Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1) in YA and Beyond

Jan 30, 2013 Jenny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-in-2013

Oh my gosh, I LOVED this book! I'm so glad I finally had a chance to read it! The writing was beautiful, and the words just came alive on the page! I also loved the setting of Prague. It made me really want to go visit!

I've read loads of angel books--fallen angels, good angels, bad angels, but this book took it to a whole other level! And normally, in an Angel war, there are demons. Well, this book had demons, but not any demons that I've ever read about. Its funny, because at some point, one of ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Sarah Reid rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

I. Overview:

Karou seems like most high school students at first: hanging out with friends, going to school, and trying to forget about a recent romantic interest that fizzled.

Then you begin to realize that there’s something different.

Karou goes to a hip art school in Prague, sketches notebooks filled with monsters that may or may not be real, has bright blue hair that actually grows out of her head, no parents, and disappears for lengths at a time for no good reason.

Then angels start being spott ...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Ria rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic, angels

I really liked this book. Because Karou is artistic, her perceptions are remarkable. They way Prague or Marrakech we're described, I could almost feel the snowflakes and hear the noises of the street markets. The time frame shifts were a little distorting, but rightfully so, since Karou's life was as vague.
I liked the way the story was unravelling, slow at first, teasing the reader with glimpses here and there, and then more detailed, closer to the end, unravelling everything.
The ending was hu ...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Melina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-faves, favorites, 5-stars

UTTERLY COMPELLING AND MINDBLOWINGLY AWESOMAZING!
As I was reading this book, a lot of things were happening around me (hence the 10 days it took me to read it) and Daughter of Smoke and Bones was my refuge. And what a refuge it was. The book transported me with ever word, make that every letter, to a place of silence and peace. I was amazed and intrigued with Karou, who turned out to be one of my favorite heroines ever. Reading this book was a transcendent experience. It's exactly what a book sh ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Alison rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-reads, bought-because-of-the-cover, ya, series-i-adore, trilogy, favourite-covers, urban-fantasy

Update 2017:
Almost 6 years later and I felt drawn to reread this trilogy. I can't say that today I'd give it 5 stars and the glowing review below. I can see the flaws and they don't sit as well with me today. I've grown and changed a lot as a reader.

Still, a gorgeous story and amazing prose that makes me weep at my own deficiencies as a writer. I'll leave my original rating and review.

Original Review 2011:

Well.

This was a nice change for me, considering the not so great books I've recently read. Update 2017:
Almost 6 years later and I felt drawn to reread this trilogy. I can't say that today I'd give it 5 stars and the glowing review below. I can see the flaws and they don't sit as well with me today. I've grown and changed a lot as a reader.

Still, a gorgeous story and amazing prose that makes me weep at my own deficiencies as a writer. I'll leave my original rating and review.

Original Review 2011:

Well.

This was a nice change for me, considering the not so great books I've recently read. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is not what I expected, at all. It's definitely fantasy, not paranormal, with angels and chimera. I knew it had a good deal of praise from a lot of readers. I also knew it had a lot of complaints from readers. I went into this not expecting to be blown away, despite the hype this book had received. After reading books that really missed the mark this year, like Silence, and A Touch Mortal, I was really excited to read something GOOD.

It's hard to pin down exactly why I gave this book 5 stars. I just loved it that much. Karou was an awesome heroine. She wasn't needy, she wasn't a bitch (well, not to anyone but one girl who deserved it)and she wasn't easy to predict. Daughter of Smoke and Bone wasn't filled with typical YA tropes. It had a world completely realized and completely open to the reader.

I loved the angel and chimera lore. It was fully explained and expanded on and fantastic. Laini Taylor really did her homework when she sat down to write this. I wasn't confused when I finished the book and when the book ended, I was satisfied with where the story stopped.

The only real problem I had was the pacing in the middle of the book. It slowed down a great deal when Akiva showed up. But it wasn't enough to knock down a star.

I don't know why, but the whole concept behind the teeth amazed me the most. I figured out their purpose before it was revealed (point for me, since this rarely happens for me). Just plain cool.

Akiva. Oh, yes please. Tiger eyes and flaming wings? I'm down. He was bad ass. And Zuzanna. I adored her performance. I could picture it very well in my mind as she danced, which points out how well Laini Taylor uses description. Her writing is beautiful and colourful.

I could go on fan girling about this book, but I think I've made my point. This is a series to read. ...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Katarina Silva rated it it was amazing

Shelves: awesome-covers, parent-s-problems, wicked-tattoes, strong-second-characters, good-series, monsters, whati, crazy-colored-hair

The story was pretty great. :) Issa is awesome, being half snake and all. Light read but really good. And she is in a Art´s scholl? Loved it so original, and her wishing necklace - i would love some of them xD

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