Laini Taylor

Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters--the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known, in a unique fantasy by an award-winning author about forbidden love, an epic battle and hope for a world remade.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

The 10th anniversary edition of the first in Laini Taylor's breathtaking fantasy trilogy 'Remarkable and beautifully written . . . The opening volume of a truly original trilogy.' GUARDIAN Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Enter Another World in This Magical SUNDAY TIMES Bestseller

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Beyza

"I want you to know... I need you to know that I was drawn to you-to you, Karou- before the wishbone. Before I knew, and I think... I think I would always find you, no matter how you were hidden. Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens-... I need you to remember that I love you."

"Karou, you life is here, in this world. If Brimstone cares about you, he can't want you to go to that bringen place. You should stay. 

"She's not actually very scary. You had me worried."

"Well, you disarm her. You have that effect."

"I do? It didn't seem to work on you yesterday."

"I had more reason to fight it. I have to keep reminding myself we're enemies."

"I came back to find you. I don't know why. Karou. I don't know why. Just to find you and be in the world you're in..."

"Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?"

He should have stopped her, could easily have killed. Instead he'd struck slowly, giving her time to spin clear, dance free. Why? 

It was simple. He'd wanted to look at her. 

"Brimstone. I want you to know I would never just... leave you"

Marz

“when a street musician lowered his violin to inquire, “Hey lovely, what you got there?” she said, “Musicians who asked questions,” and kept on dragging.”

“Her bare feet paddled for purchase and found none”

Ralie Sutton

Was there any fate more bitter than to get what you long for most, when it's too late?

seraphim being vulnerable when they’re supposed to be heartless >>>

My life is blood because my world is beasts.

Laura Scanlan

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. 

The first book in the New York Times bestselling epic fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Laini Taylor. 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?

Kimmy Hobden

It was a pretty cool magic system. I love how the story was slowly revealed. The characters could have been better developed but it was still nice.

Monicap

Here it is: I shall say it and I shall be ashamed.
I was afraid to read this book. 
It’s just, it’s so BIG and, yeah, the cover is amazing, as is the title, but the description doesn’t really give you that much other than the main character has a weird, un-girl-ish name.
Plus, no one ever told me it was amazing. No one ever told me I’d be up past midnight reading it, and even then, I would put it down only unwillingly, because my eyes were closing of their own accord, completely against my wishes. (Get it? Wishes? Ha-ha, inside joke)
I am going to spare you the fear and—well, okay it wasn’t as much fear as reluctance, but anyway—I’m going to spare you that by telling you all those things I just told you. And this: READ THIS BOOK. IT IS AMAZING.
Part fantasy, part romance, part mystery and all AWESOME. 
Okay, so there’s this girl, Karou. She’s kind of weird, and no, it’s not just because she has Blue Hair. She was raised by Chimaera. 
There’s a lot of angel-devil symbolism in this book. The Chimaera represent the ‘devils’. 
But the thing is, no one in this book is outright EVIL. Not the Chimaera, who were just living there lives. And not the angels, either, who decided the take over the Chimaera. They’re all just a product of a centuries-old war that takes pace on another world.
Sound cool yet? It gets better.
We have NO IDEA what’s up with Karou. All we know is she’s not entirely human, not entirely Chimaera, and not entirely Seraph.
And, O, but there’s more still. 
There’s Akiva. 
My god, his name is just so delicious. Akiva.

So this book is divided into parts. At the beginning is a little… I guess quote is right the word, but they’re not quotes that famous people said hundreds of years ago, they come from the authors mind and they are awesome.

First quote:  Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.

I saw that and laughed. “It never does, does it?” I said.
This is more of an overall-book quote, as it does not directly apply to it’s part.
Btw, what we see in the description of this book is only part 1.
And guess what? There are TWO more parts to the Book! *Squeeing excitement*

Part two’s quote: Once upon a time, a little girl was raised by monsters.
But then the angels burned the doorways to their world, and she was all alone. 

Part two is definitely aww, Karou. 
And, AKIVA!!!

Part three: Once upon a time, an angel lay dying in the mist.
And a devil knelt over him and smiled.

This quote made me think like, “ooh, the devil is happy the angel is dying”, even though I technically already knew that wasn’t it at all. Oh, well.
Part three is mostly Akiva and Mad’s love story, and it just drags out the finding out of WHAT THE HECK IS KAROU????? for, like, I don’t even know, over 15 chapters.
I thought Mad was her mom.
I was sooo wrong.

