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Daughter of Smoke & Bone

(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)

Laini Taylor (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 330,929 ratings · 30,023 reviews

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.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monst ...more

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Paperback, 10th anniversary edition, 448 pages

Published December 10th 2020 by Hodder Paperbacks (Hodder & Stoughton) (first published September 27th 2011)

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Oct 09, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pn-demons, fantasy, read-2011, young-adult, mythic-and-fairy-tale-ish, pn-angels, 2011-publication

3.5 stars Once upon a time, a fantasy book came unto the young adult world and set it aflame. Long-time fans of the author swooned. Mainstream publications wrote cryptic but positive impressions. And many readers declared that the book was leaps and bounds above all other young adult literature previously published.

It's always a little tricky reading a book that arrives with a crazy amount of hype, even one that's not accompanied by the lavish praise that has been heaped upon this one, as the pr 3.5 stars Once upon a time, a fantasy book came unto the young adult world and set it aflame. Long-time fans of the author swooned. Mainstream publications wrote cryptic but positive impressions. And many readers declared that the book was leaps and bounds above all other young adult literature previously published.

It's always a little tricky reading a book that arrives with a crazy amount of hype, even one that's not accompanied by the lavish praise that has been heaped upon this one, as the pressure to love it can be pretty intense. The story of a tattooed, blue-haired orphaned teenager named Karou caught up in an ancient war between angels and demons sounded amazing, however, and I was completely drawn in from the very first page. Karou is a young art student living in Prague, except that the fantastic figures she draws are actually of demons that she has known. She meets them in her strange teeth-collecting errands whenever she's summoned by Brimstone, a beast who has been a father figure to her as long as she can remember.

The first half of the book is simply mesmerizing, with vividly imagined details and the promise of a complex and stirring story. Karou has hamsas tattooed into her palms, she can fulfill small wishes with a necklace with unusual powers, and she dashes through magic portals on her errands to land on the streets of Marrakesh and Paris. But it's a life she has to hide from her best friend Zuzana and everyone at her school, and things get more complicated when black handprints begin appearing on doorways all over the world. Is something brewing in the otherworld that will affect this one?

For me, all that promise remained unfulfilled, however, as the narrative diverted sharply once Akiva, a gorgeous and impossibly perfect angel, appears in the story. He is strangely drawn to Karou, and follows her from place to place until finally they meet in an apparently earth-shattering fashion. “He was the most beautiful thing Karou had ever seen. Her first thought, incongruous but overpowering, was to memorize him so she could draw him later.” Here is the beginning of where I lost interest in the story, as most of the remainder of the book revolves around their overpowering romance, and eventually, why they may not be able to be together.

Readers who find the romance compelling will probably enjoy this book better than I did, but I found it hard to get invested in two such blindingly beautiful and perfect beings for whom there is apparently no other equal--I mean, of course they're going to be attracted to each other! How could they not be? One of the things I found so odd about their relationship is that it seemed to lack any sort of realism or depth; as cartoonishly ridiculous as Karou's ex-boyfriend was, the way she handled him and the dialogue there was at least smart and funny and likably grounded. When Karou and Akiva first meet and all throughout the subsequent chapters when they have their first kiss and so on and so forth, it's written as if the earth is moving and the stars are aligning...but I'm afraid the earth simply didn't move for me. I might have felt differently if their compulsion towards each other was based on something stronger than just physical attraction, but the majority of what I read was about their stunning beauty and their unearthly perfections. Even the promise of "wait, wait, you'll see why they're so drawn together" didn't pay off for me, because I predicted that well ahead of time and (view spoiler) I would like to have seen more time given to any possible number of layers to a relationship, including admiration for how the person behaves in an extraordinary way, noticing subtle and lovely details about someone's personality, uncovering meaning in someone's words, bonding over shared situations, etc, etc. None of that happened here.

