Book Review
Jan. 19th, 2024 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariDaughter of Smoke & Bone
by Laini Taylor
This YA fantasy novel is set mostly in Prague. Karou is a blue-haired, tattooed art student who was raised by a found family of creatures from myth and legend who deal in magic and wishes. When Karou encounters winged and angelic Akiva, she finds herself caught up in both a deep, star-crossed love affair and an ancient otherworldly war. Karou must face hidden truths about herself, her family, and the war ripping apart a world that borders on our own.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone beautifully blends urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and romance into a tale that hinges on an intimate view of a sweeping conflict. There's a lot going on, but the focus is rightly on Karou and her relationships with her friends, family, and Akiva. Karou is tough yet not at all hardened, and I liked her and her approach to things. Akiva is very much the tortured romantic hero, but luckily that doesn't make him self-absorbed or pointlessly angsty. A lot of the plot and character development involves Karou discovering who she and her found family really are and what is actually going on, but Taylor spins it out in a way that is not frustrating for the reader.
This is very much the first book of a trilogy and thus mostly functions as set up and backstory, so very little is resolved. Again, Taylor does not frustrate the reader, just sets up pleasant anticipation for what happens next.
by Laini Taylor
This YA fantasy novel is set mostly in Prague. Karou is a blue-haired, tattooed art student who was raised by a found family of creatures from myth and legend who deal in magic and wishes. When Karou encounters winged and angelic Akiva, she finds herself caught up in both a deep, star-crossed love affair and an ancient otherworldly war. Karou must face hidden truths about herself, her family, and the war ripping apart a world that borders on our own.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone beautifully blends urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and romance into a tale that hinges on an intimate view of a sweeping conflict. There's a lot going on, but the focus is rightly on Karou and her relationships with her friends, family, and Akiva. Karou is tough yet not at all hardened, and I liked her and her approach to things. Akiva is very much the tortured romantic hero, but luckily that doesn't make him self-absorbed or pointlessly angsty. A lot of the plot and character development involves Karou discovering who she and her found family really are and what is actually going on, but Taylor spins it out in a way that is not frustrating for the reader.
This is very much the first book of a trilogy and thus mostly functions as set up and backstory, so very little is resolved. Again, Taylor does not frustrate the reader, just sets up pleasant anticipation for what happens next.
