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 otherwordly war. (Goodreads)
Review
by Kim Harris Thacker, writer, mommy, and Bookshop Talk Host
I’m
not normally a fan of supernatural/paranormal romance, but I am a big fan of
Laini Taylor. So I dove into DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE expecting to
enjoy it in spite of the first two sentences, which are as follows:
Once
upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.
I’ll
admit, I cringed just a bit when I first read that, but only because I had just
finished walking the aisles of my local chain bookstore, which I hadn’t visited
in a good while, and had been appalled by the plethora of brawny, winged men
(most of whom appeared to favor tight jeans on their lower halves),
heavily-tattooed girls (with red irises), and melodramatic, one-word titles
(think angst, and you’ll come up with several dozen of the very titles I
saw) in the young adult section.
But
I quickly slapped the cringe from my face and kept reading, because I knew from
past experience that what sounded like a common story line would end up being,
in the hands of a master wordsmith like Laini Taylor, something utterly
unique.
Laini
is known for taking popular ideas and injecting them with what I fondly think
of as “literary steroids.” Her collection of short stories, which was a
finalist for the National Book Award, was touted as tales of supernatural love,
written “in the style of Stephenie Meyer.” If you read and enjoyed the
Twilight series, you’ll probably love LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES. And if you
didn’t enjoy the Twilight books, take heart: I didn’t either—but I
thought LIPS TOUCH rocked. Folks, it was a finalist for the National
Book Award. None of the Twilight books can boast of that.
But
let’s get back to the review at hand, shall we?
DAUGHTER
OF SMOKE AND BONE is another example of Laini’s terrific writing. It
merited this Kirkus (starred) review: “[A]long with writing in such
heightened language that even casual banter often comes off as wildly funny,
the author crafts a fierce heroine with bright-blue hair, tattoos, martial
skills, a growing attachment to a preternaturally hunky but not entirely sane
warrior and, in episodes to come, an army of killer angels to confront.
Rarely—perhaps not since the author's own Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer
(2007)—does a series kick off so deliciously.”
I
think the word, delicious, perfectly describes DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND
BONE. And what, you ask, is so “delicious” about this book? Well,
in my opinion, it’s the setting (or settings, rather). Much like J.K.
Rowling, Laini can take what, in the hands of a less-skilled writer, might be
presented as a simple setting and imbue it with such vivid imagery that the
setting lives in the reader’s mind. Here’s an example of a great,
descriptive paragraph from the early pages of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE:
The
streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first
century—or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of
alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics,
invading armies. Tall houses glowed goldenrod and carmine and eggshell
blue, embellished with Rococo plasterwork and capped in roofs of uniform
red. Baroque cupolas were the soft green of antique copper, and Gothic
steeples stood ready to impale fallen angels. The wind carried the memory
of magic, revolution, violins, and the cobbled lanes meandered like
creeks. Thugs wore Mozart wigs and pushed chamber music on street
corners, and marionettes hung in windows, making the whole city seem like a
theater with unseen puppeteers crouched behind velvet.
Thanks
to Laini, Prague is now on my list of Cities I Must Visit Really Soon.
Eretz and Loramendi—the angels’ and chimaeras’ strongholds in DAUGHTER OF SMOKE
AND BONE aren’t on my list, but that’s only because I’m not sure how I’d get
there. I don’t know any chimaera or angels or fallen angels who can lead
me to the hidden slit in the sky, and I’m certain Delta doesn’t fly to places
with two moons.
This,
my friends, is a complex story. It’s so complex, in fact, that it could
very well have a prequel...but that would ruin the mystery of Karou’s identity
(Karou is the main character). I’m fond of books featuring characters
that are seeking to understand themselves—or get to know themselves at
all. While Karou is mysterious, and I certainly didn’t feel like I knew
her well until the end of the book, she is worth getting to know.
Her story is amazing, but she is amazing, herself. Laini gave her such a
loving personality (though she is also butt-kickingly fierce and quite
hilarious to boot), I couldn’t help but want to stick with her through her
trials, which were many, extraordinary, and super daunting.
I
would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and compelling romantic
adventure stories.
Market:
Young Adult, Fantasy
Language:
mild
Sensuality:
moderate (There are some wonderful kisses, and there are a couple of
referenced sex scenes that happen “off stage.” Other references to sex
are present, but are glossed over—no details.)
Violence:
moderate to explicit (The injuries/deaths happen to non-human
creatures. While violence toward these creatures may not bother some
readers, it may bother others).
Mature
Themes: War, magic, possession of souls, debt, discovery of identity,
prejudice...the list goes on. This is a richly wrought book that will
leave you with loads to think about.
Book formats:
Paperback
e-book
Book formats:
Paperback
e-book
6 comments:
This is one of my favorite books EVER. I was completely blown away by the intensity of the story and the brilliance of Laini Taylor's words. You said it best...she's a master wordsmith!
Laini Taylor really is terrific! I look forward to reading the sequel to this book (the cover of which you so kindly posted on your website, Ems...).
literary steroids! I love that Kim! This book really is delicious and I loved Karou too - I was completely invested in her story. Really looking forward to the next one.
Great review :)
Kim! This does sound like a perfectly delicious read and quite the compelling plot. I'm sold. :) I love your site and the new design, I've been out of the loop and I think it looks marvelous. I'm thrilled to have access to this trove of your favorite reads-- you have excellent taste and it will save me the angst of choosing what to pick up next. Thank you :)
P.S. It makes me all the more eager to read your own work. So let me know when you're ready to pass something my way.
this does look like a interesting read. Kim I am like you...I also cringed with that opening line. I didn't ever read Twilight, because I am not a fan at all. I do think this book will go on my list and hopefully make it to my bedside before Karson is 12 . haha kidding. It will go on the top of my list. Genius Kim!
Who wouldn't want to read this book after your review, Kim? Thank you!! :)
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