From Goodreads:
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?
My reaction:
I have to say it was a slow start for me. Maybe because I was at my daughter's dance class when I started reading it. But the only reason I stuck it out was because it was one EVERYONE's BEST OF 2011 list.
SO GLAD I DID!
WOW. The language was stunning. The story was perfectly crafted. I did figure out the the plot twist pretty early on, but I didn't mind at ALL. It didn't take away from the story or the reading experience.
Karou was a fully formed and fascinating character. Akiva was yummy with the emo angst that makes him so appealing.
There were a few minor plot points that weren't fully fleshed out, but the book was the first in a series and maybe those ideas will appear later on.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
9.5 out of 10.
Have you read Daughter of Smoke and Bone? What did you think of it?
On a personal note: today is my daughter's 4 birthday. Happy Birthday kiddo.
I loved this book--it's definitely one of my top favorite books of 2011. Man, to write like Lani Taylor. It was just gorgeous. Oh, and I absolutely loved her best friend. Favorite line: Must. Mate. Now.
ReplyDeleteI loved the book. Only issue I had with it was the name. Karou is a Japanese boy's name, it annoys me when people give names to their characters that don't fit. She isn't Japanese and she isn't a boy. It was still a really great book.
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