Review: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

TITLE: Days of Blood & Starlight SERIES: Daughter of Smoke & Daughter AUTHOR: Laini Taylor PUB DATE: 11/6/12 PUB: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers FORMAT: eARC SOURCE: from pub for review

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

THREE WORDS: Stellar, Stunning Sequel

MY REVIEW: Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone was one of my absolute favorite reads of last year, it was one of those books that moved me and never really left me, and I've been eagerly awaiting the sequel all year. And Days of Blood & Starlight is as equally stunning and stellar as its predecessor and enthralled me completely.

In Days of Blood & Starlight we find old characters facing the consequences of the climactic events at the end of book one, and are introduced to new characters, new places, and new revelations. Our heroine, blue-haired Karou, and her once angel-lover, Akiva, both find themselves in different worlds and entangled in a bloody war. Faced with mysteries, heartache, betrayals, death, and pain, these two characters must come to terms with who they are and what they must do for their people, for themselves, and for love.

I devoured all 500+ pages of Days of Blood & Starlight in one sitting, staying up into the wee hours of the morning, unable to put it down for even a second. From page one, Laini Taylor instantly swept me away into her fiercly beautiful world and carried me away with her breathtaking and captivating storytelling. Days of Blood & Starlight has a different, yet equally enrapturing, feel to it. Like the brief synopsis says above, the same “richness, color and intensity of the first book” is present in this sequel, but it is a different canvas upon which they've been painted.

Taylor's immensely gorgeous and lyrical writing and storytelling continues to enchant and impress. There are so many lovely passages and sentences in this sequel that I found myself re-reading, unable to look away. The intricate, layered and rich world-building of book one is deftly continued in book two. Karou finds herself in a very different place than her beloved Prague; a harsh, relentless place that Taylor somehow brings an eloquence to. And the world of Eretz is greatly expanded upon in this book, as both the worlds of the angels and chimaera are explored. This world and all its inhabitants is crafted with an exquisiteness that is both beautiful and bleak, enchanting and terrifying, irresistible and repulsive, and utterly spellbinding.

The story laid out in Days of Blood & Starlight is a stellar mix of fire and fierceness, love and heartache, humor and pain, intensity and softness, acceptance and new paths. As the middle book in a trilogy, it continues to connect the threads woven in the first book, while setting the scene for the climactic finale in book three. Taylor paces this sequel perfectly, balancing the suspenseful ferocity of the war the characters find themselves in with the unexpected truths and revelations as well as the rich character development and growth. Like in book one, this sequel has stories within stories, and all the important subplots are woven together seamlessly, creating a colorful and captivating tapestry full of action, love, and palpable emotion.

Taylor's characters continue to be some of my very favorites! The Karou we meet in Days of Blood & Starlight is a more mature, stronger, and maybe even darker Karou than the girl we met in book one. But this change is necessary and realistic; Karou has seen and discovered truths that she can't walk away from unscathed, and she has to either stand still and fall apart or go forth and grow. She chooses to bravely go forth and on. Akiva feels like a more complete and developed character in this sequel; his layers are exposed and explored greatly. There's a large cast of characters, some old, some new, some likable, some fun to hate. I think the character that really shines in this book is Zuzana. Her laugh-out-loud humor is infectious and endearing and perfectly placed. I think I'm a little bit in love with this feisty little fairy of a girl ;)

While the romance, or lack of, between Karou and Akiva, is not the dominating force in this sequel, it is intensely felt. The relationship between these two, not just the romantic one, but the simple, undeniable connection between them, is, in my opinion, still one of the absolute best written and explored relationships in YA fiction. Everything about this relationship- the electric connection, the heartache, the betrayal, the longing, the lust, the desperation, the need, the simple love- feels so intimately real and burns palpably.

This book ends a bit more quietly than the first book, but left me excited and desperate for book three nonetheless.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I was scared that no sequel could live up to the beauty and superb storytelling of Daughter of Smoke & Bone, but this sequel has done just that. Days of Blood & Starlight is a captivatingly and darkly gorgeous story with a riveting plot, dazzling writing, excellent world-building and unforgettable characters. A MUST read book in a MUST read series!