Much of the earlier extravagant detailing (except in reference to their relationship) and humor is abandoned in the second half, and things get further derailed when we get thrust into yet another type of story involving a girl named Madrigal. It isn't until the very end that the book finally gets back on course and we get some decent action scenes and some attention paid to the overarching storyline. Even then, I guessed what Akiva's big secret was, however, so I never really regained my initial enjoyment for the book. The ending was also a typical cliffhanger that is written in a way designed to leave readers in the maximum state of shock. I can't say that I admire that much, and I do think it's possible to write an open-ended conclusion in a way that doesn't feel like you've been...well, pushed off a cliff. And told to wait for another year to see if you'll recover from the fall.

While I certainly acknowledge and even respond to some of the author's imaginative worldbuilding, I can't really say that I went into raptures over it. I can't deny that the book is very well-written and I can appreciate the opulent touches and occasional flights of fancy...but unfortunately, this wasn't writing that I personally found to be particularly deep or moving or meaningful. That's just my own taste, however, since I know many of my friends have loved the writing and story much more than I did. I think in the end, it just comes down to what you respond to as a reader, and I'm really disappointed that I just didn't love this as much as I wanted to.

Still, the book is significantly better than most of the YA that's published right now, and it does hold the promise of a fascinating story that will hopefully get back on track in the sequel. I just wish that it wasn't another book that allowed, yet again, for a moony-eyed, long-fated romance to take over the life of another smart and seemingly level-headed heroine.

...more

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May 08, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, ya-pnr-maddness, fun-fantasy, kat-s-book-reviews, leaves-awesomeness-behind

Do you remember that Taylor Swift song about Romeo and Juliet, Love Story?

It's lyrics go something like this:

I'm a pretty little girl who knows nothing about literature
So I sing a song about starcrossed lovers
Whose only problem is that Daddy doesn't approve
But it's all good because we get married anyway.
Just like that cliffnote's story about Romeo and Juliet!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyy!

Scott Pilgrim gif of girl shooting herself in the head

Scott Pilgrim gif of girl shooting herself in the head

We have a tendency with YA literature today, to have stories with the super duper happiest of h ...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Cait rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

As a P.S. in order to understand this review better if you haven't read the Fallen series, please check out my thoughts on the other book that I will be discussing here.

This book is like some sort of weird alien. When I finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone I wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

What are you, Daughter of Smoke and Bone?

In the synopsis of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, it tells you that this is a story about how a "demon" falls in love with an "angel." So one would think that thi ...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Emily May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone, everyone

Shelves: paranormal-uf, arc, coverly-love, young-adult, 2011

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone tells the age-old tale of forbidden love with a beautifully constructed mythological twist. Karou and Akiva are a Romeo and Juliet unlike any other and Laini Taylor has managed to encapture love, loneliness and desperation in a masterpiece of a novel that deserves to be read by anyone of any age who truly appreciates quality writing and story-telling.

Karou is a 17 year old art student livi ...more

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Jun 21, 2010 Tatiana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2020, ya, urban-fantasy, 2011, 2012, starred-2011, 5, romancelandia

Almost 10 years later this remains my favorite, and it is definitely top tier YA fantasy, or fantasy period, for me. I loved all of Daughter of Smoke & Bone - the mythology, the imagery, the structure of the story, pure imagination, I even loved the instalove with an interesting and creative tinge of bestiality (it's fantasy, it makes sense, I promise). It was also fun to see how cleverly Daughter of Smoke & Bone subtly connected to Muse of Nightmares duology. I usually don't go for books with a ...more

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Sep 28, 2014 NReads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.8 SMOKY STARS!

Mountain View

____________________________________________

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.

It did not end well.”

____________________________________________

Mountain View

You can find the full review and more about this book on my blog!

Freaking amazing book.I didn't expect this to be this good.I couldn't put the book down,like literally.Everything fits perfectly ,the characters ,the story,everything.It is so unique and different from other stories.And it's actually the first book writte

...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Kay rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: quite-the-romantic, urban-fantasy, life-after-death, teens-tweens-and-ya, angel-poop

Ooh. OOOH! Meh... Mehhhhhhhhh...........

Which basically summarizes my reaction throughout the novel.

I hate it when things like this happen, when books start out so strong with an intriguing world and a growing character. But before you know it, it goes splat into a big mud puddle of Cliche and Predictability and WowThisRemindsMeOf100OtherYABooks.

The Ooh.

The book started out very, very strong. The premise was very interesting: Karou, an orphaned human girl adopted by demon magicians, is sen ...more

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Jan 25, 2014 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hardback-own, fantasy-all, audio, first-reads-giveaways, own

OMG! Click on the GOODIE link under the pic to see my special edition ILLUMICRATE UNBOXING!!!

GOODIES LINK:
https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....

***

OMG! I loved this book so much! I am so in love with Akiva! The below picture was the best I could find that is sort of what I picture. It doesn't have his amazing black shadow fire wings or the longish black hair that I imagine, but who cares =)

Once upon a time,
a little girl was raised by monsters.
But angels burned the doorways to their world,
OMG! Click on the GOODIE link under the pic to see my special edition ILLUMICRATE UNBOXING!!!

GOODIES LINK:
https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....

***

OMG! I loved this book so much! I am so in love with Akiva! The below picture was the best I could find that is sort of what I picture. It doesn't have his amazing black shadow fire wings or the longish black hair that I imagine, but who cares =)

Once upon a time,
a little girl was raised by monsters.
But angels burned the doorways to their world,
and she was all alone.

I love Karou's character. She's got blue hair, she can draw, she has a best friend named, Zuzana. She's really sweet and I just love her. She can pull some bad to the bone stunts too.

Karou has no idea what she truly is, she just lives in her human world but was raised by chimaera. Things are not always as they seem. Not all of the evil creatures are totally evil and not all of the good angels are good. Laini Taylor writes such rich characters. Things I could never even dream up and for the most part, can't pronounce half their names. =)

Karou lives in her own place through the means given to her by Brimstone. He raised her, she does horrible things for him, and they love each other. I didn't like some of the things that were in the book that she had to do but the author writes it in such a way that is shows these thing are NOT okay in the real world. Also, I might add that in this world it might not be a bad idea to have bad teeth. Well, that just threw all of you that hasn't read this book to the wind. =)

There are some other creature things that live with Brimstone and Karou, well like I said, Karou is old enough to be out on her own. But in the shop, home etc. is where they all stay for the most part. And it's not somewhere you can just walk into, there is a portal and it's all kinds of cray.

Issa and a few others that are chimaera are just too cool. They all have parts of human, animal, reptile parts that make them creature/monster things. I think they would look cool. Well, the nice ones!

One day these hand prints start showing up on the doorways to the portals. They were done by angels. We get to meet Akiva, Hazael and Liraz. Mostly Akiva and holy crap on a cracker!

Akiva and Karou don't hit it off too well. They think the worst of each other and then . . . things change and then . . . things change again. Sigh. . .

SNAP
Such a little thing, and brittle, and the sound it made: a sharp, clean snap.

WHOLE

Snap.
Rushing, like wind through a door, and Karou was the door, and the wind was coming home, and she was also the wind.
She was all: wind and home and door.
She rushed into herself and was filled.
She let herself in and was full.
She closed again. The wind settled. It was as simple as that.

She was whole.

You have no idea how this book turned so much more amazing and sad. I love it. Amaze Balls! And I would really like Akiva and Karou to be in love forever!

