I read books for a variety of reasons, to be entertained, find inspiration, expand my world view, have a cathartic cry, etc. I read the works of Lani Taylor for her rare ability to string words together in such a lovely way that you feel as though she could write about poo and it would still be one of the most breath-taking pieces written. I simply cannot fathom such a talent. Moreover, I can’t comprehend how one can possess such a vivid imagination and manage to fashion it into a believable reality. Lani Taylor can and does.

Set in modern day Prague, “The Daughter of Smoke and Bone” tells us the story of 17 year old Karou. She spends her days attending art classes, drawing and mending her recent disappointment cast by her good for nothing ex-boyfriend. Sounds fairly standard, no? But Karou possesses a secret life. A life she dare not share beyond the fantastical pictures that lie within her notebook. Pictures that are replicas of Karou’s hidden world. A world in which magic exists and enables Karou to traverse the globe through secret portals. Portals that Karou must enter to complete the errands tasked to her by her demonic family. A family which has raised her with care since her infancy.

“The Daughter of Smoke and Bone” tells us the story of what happens when an Angel and a devil fall in love. As Taylor herself says in her opening line, it does not end well.

As I’m sure none of my words on this unexpected idly gorgeous book will ever aptly speak to the brilliance that lies within its pages, I’ll let the book speak for itself in one of my most favorite passages here:

"this, she thought, isn't just for today. It's for everything. For the heartache that still felt like a punch in the gut each time it struck, fresh as new at unpredictable moments; for the smiling lies and the mental images she couldn't shake; for the shame of having been so naive. For the way loneliness is worse when you return to it after a reprieve--like the souls version of putting on a wet bathing suit, clammy and miserable."

And another here:

"She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust."

I hope you read this remarkable book and enjoy it as much as I did.