Jordan Murray's Blog, page 2

Review: 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' by Laini Taylor

I purchased this book myself years ago from Chapters/Indigo
and just recently reread it. The following review is a truthful
and honest representation of my opinion. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor on
 September 27th, 2011
Pages: 417
Format: Hardcover/Paperback

Synopsis

Set in Prague, this novel focuses on Karou, an orphan and a young artist with blue hair. Although Karou is a bit shy and only has a few friends, her artwork is infamous at her school. Karou loves to draw and has filled her sketchbook with wonderful sketches of various creatures; an example being Brimstone, the Wishmonger. It soon becomes clear that these drawings are not just figments of her imagination and are something much, much more. Brimstone, whom is a drawing of Karou's, summons her on 'errands' to collect teeth. She travels through mystical portals to do so. When Karou goes on these errands, she encounters other creatures from her sketchbook. Additionally, she has a necklace that allows her to fulfill small wishes. Karou must keep this a secret from those in her life, such as her best friend Zuzana. Eventually, a problem arises when Karou gets caught in a war between ancient demons and angels. Will this war in the otherworld affect her own?

Review
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I found Taylor's writing to be phenomenal. The details she wrote are vivid and I could imagine both Prague and the other settings in the novel with ease. From the beginning, the story had promise of being a complex and unique tale. I believe that this was carried through right to the end of the novel. Furthermore, the world building in the story was exceptional. 

One thing that I will say, is that the narrative shifts a little bit near the middle of the novel to include more romance (that is all I'll say to avoid spoiling the book). If you are a reader that enjoys reading about romance and character relations, then you will have no issue with this shift and may actually find that it adds to the story; this is exactly how I feel. However if you find romance in novels cliche or boring, than your enjoyment may falter a little bit in the novel. Regardless, I think that this book is well-written, with a captivating plot, and an interesting heroine. 

"Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?” ― Laini Taylor,  Daughter of Smoke and Bone 

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2700094576 
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