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

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Old Review when first read in 2014

I won this is a GOODREADS/FIRST READS GIVEAWAY! I loved it so very much! ...more

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Mar 29, 2017 Elle (ellexamines) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-characters, favorite-friendships, z-2017reads, sff-high-fantasy, 5-star, z-2017favs, y-2000sreleases, favorite-relationships

My original review here was “punch :) me :) in :) the :) face :)” and I think that accurately sums my view up. That being said, here's an actual review that's NOT just me crying! Amazing!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone follows a demon's assistant, Karou, who helps to collect teeth for the family of her youth. It's a creative story that pulled me in from the beginning. Before we were 40 pages in, I knew I had found a favorite.

THE WRITING

Just as beautiful as everyone says. Laini Taylor's writing flows ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Zoë rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5/5

The writing was mysterious and lovely and I really enjoyed this! Because of how mysterious it is, I'm really glad that I went into it knowing nothing. I was sufficiently confused for the better part of this book, but very intrigued, so it was more like putting together a puzzle than trying to run around blindfolded. I think the world is so original and I'm ready to see where this story goes! (Also, YAY for no insta-love!) ...more

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Jun 27, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

ive always had the opinion that the whole paranormal urban fantasy genre is just not for me, no thank you. but fortunately people grow, preferences change, and i am that much better for it - because this was actually really good! reading and liking this book made me feel like im finally reaching my full potential as a person. yay me! haha.

what i enjoyed most is probably the setting - i dont think ive ever read a book that was set in prague or marrakech, both of which are cities that i adore! so ...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Patrick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow. Just Wow.

I got an ARC of this one about a month ago, and only just now got around to reading it. I really liked Laini's first Dreamdark book, so I was eager to try this one.

It was great. Really great. Read it all in a day.

Wow. ...more

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Aug 16, 2017 Helena of Eretz ✰ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads, young-adult, angels-demons, best-of-2011, hardback, favourites

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”

FINALLY. Finally, after three weeks of the midterms from hell, I was finally able to re-read my favourite trilogy of all time! Boy, did I need a pick-me-up, after that! I don’t even have the words to express how much the DOSAB trilogy means to me…but I’ll try. ;) Regardless, this does mark my fifth read of ...more

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Jul 30, 2019 emma rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: unpopular-opinion, fantasy, ya, reviewed, 2-stars, eh, beautifully-written

Do not listen to what anyone tells you about this book. Except me. Because I am right.

I understand this is biased advice, and also advice I would give to anyone about anything at any time because I am my own biggest supporter, but just trust me on this one.

Because other people might want to tell you this is “YA fantasy” or “urban fantasy” or “supernatural / magical / paranormal fiction,” and all of those people would be wrong.

This is a romance.

Barely even a paranormal romance, at that.

I don’t ha ...more

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Oct 16, 2016 Samantha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-2016

4.5 stars? 4.75 stars?! It's been a while since I've started a new series and been this head over heels. My gut says I can't quite give it 5 stars for a few verrrry minor reasons but I may change my mind the more I think (*obsess*) about this book.

Full review and gush to come on my channel! ...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Haleema rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: heart-wrenching, love, great-world-building, great-writing, predictable, great-plot, brilliant-story-telling, favorites

This book did not piss me off! I'm ELATED. I forgot the entire story, though. So I may read it again because I want to finish the entire series. ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Steph Sinclair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Steph by: Jillian -always aspiring-

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, 2011-reads, made-me-think, just-take-my-heart-already, action-packed, angels, best-characters, left-me-in-a-sad-emotional-state, awesome

You know that book you're reading right now? How about all those books on your "TBR" list? FORGET ABOUT 'EM!

I first stumbled across Laini Taylor when I was encouraged by several of my GoodReader friends to read Lips Touch. So, I read it and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. However, I think it was a "It's not you, it's me" situation because anthologies and I don't really get along. I went into this book thinking it was just another PNR, Angel style. I couldn't have been more wrong. If Ro ...more

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Jun 14, 2011 karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, from-publisher-or-author

this book is astonishingly good.

this is the book i should have been handed when i first expressed an interest in exploring the world of the fantasy novel. never mind that isn't not going to be published for three more months (thank you to the girl with BEA access for getting this for me), it should have happened somehow.

this is the most pure example of fantasy that i have seen so far.
and it is nearly perfect.

once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. it did not end well.

a fantastic ...more

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Jun 21, 2010 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone disillusioned by YA books; THIS BOOK IS FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE.

