Some books require certain must-haves from their readers in order for the readers to connect to the book on a personal level. Reader must believe in love, for instance. Must believe in magic. Must enjoy romance. Must be an animal lover … you get the concept.
In the case of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the must-have is imagination—huge truckloads of it.
Most people can’t see what’s in front of them, or far past it. This book is for the dreamers of this world.
With Daughter of Smoke and Bone, you’ll discover new universes, amazing creatures you never imagined existed, and amazing people you might have a lot in common with.
This book has a gorgeous prose, colorful characters, and mind-blowing high fantasy, all in one kick ass package. ’Cause if you are as big of a fan as I am of a good book cover, this one will suck you in, right from the start.
To fully enjoy Daughter of Smoke and Bone, you have to let your imagination run wild. What if your version of normal were different from everyone else’s? What if when people asked you what you did this weekend, you fed those regular people fantasies with a wry smile? What if you were always telling the truth, about all those things, but nobody ever really listened?
That is Karou’s life. She is not the average art student in Prague. Karou has naturally bright blue hair, her body is covered with beautiful tattoos, and she knows as many languages as the sky knows stars. Human? Maybe, but way far from normal … miles away.
By day, she’s an art student. But after class, Karou runs errands for Brimstone, a very complex creature and the closest thing Karou has to a father. On looks alone, Brimstone could be the monster you always feared under your bed as a child, but Laini has a wonderful way of making monsters intriguing, scary, and loving, all at once. Brimstone sends Karou through portals around the world, on errands to find teeth for his collection—and not just any teeth. Brimstone needs teeth of the best quality and caliber, and he’s trained Karou to recognize the best of the best. But what is Brimstone really doing with the teeth? He’ll never tell, and Karou has no idea.
One errand sends Karou to Marrakesh, looking for human teeth, and she almost dies, attacked by a beautiful man with a sword and fiery eyes. And all around the world, handprints are found burned into every portal.
This book is amazing! Everything everybody is saying about it is true. Certainly, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of the best books I’ve read this year. The beautiful writing, the magical scenery in Prague, Karou’s strengh as main character—these all do the trick. Past and present develop eventually to draw a perfect circle enclosing to the reader, leaving you wanting the next book in your hands immediately.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a tragedy, a love story, an amazing fantastical adventure, an entrapping labyrinth you want to get lost in. Believe me; you’ll be dizzily lost, in the best possible way, as soon as you read the first page.(less)
Tiger’s Quest is the second installment in the Tiger’s Curse series. Like the first book, the packaging is outstanding. In the hardcover I own, there is a gorgeous black tiger looking straight at me with those golden eyes, embossing, and beautiful metallic ink, just like in the first book. Together, they make a beautiful book collection.
Tiger’s Quest starts just where Tiger’s Curse left off. Kelsey comes back home to Portland, Oregon, after her wild adventure in India. She is extremely turned about leaving everything behind back in India, especially her new adopted family, Kishan, Mr. Kadam, and most of all, Ren, her Indian prince. He is the reason Kelsey fled from India so fast. She decided to leave to give him space, a choice and a chance to be free, without being tied down to a girl like her. Because after all, Ren is a prince, and she is simply Kelsey from Oregon.
Still, Kelsey can’t help feeling the sinking feeling in her stomach when she thinks about him. Because loving someone so much hurts when you are away. Ren hated to see her leave, but made it clear it was her decision.
So Kelsey returns home to go back to college and try to be normal for a while until Mr. Kadam is able to decipher the next Quest. Ren has made sure Kelsey is well taken care off economically as payment for her help on the first quest. She now owns a new home, a fancy blue Porche, and, to top it off, Ren’s even paid for her schooling. Yet weeks go by, and she doesn’t get a call. School starts…no calls. Months go by with no news from Ren.
Kelsey decides to more forward, meet people, and date new guys. She calls Mr. Kadam weekly and they chat and update each other. Every time they talk, Kelsey hopes Ren will talk or be mentioned in conversation, but he never comes to the phone, and Mr. Kadam doesn’t mention him. To keep busy, Mr. Kadam suggests Kelsey start taking self-defense classes. In class, Kelsey meets Lee, her instructor. He is adorable, nice, and friendly, so she decides to give him a fair chance and maybe start a new relationship that might help her forget all about Ren.