Yeah, so, anyways, this book was a pot of delicious awesome sauce that I wasn’t expecting when I picked it up, the third such book/series I’ve read this summer, the other two being Itertwined by Gena Showalter and the Curse Workers by Holly Black.

This book ends on: aww, Akiva, and then,
No, that didn’t happen, and, finally:
Karou=hope.

P.S. This book is written in third person.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book unbounded by genre but located at a magical crossroads where The Passage meets Philip Pullman and Twilight meets Pan's Labyrinth.

Luke Harkness

Amazing fantasy book that surprised me with its writing and intelligence 

I'd heard good things about Daughter of Smoke and Bone. But I thought, like many other YA fantasy novels, it would be because a bunch of teenagers had enjoyed the imaginative world and love story. But no, there's far more to this story than I thought there would be and am surprised this book isn't spoke more highly of in the fantasy world. The love story was a little bit much at times but the fantastic, genuine characters, the brilliant world that Taylor is building and the clever storyline really made this a sleeper hit for me!

chateau

READ THIS BOOK. IF YOU SCROLL PASS THROUGH THE TIMELINE AND FIND THIS REVIEW, JUST READ THIS BOOK.

Vicky  Nuñez 

Rating: 4.5


From the moment I started Daughter of Smoke and Bones I was rendered speechless. Laini Taylor's imagination is incredible, just when I thought originality was extinct she appears with this magical story.

This story enraptures you from the start, you might have no idea what is going on, but you will not be able to stop reading.
The story is plagued with good characters and a breathtaking story. 

If you are a fantasy lover with a penchant for the bizarre, this is just for you.

Or really this books is for everyone, it has of everything.

So if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?

chloe rae

Mel 

I’ve been meaning to read this for the longest time. An Extremely interesting world and I love Zuzana.

when I read this as a teenager, this was probably one of the most life-changing pieces of fiction I've ever read. looking back now, I used to be a hopeless romantic and that's probably why I had rated it 4 stars.

fairuza hanun

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Pepper

A book you could gobble up all in one sitting because it's that engaging. Only, life interrupted me like 27 times while I was reading this so the awesomeness got just a little bit diluted. What a googly of an ending though - argh! Don't do this to me!

Anyway, love the way Laini phrases things. Reminds me of Elizabeth Knox. They should get together and have book babies. They'd be full of words you never think could go together, similes that are like playful spots of refracted rainbow sunlight, and metaphors that are stars twinkling on a moonless night seen from a wintry hill station sky. Discovering small, sudden wonders on a page - that's what I love about reading <3

I really enjoyed the first half with her in Prague, balancing her two lives and friendships (esp zuzana I love her that is my babygirl!!! let her be happy with violin man!!!!) but I can’t lie I was not as enthralled once all the madrigal stuff came in, I did not like that as much. the writing is very rich and pretty! I will be reading the next one!

fris🐝

Melissa Palmer

Book #78 Read in 2012
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou collects teeth for Brimstone, a magician of sorts. Little does she know how her past is going to come colliding with her present. Then she meets Akiva, an angel, and she is drawn to him in ways that she does not understand. Her world is then rocked when Brimstone, and her connection to the other world, is destroyed. Karou then truly feels alone and without meaning. Akiva wants to help change that, but cost may be incredibly high.

This was a good young adult fantasy read. This is the first in a series. Karou is an interesting female lead character. She is tough, intelligent and has a sarcastic sense of humor that I enjoyed. Akiva is a good romantic lead. He is a flawed hero which draws readers in. Secondary characters are interesting--the concerned best friend, the slightly odd actor ex-boyfriend and Brimstone, a man of mystery. I enjoyed this read and hope to get to the sequel soon.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

I liked it. I think that the magic sistem was really cool. I just didn't really connect to the characters.

Ajda Perko

Briar's Reviews

I had high expectations of this book after hearing it from many people that it was incredible, but I wasn't impressed.

Laini Taylor is an amazing writer, but I found this novel to have many issues.

My list of issues:
It was to slow - I found myself two hundreds pages in and it felt like I could have been in the fourth novel. It wasn't that the book is to long, it just doesn't move fast enough for my liking.
There is to much content that wasn't explained. By the time I got through the novel I still didn't know half of what was going on. It was very thrilling and exciting, but I just felt utterly confused. If less content was explained more with a fast pace and adventure or action, it could have been better.

Overall, not impressed at all. I might pick up the next book, but I'm not impressed enough to go get it now. 

One out of five stars.