Shelves: writer-crush, writing-to-which-i-aspire, paranormal-supernatural-books, swoon-worthy-book-crushes, prose-envy, best-characters, wowed-me, heroines-i-love-and-or-admire, 2011-reads, amazing-storytelling

Note: Be warned that this is one of those reviews that in no way can do justice to the actual novel, but there's no harm in trying. Regardless, I greatly urge anyone who has even the slightest interest in this book to procure a copy when it's released on September 27, 2011.

Seven Perfect Reasons Why You Should Read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor:

1. The writing is fantastic, dang it.

Now, I loved Laini Taylor's first young adult offering, Lips Touch: Three Times (You've read it, haven' ...more

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Mar 25, 2017 booksNpenguins rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Even though a huge number of people I know seems to consider DoSaB the best thing since sliced bread, I couldn't have liked it less even it I tried.
And, trust me, I tried.
Halfway through it I realized this book just isn't for me. Instead of making me feel something, it just left me bored and annoyed, and eager to either get drunk on cough syrup or punch someone in the teeth.
I liked the premise and all the mystery surrounding the chimaeras and the teeth affair, but something spoiled it.
I was a ...more

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Nov 01, 2016 Hannah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

STARTING THE SECOND ONE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THAT ENDING WAS TOO MUCH I LOVED IT

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Apr 04, 2018 megs_bookrack rated it liked it · review of another edition

**3.5-stars**

Obviously, I am extremely late to the party on the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. I have been hearing for years how great these books are, how I MUST read it.

I finally decided to give it a go when the audiobook became available through my library.

While I wasn’t disappointed, I wasn’t exactly blown away either.

It was good, but I think, for me, it fell victim to the hype. I was sort of expecting the best book ever written and although the writing style is gorgeous, the plot was ...more

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May 13, 2013 Claudia Ramírez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fav-villains, top-2015, cover-love, 2015, unique-writing-style

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

I really liked this book, and I wasn't even expecting it! The thing is... the first piece of work I read from Laini Taylor was her short story in "My true love gave to me twelve holiday stories", and I didn't like it, at all. So naturally, after reading that, I wasn't eager to dive into this, BUT OH, I'm glad I did! It was simply amazing! The thing I loved the most about this book is the world Laini created! It is beautiful and intriguing and so original! I love everything abou ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 emi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, i-spent-my-money-on-this, 2017, 4-stars, girls-kicking-ass, reread

4.25/5 stars

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.

It did not end well.

In case you didn't know: the greatest feeling in the world, as proven by actual scientists and not some 19-year old girl laying braless in bed, is when you reread a book you loved the first time around and love it even more the second time. That sense of euphoria that will rush over you once you realize that your memory did not deceive you and everything you think you know might possibly not be wrong ...more

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May 11, 2011 Catie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Catie by: Tatiana

Shelves: fantasy, series, ya, favorite-books, audio, read-in-2011, for-review

Not just five stars…one million stars, two sister moons, and two pairs of wings in flight. That’s how beautiful this book is. I hope this is a huge hit, and all the kids read it. Listen up kids, this book has everything that you’re looking for: secrets, paranormal creatures, hot guys, best friends; passionate, enduring, forbidden, love…and angst! But unlike all the rest, this one is the real thing.

It’s times like these that I wish I was a real, honest to goodness book fairy, with little wings, a ...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Nataliya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Nataliya by: Trudi

Shelves: awesome-kickass-heroines, 2012-reads, lodestar-and-andre-norton-awards

A teeth-gathering blue-haired spunky young woman raised by a Wishmonger gets caught in the middle of the long war waged in the 'Elsewhere'. Pictographically:

Was this book perfect? Not nearly. But I still loved it, even despite the annoying 'classic' YA tropes that it was NOT immune to:

(1) insta-love (actually, it happens twice),
(2) the otherwordly, basically underpants-disintegrating beauty of the male love interest - who initially, of course,
(3) tries to murder our heroine.

