole Karou and Akiva thing. The flashback scenes saved it. If it weren't for them, I would've pegged it as another insta-love.

So, if you're up for some quality paranormal fiction, pick up Daughter of Smoke and Bone. You won't regret it. It's full of magical creatures, drawings, fights between good and evil and of course, a steamy romance.

The moment I was introduced to this story, I had the feeling that I was going to fall in love with the book and the storyline. It seemed so unique and it was so amazing. It is the story of Karou, a girl who has grown up among... I suppose, demons like Brimstone, although it seems a bit derogatory of a term for such beautiful characters. The author has captured both the idea of a mortal among demons and that demons are not in fact the evil creatures that we believe them to be. Then as you dive deeper into the novel, you find that not everything is as it seems and Karou is certainly not the girl she or you believe her to be. Questions begin to arise as ideas begin to surface. Why is Karou raised among Brimstone and his friends? What happened to make her who she is today? Who is this strange angel that claims to know who she is? Are past lives possible, especially for a girl like her?

I adore Karou for how she is in so many ways. Her character could've either been very unique or one dimensional yet she becomes this confident young woman that captures the rebellious teenage spirit in very unique ways. When she is faced with her ex-boyfriend, she decides to torment him because he definitely ruined her perception of relationships. But this isn't the only way that she pushes boundaries. Brimstone sets certain rules for Karou so that she can remain safe and perhaps a secret. However, she likes to bend them just a little to see if he will let her. She always gets caught and he doesn't let her off easily when she does something wrong. Despite all of this, she loyal to those she loves and would certainly give her life for those that she loves. The one question she longs to have answered is about her past. She has always been human, at least that she remembers but she doesn't know why she lives with Brimstone or how she came to be where she is. This is the beginning of her beautiful journey to discover who she is.

Akiva's presence has certainly caught me off guard when he was first introduce, yet I fell completely in love with his character in every way. I wasn't sure how I would feel about angels being introduced when I was just getting used to the idea that demons are kind and perhaps the good guys. Does that make angels bad guys? Akiva, although, seems to be discontented with his life among his brothers and sisters as a trained soldier to do his father's will. He seems to be unhappy yet he goes through the motions of listening to and following the orders he was given. It is as though his reason for living was taken from him... and it was. He still longs for the woman he once loved and still loves. It is hard not to feel sad for him.

Brimstone was certainly depicted like what would be a terrifying character, yet he came across as a loving, stern man. The way he cares for Karou really made me love his character even more because Karou didn't have a family outside of this ragtag group of people. He really truly becomes the father figure that this young woman needs as he strives to teach her patience and love. Issa as well as all the others become the other family members in this odd ragtag group that becomes a family. They adore her art and Karou herself. She feels like she truly belongs among this people. Finally Kishmish, who is the little messenger boy for Brimstone, always has Karou somewhat on edge when she sees him.

Zuzana is Karou's best friend and this petite little character that holds so much life. I can honestly say that she not only is the best sort of friend that the main character could have but she is the type of friend that every sort of girl needs. The type that won't take all of your crap, will listen when you need them and has so much spirit in them that it not only lifts you up but also keeps the party going even when you feel like you don't want to.

I love, love, love this book. It is intense and lovable. It is unique yet relatable. Thank you Laini Taylor for creating such an amazing cast of characters!

My husband and I are so happy with this book, it was beyond enjoyable. I loved everything about it. I am so excited about Laini Taylor's writing, it is a joy to read and I want to quote nearly everything. She is an inspiration. I tell everyone about this book.

If I had to describe this book in two words, they would be 'rich' and 'vivid'. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is literally alive with the lush settings and characters. There are two distinct races - the Seraphim and the Chimaera, the 'angels' and 'demons'. We have Karou, a seemingly ordinary 17 year old girl, who run errands for Brimstone. She is an artist and that was the first thing that made me like her. Extremely badass, she is not your typical innocent YA heroine. Then we have Brimstone, the apparent magus of the chimaera. Throughout the book, he appears gruff and strict but towards the end you realize he is loving and compassionate. There's also Akiva, tortured by his past and hungry for vengeance. The dynamic between Akiva and Madrigal was slow to develop but it was so beautiful.