Zaira A 

I finally got around to finishing this book. The first half of the book made me so confused I had to set a side and re read some chapter to get a grasp of the story. Taylor goes into a lot of details of this new world so makes very vivid. At the same time the overly detail narration makes it a little tedious to progress through the storyline. The book has very good twist and Taylor tied every loose end from this part of the book. Akiva and Karou love story is not your typical love story, can't go into too much detail without spoiling it. I really enjoyed this book, very likely going to read the other two to see where the story leads.

Now one thing I can hate about books is that they are so predictable- but this book had me surprised at every turn. I loved this book so much, it kept me wanting to read and more to explain wtf happened in the book to my coworkers to see their reactions match my shock. I only cried twice and I can’t wait to read the next one!

everything about this is perfection!!!! the interconnected stories could have gotten so lost but they were tied together so perfectly!! 

Janna Romano

I fast read.

Though, reading goodreads reviews after rating it made me think. I really don't know if I should reread this because I feel like I lost something that others did like. It's okay.. as I rated it. But not the kind of book I'd dwell on... Perhaps, I was still thinking of Sarah Dessen's. 

However, the scenes were well-described.

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a book unbounded by genre but located at a magical crossroads where THE PASSAGE meets PHILIP PULLMAN and TWILIGHT meets PAN'S LABYRINTH. Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought. 'Remarkable and beautifully written . . . The opening volume of a truly original trilogy.' GUARDIAN

Enter another world in this magical SUNDAY TIMES bestseller

Teeeeeesha

We've seen enemies to lovers but we've not seen angels fall for devils. With its emphasis on prejudice amongst a superior race and it's consequences, it's Beautifully paced with a unique magic system.

Colleen

3 Stars

*This review contains some spoilers.*

Last year I read Strange the Dreamer, and it was my favorite book of the year. It was my first experience with Laini Taylor, and I was utterly captivated. While I wait impatiently for the sequel, Muse of Nightmares, I thought I would check out some of Taylor’s earlier work. Sadly, Daughter of Smoke and Bone was NOWHERE NEAR as good as I expected. 

Yes, some of that had to do with my high expectations. Between my enjoyment of Strange the Dreamer and the glowing opinions on Goodreads about Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I really expected to enjoy this book. But even if I had not read Strange the Dreamer first, I would have had the same issues with Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Because despite an extremely interesting setup, the story is suffocated by an extremely angsty, ridiculous love story. I just can’t stand those overly-dramatic, doomed love stories. 

It was awkward right off the bat due to a misunderstanding. You see, within the first few pages, the author says that the main character’s ex-boyfriend is twenty-years-old. The exact words are “at twenty, he was several years older than Karou.” I’m a literal person. I interpreted that as Karou being thirteen which was completely disturbing because she was in a sexual relationship with this guy. That totally grossed me out and almost made me stop reading. As it turns out, it was just a misuse of the word “several.” Karou is actually seventeen, but that was not explicitly stated until a couple of chapters later. Until that point I kept wondering why the hell people were so excited about a book with pedophilia. Even after that was cleared up, I still felt skeeved out. So it was not a good start.

Overall, the writing felt more New Adult than Young Adult both in characters and writing. Karou does not sound like a seventeen-year-old most of the time. Maybe because of things like the description of her covered in tattoos and drawing a nude male model. There were tons of casual references to sex. No, there is nothing explicit in the story. But things are clearly referenced and alluded to. There were many scenes that took place in bed obviously post-coitus. And since some of this involved non-humans, it felt a bit like bestiality at times. Too many references to stroking horns… (I half expected someone to get accidentally impaled mid-shebang because surely, antlers really get in the way??) Maybe young readers would miss some of the in-between the lines stuff, but I doubt it. The overall tone of the story felt New Adult to me.

On the positive side, Taylor’s lyrical writing was still evident although clearly not as developed at the time. There were beautiful descriptions of Prague that definitely piqued my wanderlust and set the atmosphere excellently. The ideas behind the fantasy aspects to the story were intriguing and imaginative. From mysterious doors to magical teeth to the enigmatic wish system, I was excited about how it would all turn out.


  “It is a condition of monsters that they do not perceive themselves as such. The dragon, you know, hunkered in the village devouring maidens, heard the townsfolk cry 'Monster!' and looked behind him.”

