Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Name of the Book: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

By: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Copyright: September 2011

Number of Pages: 432 pages

Reason for Reading: TBR list

Rating: A+

The Gist:

With no family and history to speak of, an upbringing with the chimaera, and juggling running secret errands for her caretaker Brimstone while attending art school in Prague, Karou certainly leads a mysterious life. As Brimstone’s missions send her all over the world, Karou is attacked by an angel. This is the beginning of the end of Karou’s life as she knows it.

My Thoughts:

This book has been on my radar since it made the ARC rounds in book blogging land. Oh man, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this for a while. I loved loved loved this book. I love the world that Taylor has created.

Her characters spring to life, dripping with personality. Taylor is a wonderful storyteller. There is a love story that spans lifetimes, a mystery to unravel, an age-old war. The words she weaves are lyrical and precise. She twists words in new ways, giving them fresh meaning. There is humor and wisdom and heartbreak.

The setting in Prague is a character unto itself with its storybook rooftops, winding cobblestoned roads, atmospheric cafes. One of my favorite scenes is when Karou’s artist friend Zuzana performs in the square in a very moving piece. I also love the eccentric Poison Kitchen with its statues in gas masks where Karou and Zuzana go regularly for a bowl of goulash, pastries and a hot drink.

Karou yearns to discover why Brimstone sends her the world over for teeth. She wants to know what’s behind the secret door. Handprints are burned into portal doors for a sinister purpose. Love between enemies blooms.

I don’t have words to do this book justice. Per usual, I struggle to not say too much. I picked up this book not remembering a thing about save that there were angels involved. What I discovered was story rich in characters in a mesmerizing world. I cared so much about them all, my heart broke when theirs did. I loved this book so much I started reading it again when I finished the last page.

Last Words:

In short, a delicious, magical story.