Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Release date: September 27th 2011
Genres: Young adult, fantasy
Format: eBook
Add it: GoodReads | BookDepository
Rating: ★★★
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a lit 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 otherworldly 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 beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery 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 leaning the truth about herself?
My Thoughts
Usually I like angel books, but I never hate or love them, and with this book it's no different. The difference that exists for me between this book and other angel-related books is that I have some strong feels concerning a certain character. But more on that character later. First we meet Karou, a blue-haired, artistic girl living in Prague. She is does errands for Brimstone, who is a very strange creature. Karou is the typical YA female protagonist: she is tough, artsy, perhaps a bit oblivious and somewhat selfish at the beginning of the book. Those are not likable characteristics, but fortunately she quickly changes and goes through a personal growth, which makes her a much 'better' protagonist.
The character for which I have some strong emotions is Akiva. He is the 'love interest' for Karou and when we first meet him, he seems like a great guy, perhaps a little troubled, but somebody that could be a good fit for Karou. However, when the story progresses certain secrets surface and his persona becomes a lot less likable. For me it is unforgettable what he did and I hope with all my heart that Karou does not end up with him.
The writing style was not anything special in my opinion, which is very pleasant. It made it easy to get into the story. Right of the bet I wanted to know what was going to happen, who Karou was and what Brimstone's business was about. But when I read bout 75% of the book I started to feel bored. A big twist in the story was told, which should've surprised me, but I had figured out what the twist was going to be a lot earlier in the story. Therefore the last 25% of the story was to long for my preference. But the last chapter in the book did came as a surprise for me, which saved the book.
All in all, I liked the story, the characters and the writing style. Nothing more, nothing less. And therefore the final rating is three stars.
Memorable Quotes
"Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic."
"Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?"
Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin', to like this post and to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
No comments:
Post a Comment