From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1)

Laini Taylor,

Khristine Hvam (Narrator)

Start date: March 16, 2016

Discussion: 2016 Read Harder Challenge

Why we're reading this: Won an Audie for Fantasy in 2012
[close] Won an Audie for Fantasy in 2012

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2016 Read Harder Challenge

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What Members Thought

Nov 19, 2012 Molly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit, on-the-classroom-shelf, fantasy, recommended, 4-stars, i-want-to-like-you, read-in-2012, irc-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wasn't sure if I liked this at first, but now I kind if can't get it out if my head. I kept putting it down for days at a time, but I still found it hard to stop thinking about! Karou is an art student living in Prague. She's lived a curious life, having grown up not with her natural parents, but with a quartet of creatures known as chimaera. Brimstone, called the Wishmonger, has raised Karou since she was an infant, and although she's always felt that *something* is missing from her life, she I wasn't sure if I liked this at first, but now I kind if can't get it out if my head. I kept putting it down for days at a time, but I still found it hard to stop thinking about! Karou is an art student living in Prague. She's lived a curious life, having grown up not with her natural parents, but with a quartet of creatures known as chimaera. Brimstone, called the Wishmonger, has raised Karou since she was an infant, and although she's always felt that *something* is missing from her life, she has never known any other existence. But she must keep her "other" life a secret from any friends she might make (which is difficult enough given that Brimstone frequently sends her on errands across the globe, for days at a time, without warning). When the novel opens, 17-year-old Karou is spending her days painting, running these mysterious errands, spending time with her friend Zuzanna, and avoiding creepy ex-boyfriend Kaz. I was really expecting Kaz to factor more prominently into the story, and I was glad Taylor avoided the temptation to go for a typical YA love triangle.

Karou's mysterious errands all revolve around teeth -- this is the currency Brimstone trades for wishes. The wishes (represented by coins of varying size) vary in strength from a small "scuppy" to a powerful "bruxis" (the price for which makes my skin crawl!). Traders bring teeth to the shop directly, or work through Karou, to trade for wishes. The greatest mystery of Karou's life is what, precisely, Brimstone does with all of the teeth. I was actually surprised we found out; I was fully expecting to have to wait until the next book to get an answer on that!

When Karou meets the beautiful and dangerous Akiva, she is suddenly drawn into an ancient war she never ever knew she was a part of. She and Akiva are instantly drawn to one another, almost inexplicably. There's a lot of drawn-out love-hate-push-pull stuff that I fully admit I started to skim. I've never been a fan of the "insta-love" that can be so pervasive in YA (a term I picked up from Forever Young Adult...perfect!). I will give Taylor credit that the payoff does make sense -- he's drawn to her because he knows on some level who she really is, and apparently some part of her remembers too. However, their original attraction still somewhat smacks of insta-love.

Anyway, when all of the gateways to Brimstone's world are suddenly sealed, Karou is forced to find her own way back in...which means turning to Akiva for help. The only problem? He's an angel and she's (we eventually learn) a chimaera, an their races have been at war for centuries (millennia?).

This was definitely a fresh take on angels, especially after reading the epic mess that was the Blue Bloods series. These angels are just angels -- a race of their own, not also vampires, or Norse gods, or inhabiting the souls of humans. And the world of the chimaera was fascinating. I gravitated far more towards Madrigal than Karou as a protagonist (I realize they're technically the same person, but it's a credit to Taylor's skills at character development that they feel quite distinct). I saw that twist coming, but I was actually surprised about the true purpose of the teeth. It's a really elegant explanation, AND it makes Akiva's actions in destroying the shop that much worse. I have to wonder if anyone is alive besides Karou/Madrigal.

Although this was a little heavier on the romance than I prefer, I enjoyed the book overall. The writing style felt a bit pretentious at the outset -- like I wasn't sure at first who the intended audience was. It's a great story, but I think reluctant readers might get frustrated with some of the vocabulary and references and give up early on. I'm really interested to see where she takes the story from here. Even though the romance parts felt slow to me (more overwritten than anything), I never felt like any part of the story was filler. I can only hope the same holds true for the second book! Hoping to get ahold of that one over Christmas break. ...more

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Oct 01, 2018 Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-harder-2018

Great YA fantasy novel! I'm going to put it down as my Read Harder: book with a cover you hate.
Although I really enjoyed the plot and the writing, I'm not feeling compelled to read more in the series. ...more

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