MY RATING

Connect with the author: Website / Goodreads / Twitter 

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

Hi there! I'm a writer of fantasy books for young people, but my books can be enjoyed by adults as well. My 'Dreamdark' books, Blackbringer (2007) and Silksinger (2009) are about faeries -- not dainty little flowery things, but warrior-faeries who battle devils. My first young adult book, Lips Touch, is a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award! It's creepy, sensual supernatural romance. . . about kissing. I am also an artist with a licensed gift product line called "Laini's Ladies."

Teaser Tuesdays (53): Days of Blood & Starlight

Teaser Tuesdays...is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

Days of Blood & Starlight

(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2)

Laini Taylor

11/6/12

Little, Brown

ADD ON GOODREADS

MY TEASER

In the great wild heart of the land that day by day fell prey to the halting onslaught of slave caravans and carnage, someone started killing angels. And whoever it was, they were very, very good at it. (eARC, location 354)

 I've already finished this and really loved it!

Look for my review soon.

Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor- 5 BIG Cupcakes

TITLE: Daughter of Smoke and Bone SERIES: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1 AUTHOR: Laini Taylor PUBLISHER: Little, Brown PUB. DATE: Sept. 27, 2011 FORMAT: Hardcover, 420 pages

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

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. 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?

*this is a long review, but I just had SO much to say*

THREE  SIX WORDS: Spellbinding. Breathtaking. Innovative…Love. This. Book.

MY “I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK” REACTION: I want more. I need more. Please give me more.

MY REVIEW: You’d think that writing a review for a book you loved would be a simple task, a pleasurable task even, but I’ve been sitting here for awhile now trying to figure out just how to express my love…awe…appreciation…for this book, and to do so without simply gushing. And you know what? I have no idea how to do that! I’m gonna gush, because this is totally a gush-worthy book. A swoon-worthy book. A stop-strangers-in-the-bookstore-and-oh-so-politely-demand recommend-that-they-read-it-kind of book…yet, it seems too simple, too not enough, to just call Daughter of Smoke & Bone a book, because it feels like so much more. It feels like a living, breathing SomethingElse. A SomethingElse with an electric pulse and heartbeat. A SomethingElse that wooed me like a lover, held me like a parent, and whispered secrets in my ear like a best friend.

            SUMMARY

Karou, with her natural blue hair; wicked tattoos; artistic talent; mysterious disappearances; and secretive manner, is an enigma. By day, she is a 17 year old art student in Prague, but at night she works as an errand girl for her foster father, Brimstone. Her errands? To retrieve teeth from his many clients. What he does with them? Karou longs to know. Within Brimstone’s shop, Karou grew up surrounded by what many people would call monsters, but she simply calls them family. As loved and happy as Karou is, the mysteries surrounding who or what she truly is, plagues her. With the appearance of scorched black handprints on magical portal doors, like the door to Brimstone’s shop, also comes the appearance of Akiva- the beautiful and haunted stranger that Karou is inexplicably drawn to. Karou soon finds herself swept into a centuries old, brutal war, and swept away by a love stronger than anything she could every wish or hope for. But with this love comes the terrible price of finally knowing the truth about who she is.

            THE STORY

With Daughter of Smoke & Bone, author Laini Taylor has created one of the most original, imaginative, and captivating stories that I have ever read. Taylor writes with a smart, confident, charming talent. Within the pages of this book, one will find not only fantastical worlds within worlds, but stunning stories within stories. I was completely engrossed in and enchanted by this book. At first, I read feverishly, turning pages as quick as I could, but then I found myself slowing down and reading languidly. Not because I wasn’t immensely enjoying the story and anxious to find out what lay ahead, but because I desperately didn’t want it to end. I wanted to savor every magical, heart-aching, funny, romantic moment. And I wanted to capture and memorize every single emotion I felt each time one chapter ended and another began.

The story itself is perfectly paced and executed. No part of the book every drags slowly or is rushed. I really appreciated the fact that, as a reader, I was given time to really get to know this world, this story and the characters in it. I wasn’t bombarded with information and backstory right away, but I also wasn’t constantly distracted by the things I didn’t know yet. This is definitely one of those books that make the Real World fall away while you’re reading it, until, for a few hours, nothing exists but the streets of Prague, a devil’s workshop, Karou, and Akiva. Yet, at the same time this isn’t one of those books that jarringly sucks you in with an explosive beginning or leads you up an intense precipice halfway through, leaving you no choice but to turn back or fall completely into the book. I didn’t feel so much like I was forcefully pulled in or like I just fell into the story, as much as it felt like the story and I melted into one another. I suppose you could say that Taylor creates a real intimacy between the reader and the story.

