Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Genres: YA, High Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 27, 2011

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 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 beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery 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?

Rating: 5/5 glorious stars!

I read this book as my monthly reading book for Katytastic's monthly TBR jar challenge several months ago when I drew the challenge 'A book recommended to you by someone else.' Since I don't really know many people who love to read (specifically who love to read YA) I DM'd my IG bestie, Randee, (@randeereads who you should totally go follow as she is wonderful and has gorgeous pics! ;)) and asked if she'd pick one for me, and she picked Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I was very happy to have this chosen since I'd been eyeing the box set for a while...

So, I picked it up the moment it was dropped off at my house and dove right in.

Let's start with a review of the characters, shall we?
Starting with the main character,

Karou: Karou is the main character of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. She is a strong, independent and curious girl, who also happens to be an art student who lives in Prague. Karou is such a wonderful and complex character! I found her extremely relatable as I am also an art student. I enjoy whenever artists give their characters such down to earth hobbies. (Ex. of a not down to earth hobbies: practicing fighting. I'm looking at you Jace Herondale! ;) ) I personally enjoyed how Karou drew about her... home life and expressed her feelings in her art.

Karou was a strong, independent and curious character, fascinated by the world around her, and endlessly loyal to her best friend,

Zuzana: Zuzana has got to be the best supporting character I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She and Karou have a beautiful dynamic, and she is always there for her, no matter what. She is definitely a very interesting character to read about. She was given lots of depth and a huge personality! Her sassy nature was great-she was the perfect humor element and her one-liners had me giggling throughout the book. Zuzana to Karou is like Sam to Frodo; without Zuzana, I don't know that Karou would've made it through the crazy journey she goes through when a mysterious man shows up named,

Akiva:  Look out Edward Cullen, Laini Taylor's about to knock you out of the water and show you a real tormented character! Akiva is the epitome of the perfect tortured yet caring male character. He adds a mysterious vibe to the whole story, and of course, a wonderful love interest! Though not the type you'd expect... I won't say more so as to avoid spoilers!

Writing & Story Development: Laini Taylor has got to be one of the best writers out there. Her writing is absolutely beautiful. Her style is both lyrical and bold, straight and to the point; she created a very vibrant world, and she did it perfectly through her wonderful writing style. When I was reading this book, I could picture everything happening perfectly inside my head. Mrs. Taylor has a way with words, and the way she developed the plot and this truly unique world made this book an absolute pleasure to read.

If you decide to read this book, get ready for an emtional roller coaster. This book tells a beautiful story of true love, mistakes and friendship, and you connect with the character so well that you feel their pain. The emotions portrayed in this book are very raw, so I don't recommend picking this up if you're in the mood for a cute romance.

Overall: This is a very intense book, with raw, realistic emotions and relationships. It is unlike anything I've read before and the plot, characters and the world are very complex and easy to connect with. I highly, highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of Throne of Glass, The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices, or A Darker Shade of Magic.