Book Review - Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
ISBN: 9780316134026
No. of Pages: 432
Genre: Young Adult; Fantasy
Origins: Mine. All mine.
Release Date: 27 September 2011

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?”

My Thoughts: With her turquoise-blue hair and absolute loyalty, Karou is the type of female figure that I absolutely adore. She is fiercely independent, strong-willed, intelligent, and adorably quirky. She knows her own mind and knows her own absolute truths, and at no time does she ever waver in her belief in either. She is not afraid to make the tough decisions, even though to do so might cost her happiness and love. In her late teens, she has grown out of the self-absorbed, whiny stage, but she is still young enough to be surprisingly innocent. Karou is the type of character you would love to get to know in real life, if she would let you get that close, because she would be your friend forever. That same loyalty she exhibits towards her loved ones automatically evokes the same sense of loyalty in the reader, so that you will stand by her no matter what she discovers about her past and herself.

The story itself is outstanding. These are not your everyday angels and demons interacting here. In fact, Ms. Taylor takes the whole idea of angels and fallen angels and turns it on its head. Better yet, the world-building occurs within the narrative, so that readers get to know Karou’s world without lengthy expository sections. Adding to that, the action is practically nonstop since Karou’s life is anything but ordinary. Once Akiva enters the scene, the danger and tension ratchet up several notches, leaving readers helpless but to read as fast as possible. Lastly, the truth behind Karou’s past is as unexpected as it is a great twist of readers’ expectations.

One of the best features of Daughter of Smoke & Bone is the social commentary about the war between the angels and demons. Even though one might criticize it as rather heavy-handed at times, the fact that Ms. Taylor devotes so much attention to each side’s perspective is an excellent lesson in objectivity. One cannot help but draw parallels to the similar antipathy between the Middle East and the western countries.

I tore through Daughter of Smoke & Bone and could easily read it again right now because I know I missed some key clues about Karou’s past, present, and future. I adored Karou and could read about her adventures for a long time. She is so admirable in her embrace of the special and unique as well as in the choices she makes. She is the type of heroine I want to hold up as an example to my own daughter, which makes her truly special in the pantheon of children’s literature. I cannot recommend Daughter of Smoke & Bone highly enough.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

BOTTOM LINE: I have serious love for this book. I already want to read it again.

14 Comments

Jenny @ Reading the End on March 26, 2016 at 11:59 AM

Yayy! I really enjoyed this series, even though I sometimes thought it was a scootch overwritten. I loved the way Laini Taylor isn’t afraid to blow up the whole world she’s created (sometimes literally!) as she goes through the series. It’s fun to read books in which you can feel that literally anything might happen.

Michelle on March 28, 2016 at 1:26 PM

I need to get to the rest of the series. I think it might be my summer project.
Reply

Brandie on March 22, 2016 at 7:22 PM

What an outstanding review! This is one series that I’ve kept on my TBR and plan to read someday when I’m in the mood for that genre. I’m thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed it!

Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:18 AM

Thanks, Brandie! I highly recommend it, obviously! 🙂
Reply

Ti on March 22, 2016 at 5:18 PM

Based on that cover I’d never pick it up. I am a cover snob.

Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:17 AM

Really? I like the cover. That blue against the black is so striking!
Reply

rhapsodyinbooks on March 22, 2016 at 2:24 PM

I loved this but I read it when it came out, and then by the time the next came out, I had to reread, and I didn’t have the energy to do it a third time. It’s a good story but complicated! I advocate ripping through the series all at once! :–)

Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:17 AM

It is complicated; I would never tackle the sequel without making sure I reread it or at least skimmed it to make sure I covered all of the details. I did reread The Hunger Games three times for the same reason; I wanted the story fresh in my mind prior to reading any of the follow-up books.
Reply

Tea Time with Marce on March 22, 2016 at 2:19 PM

I have her debut in hardback and still haven’t read it. I really wished I had read it before all the hype, which was great of course.

Glad you loved it.

Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:15 AM

I think you could read it now. After all, it has been years since the first book was published. There is no hype now. Just a lot of love from people who have already read it.
Reply

Amanda on March 22, 2016 at 2:00 PM

Yay! I’m glad you loved this. I loved the next one even more – and I’m ashamed to say I still have to finish the series. I need to get on that. There is a short story – Night of Cake and Puppets I believe? that is supposed to be great. I really want to read it, but get so grumpy about buying short stories that I haven’t done it.

Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:14 AM

Good to know! I understand how you feel about short stories. I can never figure out if they really help the story or are just another means for publishers to make money by capitalizing on a series’ popularity.
Reply

Amanda on March 22, 2016 at 8:02 AM

Yay!!! I love seeing wonderful reviews of this one. Love it to pieces. Also, it makes me happy when other people get the impulse to multi-read, even if they don’t actually go back and reread it immediately like they want to. 😀

Michelle on March 22, 2016 at 9:14 AM

I really did too. It sort of made me want to dye my hair turquoise blue. 😉
Reply

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Jenny @ Reading the End on March 26, 2016 at 11:59 AM

Yayy! I really enjoyed this series, even though I sometimes thought it was a scootch overwritten. I loved the way Laini Taylor isn’t afraid to blow up the whole world she’s created (sometimes literally!) as she goes through the series. It’s fun to read books in which you can feel that literally anything might happen.
- Michelle on March 28, 2016 at 1:26 PM
  
  I need to get to the rest of the series. I think it might be my summer project.
Brandie on March 22, 2016 at 7:22 PM

What an outstanding review! This is one series that I’ve kept on my TBR and plan to read someday when I’m in the mood for that genre. I’m thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed it!
- Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:18 AM
  
  Thanks, Brandie! I highly recommend it, obviously! 🙂
Ti on March 22, 2016 at 5:18 PM

Based on that cover I’d never pick it up. I am a cover snob.
- Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:17 AM
  
  Really? I like the cover. That blue against the black is so striking!
rhapsodyinbooks on March 22, 2016 at 2:24 PM

I loved this but I read it when it came out, and then by the time the next came out, I had to reread, and I didn’t have the energy to do it a third time. It’s a good story but complicated! I advocate ripping through the series all at once! :–)
- Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:17 AM
  
  It is complicated; I would never tackle the sequel without making sure I reread it or at least skimmed it to make sure I covered all of the details. I did reread The Hunger Games three times for the same reason; I wanted the story fresh in my mind prior to reading any of the follow-up books.
Tea Time with Marce on March 22, 2016 at 2:19 PM

I have her debut in hardback and still haven’t read it. I really wished I had read it before all the hype, which was great of course.

Glad you loved it.
- Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:15 AM
  
  I think you could read it now. After all, it has been years since the first book was published. There is no hype now. Just a lot of love from people who have already read it.
Amanda on March 22, 2016 at 2:00 PM

Yay! I’m glad you loved this. I loved the next one even more – and I’m ashamed to say I still have to finish the series. I need to get on that. There is a short story – Night of Cake and Puppets I believe? that is supposed to be great. I really want to read it, but get so grumpy about buying short stories that I haven’t done it.
- Michelle on March 23, 2016 at 10:14 AM
  
  Good to know! I understand how you feel about short stories. I can never figure out if they really help the story or are just another means for publishers to make money by capitalizing on a series’ popularity.
Amanda on March 22, 2016 at 8:02 AM

Yay!!! I love seeing wonderful reviews of this one. Love it to pieces. Also, it makes me happy when other people get the impulse to multi-read, even if they don’t actually go back and reread it immediately like they want to. 😀
- Michelle on March 22, 2016 at 9:14 AM
  
  I really did too. It sort of made me want to dye my hair turquoise blue. 😉