Still, Daught A teeth-gathering blue-haired spunky young woman raised by a Wishmonger gets caught in the middle of the long war waged in the 'Elsewhere'. Pictographically:

Was this book perfect? Not nearly. But I still loved it, even despite the annoying 'classic' YA tropes that it was NOT immune to:

(1) insta-love (actually, it happens twice),
(2) the otherwordly, basically underpants-disintegrating beauty of the male love interest - who initially, of course,
(3) tries to murder our heroine.

Still, Daughter of Smoke and Bone managed to captivate me and convince me to forgive its flaws by making its kickass protagonist, Karou, the girl who I hope my future (hypothetical) daughter will hang out with.

I love that Daughter of Smoke and Bone avoided the easy and tempting pitfall of presenting the heroine as an ordinary unremarkable girl, a blank slate ready for readers' self-insertion, little else but a plot device to make the reader fulfill the desire of experiencing a relationship with an attractive mysterious male love interest. Some popular YA novels with female characters are really the odes to the male lead using the heroine as our eyes to stare at the hero. Daughter of Smoke and Bone thankfully DOES NOT follow this annoying path.

The blue-haired ass-kicking raised-by-chimaera Karou is clearly not your regular high school girl "blessed" to become the object of attentions of a supernatural being. From the beginning, she is established as a remarkably talented, strong and independent young woman, who - shockingly for the YA novels about innocent high-schoolers - is even sexually experienced. She leads a double life, belonging both to the ordinary and the supernatural worlds.

She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil’s lair. She wasn’t innocent now, but she didn’t know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was most certainly missing.

And most importantly, unlike the innocent all-talk-no-action young women in many a YA book, Karou does not hesitate to stand up for herself. She does not need a protector and does not hide behind the strong shoulders of the male lead; as a matter of fact, she kicks his ass, almost literally. And even in the evil clutches of required YA insta-love she maintains her identity and independence, does not automatically center her life around her romantic interest, and retains the ability - like any young woman should - to call out her romantic interest on the consequences of his actions without blindly trusting and blindly forgiving.

But something unyielding in her shrank from the promise. He might have chosen her, but that didn’t mean that she would do the same if she were faced with the same choice—against Brimstone, Issa, Yasri, Twiga. She had told Brimstone, “I want you to know I would never just leave you,” and she wouldn’t. She would choose her family. Anything else was unthinkable, though even now the idea of turning and leaving Akiva behind brought on physical pain.

She is not afraid to assert her views and values and stick up for what she believes. She is not afraid to call Akiva out on his hate and, for the lack of a better word, racism.

'So basically,' she said to Akiva, trying to gather all the things he’d told her into a simple strand, 'the seraphim want to rule the world, the chimaera don’t want to be ruled, and that makes them evil.'

To recap my excited bumbling - Karou is strong-willed, rebellious, bold, independent, curious, adventurous, talented, funny, and loyal. Basically, I could not help but imagine her as an older sister of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. My future (hypothetical) daughter can definitely have sleepovers at Karou's flat, that's all I'm sayin'.
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This book also, in a way, attempts to subvert the long-standing trope of equating beauty and goodness. It does not always succeed, as both protagonists are exceptionally beautiful, and their attractiveness is repeatedly emphasized. But at least there is an attempt to make the more traditionally attractive otherwordly race the bad guys, making us root for the chimaera, not the angels.

He can’t see it. It is a condition of monsters that they do not perceive themselves as such. The dragon, you know, hunkered in the village devouring maidens, heard the townsfolk cry ‘Monster!’ and looked behind him.