The fantasy elements are a wondrous mix of whimsy and an edgy darkness, and at times the line between the two blurs and melds in the most breathtaking way. There’s beauty in even the most monstrous of Taylor’s creations and true ugliness can be found within the most beautiful of things. Taylor has taken elements of lore and myth, and has added her imaginative sparks and brilliance to create something-worlds, creatures, stories-that is so stunningly original and captivating.

The emotional aspects in this book are breathtaking in their own right as well. Every feeling of happiness, fear, grief, heartache, pain, confusion, anger, etc is palpable and real and I felt them all right along with each character. There were moments that left me breathless with laughter or tears, moments that pierced my heart, moments that made me feel like I was socked in the gut, and moments that left me speechless.

The actual storyline is fantastic. The war between the chimeras (the “monsters”) and the seraphs is electric and dramatic, while the present and back story of both Karou and Akiva is spellbinding. There are so many awesome twists, turns, and unexpected revelations, that I found it impossible for my attention to waver. And the ending? OMG, that is a helluva ending. An explosive ending. A frustrating ending. An ending that left me reeling and wanting more (so much more!).

One of things I love most about this book is simply Taylor’s way with words. This book is very lyrical and at times almost reads like poetry. There are passages, descriptions, and comparisons that I found myself re-reading several times because I just couldn’t get over how beautiful they were. I’m not sure if I want to simply drown in Taylor’s words or stitch them together and wear them like a choker around my neck and braid them in my hair.

            CHARACTERS

There are so many awesome characters in this book, but I won’t talk about them all.

Karou is very much the main character and I just adore her. She’s smart, witty, caring, feisty, and has a humble grace and quiet strength about her. I loved her and felt connected to her instantly. I think what I loved most about her character is that no matter what fantastical situation she was in or what fantastical/magical/otherworldy aspect she encompassed, she always felt real and never unreachable. Her journey from art student to orphan to burgeoning warrior to lovestruck girl to angry, fierce warrior was fantastical, but it was always grounded in realism. Karou is a protagonist that readers want to root for and can’t help feeling attached to.

Akiva is a very compelling character. He’s strong, brave, beautiful, yet conflicted and lonely. When we first meet him, he’s hard and a bit scary, but entirely intriguing. Even when he’s at his coldest and even before I knew all his backstory, I found it hard to not be sympathetic toward him.

The supporting cast of characters is superb! Karou’s “monster” family is full of likable, interesting, touching characters. Brimstone is one of the most compelling characters I’ve met in a long time. There’s such a fragile mix of compassion and duty to his character that I found quite beautiful. I’m not sure I ever wanted to reach through the pages of a book and hug a teeth dealing monster as much as I did Brimstone. Zuzana, Karou’s best friend, is impossible not to love. Her humor, spunk, and genuine love for Karou are infectious and sweet. Everybody needs a BFF like her.

I love that there really is no “bad guy” because, well, all the characters are considered the bad guy by someone else. There is light and darkness found within each of the characters and the line between good and evil is pretty much erased, and there is a deep insightfulness to this notion.

            ROMANCE

The romance between Karou and Akiva is both complicated and effortless, strong and fragile, beautiful and twisted, explosive and tender. This is a romance that, in the span of a single page, left me breathless then had my heart racing. The spark between these two characters is simply electric and fiery.

I really loved watching this love and relationship unfold, and at times, crumble. I felt every touch, kiss, lingering look, as if it were happening to me. This definitely isn’t your average YA insta-love, soulmates kind of love. It’s so much more.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Laini Taylor and Daughter of Smoke & Bone have blown me away and, obviously, left me gushing. As long as this review is, it still doesn’t do this book justice. To truly understand the captivating, breathtaking beauty and originality of this book you have to read it. And you really MUST read it! It is one of my absolute favorite reads of this year and maybe of all time.

MY RATING

5/5 BIG, FROSTING SMOTHERED CUPCAKES

You can connect with and learn more about Laini Taylor here:

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You can purchase this book here:

Amazon  Barnes and Noble  Book Depository