I can't speak highly enough of this book. I got an ARC at BEA 2011, and if this had been the only book I had gotten, it would still be worth it. It's not (by far) and I still can't imagine loving something as much as I did this.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone's scope is incredible and one of the most imaginative I've ever read and it's language... Lainy Taylor's language is more beautiful than English.

And her imagery! This played out like a movie in my head. I still can't get the scene where Karou draws a sleeping Akiva, cocooned by the only source of light in the room, his "fire-feather" wings.

But still she never loses the humanity of her character, the tether in the story and even the incredible journey that Karou takes from being a regular (okay, not regular) 17 year old student to... well, where she ends up, with all its otherworldy and supernatural glory is still never above the emotions.

Oh and the love story; it doesn't kick in till a little earlier than halfway through but it is set up from the first page, from the first word. And once it kicks in; holy God, it's beautiful. Taylor somehow captures the longing of a 17 year old girl and fuses it into a love story that is strong enough to fight a war, to overcome species and space.

Rather than create a ridiculously attractive male character ala Edward Cullen, Taylor fleshes Akiva's appeal-- his humanity-- through the way he falls in love; and then when you find out (mild spoiler but not really) (view spoiler)[the way he first fell in love. (hide spoiler)] Okay now a big spoiler (view spoiler)[I didn't think I could be any more enamored with Akiva and Karou's love story until I read the scenes with him and Madrigal. The scene at the dance, with the masks... (hide spoiler)] There were scenes where I literally swooned. Like palm to chest, said oh my god to an empty room swooned. And it was as much her writing as anything else.

If you've read Lips Touch: Three Times, you may recognize some similar themes, from the last story in that book to this one; but Taylor's writing is her real hero.

This book (according to the ARC) is due to come out on Sept 27, 2011. I could not urge you more to go get it. If you like YA or fantasy but especially if you just like words at their most beautiful, fantastically creative, I really encourage you to to read it.