Daughter of Smoke and Bone

by Laini Taylor

"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 hairactually 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?"

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is set in Prague and follows Karou, a seventeen-year-old artist named after hope. With her radiant blue hair, graceful mannerisms, and best friend, Zuzanna, Karou is eccentric and independent. This is only one part of her life, however, as she is also dedicated to running errands for her foster father, Brimstone. And with this more secretive truth to her daily routine is revealed the magic of her world.

I was intrigued the whole way through. Laini Taylor writes beautifully; her words flow as she crafts a fantasy realm that is created by wishes, hope, and magical creatures. The reality of this novel is so different and innovative, yet Taylor is able to tell the story in a way that it is entirely believable.
Karou and Akiva's relationship seemed, at first, to have developed quite quickly. However, with the history of Madrigal's story being introduced and explained, everything fell into place. I was left in awe by the Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment.

Also, can I just add that Brimstone is an amazing father figure?

5/5 stars.