Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

2011, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Series: Book 1 of Daughter of Smoke and Bone

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Synopsis: 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 grown 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?

Why read: Picked up a copy at BEA

What impressed me: It took some time to get into Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The book was very different than anything I had ever read and honestly, it seemed as though it it might have been a bit too far out there for my taste. Luckily, I continued on with the book because all of the random and confusing things introduced in the first few chapters were all heading in a great direction. This is a very unique book and it seems the series will continue with a high degree of mystery and surprising twists. Many questions were answered throughout the book, but by the end, more had arisen. The entire book was one risk after another taken by the author and it worked out extremely successfully. Taylor has a gift for intrigue and unexpected story progression.

What disappointed me: While the book definitely paid off in the end, it really is difficult to get through the beginning of the book. It's a little out there and doesn't provide much in the way of answers. I fear that other readers will pass on this great book after feeling lost in the first few chapters.

Recommended: Yes.

Continue series: Definitely. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a wonderful surprise and I'm very interested in where the story takes Karou.