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I liked Laini Taylor's writing; it's pretty crisp and flows well. The characters (even Akiva, whom I frankly hated) are well fleshed-out and are quite memorable even if their appearances are quite short. I enjoyed that the messages this book was trying to convey went past the "it's great to have a boyfriend" and "romantic love is the only thing you need to be happy" angle that again, I've seen too many times in the books aimed at girls and young women. I like how it emphasizes loyalty, hope, friendship, and even duty. Thumbs up for all that, book!

Hope? Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.

=================================================
All that said, it's an enjoyable and rather well-executed book with a lovely and refreshingly strong female protagonist. It falls prey to some YA clichés, but recovers from them quite nicely. I will definitely read the second book in the series just to see how my new blue-haired friend Karou is getting along. But I do hope it does not fully devolve into another paranormal love story, because then I will be severely disappointed.

4 stars rounded up from 3.75.

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For my review of the sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, (five-star alert, by the way!), you can head over here.
The third and final book, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, is reviewed here. ...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Kiki rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, cool-mythology, angels-and-demons, meh, could-have-been-worse, will-read-the-next-one

Hmmm. I’ve already started writing a long review for this one, and I’ll post it asap, but I finished this conflicted. Make of that what you will.

flag 157 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2012 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kick-ass-heroine, fantasy, ya, demons, horror, angels, paranormal

I had so many ups and downs reading this book, ranging from pages and pages and pages of complete disinterest in the beginning, to complete enjoyment in the new type of fantasy world described, to utter boredom in the flashback scenes. Yeah, I know the backstory of Madrigal's past life is a big deal in the scheme of the book. That doesn't mean I didn't find it incredibly boring. ...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Megs ♥ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, favs, cover-lover, z-2012-reads

Finally, a book that lives up to the hype. I haven't read a book that lives up to the hype this well, actually, since Hunger Games. That's a coincidence considering that Karou has quickly earned the number two spot on my list of all-time favorite heroines...Second only to Katniss Everdeen, of course. And no, I'm not comparing this to Hunger Games in any way, just sayin'.

This book came highly recommended to me from a number of people. Ever since it came out in September of 2011 I have heard nothi ...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Dija rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-i-stalk, first-in-series, uf-or-pnr, my-reviews, 2011, buddy-slash-group-read, ya

The ending!

There are already many, many in-depth and detailed reviews for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and because no one wants to read a review where I gush on and on about how much I loved this or adored that, I'll avoid being boring and keep this short and simple.

I loved:
1. Karou
2. Akiva.
3. The writing.
4. The setting.
5. Karou.
6. The book title.
7. Zuzana.
8. Akiva and Karou's love.
9. Brimstone.
10. The chapter titles.

I disliked:
1. The cover.
2. Kaz.
3. Madrigal.
4. The pacing.
5. The ending.

I ...more

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Fiction, Fantasie...: February 2021 \| Daughters of Smoke & Bone	11	14	Feb 27, 2021 09:05AM
The Bookworm Soci...: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor - Starting February 15th 2021	62	33	Feb 26, 2021 03:07PM
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA fantasy about a mysterious girl brought up by a kind of Egyptian crocodile god, whose job is collecting human teeth. [s]	4	23	Apr 11, 2020 06:08PM
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - A Buddy Read	256	26	Feb 15, 2020 10:56AM
Angels or chimaera?	2	29	Dec 03, 2019 11:20AM

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About Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor

34,922 followers

Hi! I write fantasy books. My latest is STRANGE THE DREAMER, about a young librarian, a mythic lost city, and the half-human children of murdered gods. Check it out :-) Before that I wrote the DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE trilogy, which has been translated into 32 languages. It's about a blue-haired art student raised by monsters, a broken angel, and a war that has raged for 1000 years in another worl ...more

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (3 books)

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Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)

Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #3)

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)

Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer, #2)

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Quotes from Daughter of Smoke...

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.

It did not end well.” — 3115 likes

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” — 3057 likes

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