Book Review: Days of Blood & Starlight by Liani Taylor

Published November 6th, 2012
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
517 pages (Hardcover)

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream? (From Goodreads)

I didn't like it as much as the Daughter of Smoke & Bone (review), but Days of Blood & Starlight is still a great book and awesome sequel!

This time around, the focus is mainly on the fictional world of Eretz.  While I missed Prague as a setting, the world was well developed and complex.  Thankfully, my hardcover copy included a map!

I had a hard time picturing many of the Chimera, which is likely more of a poor imagination fault rather than a character fault.  Some of the Chimera are quite complicated.  I basically ended up picturing whatever I felt like creating in my head, but that was really my only issue with the book.

I love all the characters, and while I would have liked to shake Karou a little, they developed well.  Akiva and Karou had a roller coaster adventure here.  Maybe that will mean a little more kissing in book three?  The relationship between Zuzana and Mik was just too adorable.  They added a needed humour to the story.

Days of Blood & Starlight had death and lies and betrayal and all that fun stuff that gets you so entwined in the novel that putting it down becomes a monumental task.  However, I did find that some spots started to drag a little.  Ultimately, we are set up for what is bound to be a crazy third book!

Much love, Samantha

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Liani Taylor

Published September 27th, 2011
Little, Brown & Company
417 pages (Hardcover)

Around the world, black hand prints 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 grows 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? (From Goodreads)

First there was this...

Then there was this...

Guys, this book was amazing.  No joke on the tears.  That ending destroyed me a little.

The writing matched the setting perfectly.  Prague is know for it's magical beauty, and the writing reflected that perfectly.  There was a whimsical quality in the text that added to the whole experience.  All of the backstory that was developed was complex and whimsical and fantastic.

Then there are the characters!  Karou is different from every other protagonist right now.  I was drawn to the quirky relationship between her and Zuzana.  Then there is fatally attractive Akiva, who I clearly loved.  I think it's the swords.  I have a weapon weakness...

My one issue with this book: flashbacks.  Y'all know I hate flashbacks.  Half of this book was one giant flashback to another time, with flashback intermingled with that.  It wasn't the worst case of flashbacks ever, as there were enough differences to separate the situations.  Still, I just wanted to get back to the main story. And kissing.  Yes, that is what I wanted.

So if you haven't read Daughter of Smoke & Bone yet, READ IT.  I really, really, really enjoyed this book an it's ending, and can't wait to get my hands on Days of Blood & Starlight!

Much love, Samantha