4 stars

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

10:49

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
By Laini Taylor

 Source: Personal purchase, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

"Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came."

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.


I have been saving this book for so long, because I knew that I would love it. I’m so glad I was right. It had me captivated from start to finish - the world and writing was beautiful, and I loved the story too.

Karou - the protagonist - was awesome, and I loved her so much. She was quirky and a bit different to lots of other main characters in YA, so at the start, I was a little bit unsure as to whether I was going to like her. Thankfully, in one of the earlier chapters, she pulled this amazing prank that had me laughing so much! I knew I was going to love her from then on. ☺
I was a little bit worried I was going to find this confusing, but that definitely wasn't the case at all. I thought that the author handled the complex world really well, because we were introduced gradually. Karou leads a human life as well as a magical/fantasy life, so it never got too complex. At the start, I wasn’t confused, and there was no info-dump. We were slowly introduced to the magical world, and it was written with such skill.
Another thing I really liked about this book is the romance. Usually - in fantasy books, especially - I don’t like the romance, and wish it would be left out, but that certainly wasn’t the case for this one! It was a real slow-burn, and was written so beautifully. It was heart-breaking, and done so well. It didn’t distract from the plot, but was just enough to keep me satisfied.

Overall, I really liked this book! It ticked all the boxes for me, and I’ve already bought the rest of the series, so I can carry on soon. I think it will only get better, and this seems like exactly my kind of thing - I’d highly recommend to everyone!