Sara's Reviews > Days of Blood and Starlight

Acting Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Days of Blood and Starlight finds star-crossed lovers on opposing sides of a centuries-old war. Human-chimaera Karou has replaced her mentor Brimstone as her people's resurrectionist but feels their trust in her is cracking. The angel Akiva, on the other hand, returns to his army with embers of a dream and the beginnings of a plan. Unfortunately, the chimaera's and seraphim's leaders seem to have their own ideas for the war... So, when all is revealed and fate reunites Karou and Akiva, they must decide what they're most willing to fight for: peace between their races, or ultimate destruction that could impact both Eretz and Earth.

This sequel is nothing like its predecessor. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a whimsical, incandescent tale of love and identity - with a knife-in-heart ending that told me not to expect the same next time around. Now I'm thankful for that mental preparation. Days of Blood and Starlight is dark, bleak, and brutally bloody and violent in parts. It's a war story that shows how far one will go to save what and whom they love. The story's world is greatly expanded upon, sweeping readers from the chimaera's final hiding spots in Eretz, to the ominously beautiful seraph capital of Astrae, to Earth once again and the exotic kasbahs of Morocco. New points of view are brought in as well, allowing us to connect with new characters (I might be a tad in love with Ziri *blushes*), embrace old friends (Zuzana + Mik = HYSTERICAL), and see other returnees from a new perspective (it took a while, but Liraz grew on me).

What hasn't changed? Laini Taylor's imaginative flair, vividly rendered world-building, and stunning prose, of course. I had called her a sorceress of words in my review of Daughter, and I still stand by that title now. While I did miss the romance from the first book, my only real complaint about Days is how a couple chimaera attacks on seraphim were mentioned and then dropped completely. Why no reactions like horror, grief, or bewilderment from the victim race? Otherwise, this was a gripping second installment to a trilogy that's quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites.