Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

I was drawn to the Daughter of Smoke and Bone book over a year ago, and subsequently received it for Christmas last year. Typical with myself, I am distracted by various other book releases that are coming out and as a result end up having a pile of books I have to get round to. Finally….i picked up this book by Laini Taylor. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is categorised within the fantasy and young adult genre, and for very good reason, centred on Demons/Monsters, Angels and that of our main protagonist Karou. I will paste a snippet of the blurb so you can get the general idea of what the book is about:

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 grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

When I read this blurb I knew I had to get this book, and even when I picked it up again last week, the blurb immediately made me want to read it, the intrigue into what it could be about, teeth…handprints…winged strangers…devils supply…what more could draw a reader into reading a book.

Laini Taylors writing in this book is simply amazing, she weaves a world filled with magic and wonder, and so imaginative, you simply feel a little lost after closing the book and staring at the real world around you. A synopsis of this book tells us that this will be a story about how a Demon falls in love with an Angel…But that is not what this book is really about. The categorisation of Demon and Angel is incredibly subjective, this book is in no way a religious book, or has denotations of religion within it. They are simply races, living in a separate world parallel to that of Earth that is colliding in battle.

Our main protagonist is Karou, she is a sharp witted, vibrant art student living in the heart of Prague, who is quite frankly incredibly bad ass. I mean who would ever have the guts to answer back to a demon called Brimstone, who is not only a sorcerer, but from description…is kind of a bit scary looking….Never mind the adventures she forever goes on and the complications she encounters on her errands she does for Brimstone. Karou to her friends (I say friends, she has just the one) appears as secretive, independent and yet a confident and talented girl. Unaware of Karou’s secret life in the Demon World, her one and only friend Zuzana, battles that of the secretive Karou, her sudden disappearances and lack of family or friends leaving her at time rejected and confused. But Karous loneliness is what keeps Zuzana close by.

The second main character is that of Akiva, a Seraph (Or Angel) he is described as handsome, mysterious and strong.  We follow Akiva as he completes his mission, and ultimately meets Karou. The development between Akiva and Karou is great, there is that fear, threat and uncertainty that follow the pair of them throughout the book.  Uncovering snippets of each of their past the further the book develops. I almost felt like as each chapter progressed another layer of each of the characters was unveiled. Keeping the interest and intrigue constant with these characters the entirety of the book.

In the Other world, where Karou’s ‘Family’ are, known as Chimaera (Demons) the images Laini Taylor creates with her descriptive writing of Issa, Brimstone and Kishmish is truly admiring. When you are first introduced to these characters, Laini’s description clearly paints an image in your head so you have that character immediately envisioned. The details and specifics of appearance and mannerisms are truly incredible. An undeniable credit to Laini’s talent as a writer.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a brilliant fantasy book, and I would say a great starting book for those who are interested in reading more into the fantasy genre. Laini Creates such an amazing world and story, with great twist and turns, you really feel for Karou’s character. You feel her pain, loss and anger; you are pulled straight into her world. The pace of the book is great, there were no lapses in my concentration when reading this, and in fact I struggled to put it down when I had other things to do. This truly is an epic fantasy world that is populated with a variety of Angels and Demons.

This is part of a Trilogy, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book, I have heard it is even better than the first…if that is even possible.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating