Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Release Date – September 27, 2011
Publisher – Little Brown
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 432
My Rating- 8/10

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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 grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

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

With those words Daughter of Smoke and Bone pulls you in. I wanted to know more about this angel, and this devil who fell in love.

Fans of fantasy will love this book. It’s rich in backstory, plot, and fantastical elements. The writing just flows, and keeps you hooked. I didn’t really find any lags in the story. I was just as anxious as Karou was to find out more of her story.

Karou is the type of heroine that I wish we could see more of. She is very likeable. A student at an art school in Prague that is fully capable of taking care of herself. The best part? She isn’t taking care of herself by having some crazy powers, she trained in different fighting styles. Ok, so there are things about her that are not average, such as the ability to speak a whole bunch of languages and the tattoos on her hands, but she manages to seem very “real”. Her best friend reflects on her character. Her best friend loves her, and is so patient. Karou disappears and her friend just accepts this, and understands. I really liked the friendship, and wished Karou would let her friend in more.

The detail into the world building blew me away. Laini Taylor built this world filled with a backstory that is jaw dropping. You are fully immersed into the world and it’s characters.

Brimstone. I ended up liking the gruff, tough yet caring “monster” that raised young Karou. It is Brimestone that has Karou running these mysterious errands that involve collecting teeth. When I found out what the teeth were used for I was surprised, but it made so much sense.

Akiva is the the other main character to the story. The romance part at first feels very “insta” attraction and I was not feeling the connection. As the story progresses though you really get to understand the reasons behind the connection and the relationship feels right.

The ending of the story isn’t really a twist. I figured that the ending was what had happened, but it does set up the second book wonderfully. I am anxious to see what Karou does with all the new information she has accumulated.

This fantasy novel will leave readers spellbound and eagerly awaiting the next instalment.