Unfortunately, there was a major hurdle that nulled my excitement. MASSIVELY ANGSTY INSTALOVE. (view spoiler)[I can’t get into the insta-love. Even though some will argue that it isn’t instalove since it is from reincarnation when Karou loved Akiva in her previous life. But neither of them know that at first which leads to a bizarre love triangle where Akiva loves Karou and who Karou was in her previous life… it was a bit chaotic and muddled. (hide spoiler)] I was never the least bit invested in the love story. And since that ended up monopolizing most of the book, I had a hard time continuing at times. In fact, I got the part where the Big Reveal is supposed to happen and had no trouble putting down the book for days. I finally picked up it up again, read two pages, and put it down again. Prior to that point there were so many instances where characters knew info and withheld it for dramatic suspense which was annoying. I don’t like being kept in the dark like that especially when it drags on and is combined with a saccharine, tragic love story. I never truly recaptured my engrossment after that point. The info about the past and the other world came too late in the story. And as I mentioned, it focused more on the doomed love than worldbuilding. The abundance of angst really pushed me out of the story. This was a story with creative and interesting concepts that got swamped by an unbelievable, extremely angsty love story which resulted in the overall story barely getting three stars.

And then the ending was so abrupt. I had no idea it was coming. I was reading the ebook, and it was only at 79%. So when the story abruptly cut off with a “to be continued” I was shocked and more than a bit peeved. It turns out that the version included sneak peaks for three different books as well as the typical acknowledgements, about the author, etc.. It’s just not cool to have a book end at barely over three-quarters of the way through. 

It simply was not anywhere near as captivating as Strange the Dreamer. That may not seem fair, but I did have high expectations. On the one hand, I think that this shows that Taylor has significantly grown as a writer since writing this book. But it kind of makes me nervous to read Muse of Nightmares now, because what if Strange the Dreamer was a fluke? Honestly, I’m not really anxious over that, but the thought did cross my mind. 

I will probably try the next book in the series eventually, but it is getting knocked way, way, way down the list. 


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Andrea Pais

I MORE THAN LOVED IT BUT
I CANT EVEN, THAT ENDING WAS NOT FAIR, WHYYYYY

April

** spoiler alert **
           AHHHHHH!!! This book got me out of my reading slump! Wow first off, I love Laini’s poetic words that are just so smooth and flowy like butter omg. Like girl, the descriptions are just so detailed to perfection and so beautifully worded mwahmwahmwah! On the other hand, this is such a good take on the enemies to lovers trope because gerrrrrrl was I in it for the ride! I’ve read quite a few enemies to lovers stories before, but none have pained me as much as this one. Akiva and Karou are just heart wrenchingly imperfectly perfect for each other that it HURTS. and the ENDING. THAT WHOLE BACKSTORY. At first i was a lil thrown off cuz lmao who puts a backstory at the END of a book bahaha but then I got to the end and im like DANG OK i get it. Bro Brimstone really do be Dad of the Year. 

Also, i LOVE how it just says “to be continued” at the end—like yalready know the author's in the process of writing whats next and had to tell her readers to not be afraid cuz there’s more to come. I hate when books pull that “oh the end(?)” crap at the end of the first book solely because—and this is how I imagine it lol—the author themselves are just sitting there mulling over their own work thinking they may or may not be able to pull more from the story lmao. So I’m glad Laini knew right away that she wasn’t gonna leave her readers hanging—she knew right away this was a series typa story! 

Anyway, onto the next one!

Maggie Berver

Olena Dorosh Stsira

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me on the hook through all the story. There aren’t filler pages, every single chapter is good and the story is different from all I’ve read.

menna

the fact that i waited so long to read this book is a goddamn crime.

Let's start with the writing. Honestly i loved Laini Taylor's writing, it's beautiful without it being too over the top. i was mesmerized by it and i found myself hanging on to every word. Her writing brought the story to live and created such an atmospheric feel that i absolutely loved. 

The characters were all great. i thought Karou was a great female protagonist! she was strong, talented and not afraid to speak her own mind and thoughts but she had also a sense of sadness and loneliness in her which mad her feel real to me. I loved the friendship between her and zuzanna.

We don't get the world building until maybe the middle of the book and i liked that we were figuring it out with the MC and not just being thrust into it and being confused for a while before we start to understand it. 

the romance was my only problem with it, and by saying problem i don't mean that i didn't love it because i did. But the fact that it's instalove is what made me not like it as much as i could've.

(view spoiler)[yes i know that it's explained and once i found out that karou is madrigal, i thought that hers and akiva's relationship would be more flushed out but the author made their first meeting also a instalove which felt like a wasted opportunity to me (hide spoiler)]

The ending was one of the most evil things i've ever read.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

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