Christmas comes around, and Kelsey’s only wish this year is to have Ren back. Or even get a call. But she knows it won’t happen, because it’s been months without a word for him. Still, she wishes for him and misses him with all her mind. But one day, the doorbell rings. Kelsey opens the door to find Ren at her front step. And that is when her world turns upside down, because with Ren’s return the real adventure begins. With Kelsey, readers get to run through jungles, climb impossibly tall trees with the hand of a black tiger-prince, swim in fancy swimming pools, meet fairie-like creatures, hear sweet nothings in Indian, fly in expensive jets, see human birds that talk, meet a goddess, go to a homecoming dance, fight a giant snake, and meet a new love interest with golden eyes. Yes, all in one book.
Tiger’s Quest is an adventure, full of things to be discovered. It’s like reading Indiana Jones, with a strong female lead. It’s not your average boy-meets-girl story. It’s about conquering your fears, seeing them first hand, and tackling terrible obstacles, head on. This book is about risking it all, to maybe lose it all, because if you don’t, would you be able to live knowing you didn’t try hard to enough to save what was most precious to you?
Tiger’s Quest made me go through Kelsey’s rollercoaster of emotions and, to my surprise, I teared up reading the last 10 pages of the book. Readers, you will to.
If you buy a hardcover copy, you will find a sneak peak for the next book, Tiger’s Voyage. It’s only a paragraph, but I read it 3 times and I might read it again after writing this review. It’s so GOOD. I’m starting to count the seconds until Tiger’s Voyage is released this November. I can’t wait to see where Colleen Houck takes us next, as this second book was even better than the first. Who is as excited as I am?!(less)
I’m one of the many readers that has been waiting for this book eternally. Even when it didn’t exist...moreReview Featured on the Figment Review.
I’m one of the many readers that has been waiting for this book eternally. Even when it didn’t exist; when it was a twinkle in Cassie Clare’s mind. I’m one of the readers that finished City of Glass for the third time and wondered… What’s next? How can I live without these characters forever? The Mortal Instruments series fans have been having wild dreams about re-opening the trilogy, waiting, hoping for more. Then it happened, the press release was out, and we all celebrated and stalked Cassie’s twitter, yet knew the waiting would be total torture.
The Mortal Instruments is one of those series that has a world wide following. Clary, Jace, Simon, Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Maya have been trailing in the back of our heads for two years now, simmering down…
Even after being part of the crew for the City of Fallen Angels book trailer produced by my friend Vania Stoyanova I was clueless on what to expect of the book. The ARC’s were limited, and Cassie was strategic even when working with us on the trailer. She was clever in choosing which words she would use to explain… without unveiling any plot spoilers. She was an evil genius; I was hoping for a plot slips, but of course that didn’t happen.
Today City of Fallen Angels was rated first on The New York Times bestseller list after being released last Tuesday. Not surprising to me, but a sign of how The Mortal Instruments phenomenon has grown in the last two years.
So how was the book? You guys know me. I’m the kind of reviewer that doesn’t like to spoil the fun. So I wrote this review with my signature character, scattered thoughts.
My friends, City of Fallen Angels was extreme awesome sauce.
Maya: Remembering, true, free, confronting, happy, trusting, forgiving, unsure, confused, changing, diamond in the rough, dangerous, harmful.
Add a sprinkle of new characters here and there, like Kyle and Maureen. Grab a huge spoon. Mix your ingredients and you’ll have the best plot sauce ever, labeled Cassie Clare’s reserve.
The pace of the book is fast. The various third person omniscient narratives make feelings stronger and reflections deeper and more attached. These bring the reader closer to the story trying to absorb more information. The plot builds up and unfolds in perfect speed, by the hand of Cassie’s gorgeous embellishments and detailed descriptions.
The ending… What can I say about the ending? I have name for it: C.C.C., or Critical Cassie Classic. Yes, readers, your jaw will drop, in the hopes of gasping for air. The last two pages will change your life, believe me.
The next installment for The Mortal Instruments is City of Lost Souls, which won’t be available until 11 months from this date. Yes, it’s torture, but well worth the wait!
If you haven’t read the first three The Mortal Instruments books, they are a must on your to-read list and City of Fallen Angels should follow suit. If you haven’t read this series yet as a reader of YA Fantasy, you haven’t lived. Just saying. Get them. Period.(less)
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