This book was so beautiful to read that I now feel like hearing it one again in an audio book version. I never read as audio books, mostly because I like to actually 'read' it. But this is one book I think will be enchanting to re-read on audio

This book is so highly praised that I was apprehensive when I started reading it. I’ve found some books that I loved thanks to the general consensus but I’ve also deviated from the norm, and I was terrified that I would dislike the book everyone else loves, which is never a fun feeling. While Daughter of Smoke and Bone was not an instant favorite, it was very good and I was pleasantly surprised.

Karou is a wonderful main character. She’s witty and strong, but also sometimes sulky and impetuous She really grows in confidence over the course of the book, which is saying something, since she doesn’t exactly start out as a low-confidence character. By the middle, I was actually beginning to worry that she was seeming a little too strong and perfect, but after learning her back story, her character made sense, and I could embrace it once more. She’s a great main character who really holds her own.

Akiva, the “Angel” in this “Angel and Demon” romance, is quite intriguing, to say the least. He’s the epitome of a soldier who’s become dead on the inside and tortured by his past, and you can practically feel his pain radiate off the pages. He’s the type of soul who just seems so broken and beat down by everything that’s happened, you can’t help but to root for him, even when he’s potentially an enemy.

The writing is this book just blew me away. The entire story has a mystical feel, even when it’s set in our world. I loved the introduction to the chapters. They were all short, full of impact, and relevant to the plot. The writing in this book is the type of writing that sucks you in and eventually seems like it disappears altogether. I never consciously felt like I was reading when I was reading this book. It felt more like someone telling a fairy tale or watching a play, and I love when authors are so good at disappearing from their own books that you just completely forget you’re actually reading.

The plot in this book isn’t terribly complex, but it is compelling. Most of the “twists” were easily spotted, but this only slightly inferred with my enjoyment. The back story becomes fairly obvious before it’s actually told, but despite that I was still racing towards the end because I had to be sure. I really like how Laini Taylor takes fairly well-used tropes and subverts them to make a story that feels completely new.

You can find Daughter of Smoke and Bone on Amazon.

Final Impression: This wasn’t an instant-favorite for me, but there are many things I loved about Daughter of Smoke and Bone, mostly the characters. This is a really unique story that compels you to want more, and I loved Karou.

Wow. I have read a lot of really good reviews for a year about this book and I'm so glad that I finally understood why. The only reason I added this to my tbr-pile in 2011 was because of Karou's blue hair. Seriously, who doesn't love a blue hair that grows out of your head? But I never really pursued this book that much, until I got it from Renae's birthday giveaway.

I already felt the eerie and mysterious feeling when I started reading the book. Karou and Prague are both wrapped around that strange feeling that I can't put a finger on. Maybe it's just me, or maybe because of how it was written and presented with Laini's choices of words but it was brilliant. It was like being sucked into another world and watching what's happening. Remember that feeling/look when Harry was watching a memory in the pensieve? Yep, that's it.

I am very much entranced with all the characters. The shifting between the POV was a bit confusing at first, but was not bad at all. I like how the writing seem to shift with the characters. You can really distinguish which character is this about after some time.

The build up since the first page was amazing. It kept me on edge but when seems to cut it after a chapter. I used to hate continuous chapters because it would lack suspense but this had me wishing for it to be written that way because of the anticipation. But that technique (quite evil, actually) worked when the climax happened and some things were revealed. The part where they finally broke the wishbone was one of the heart-stopping moments that I've been waiting for since the first mention of it.

The instant attraction between Akiva and Karou was definitely understandable. There are some things that your heart can recognize even if you can't. But I like how it was first with Akiva before Karou admitted it to herself.

One of the best, and I mean the best, star-crossed love story ever!