Elle (ellexamines)'s Reviews > Daughter of Smoke & Bone

My original review here was “punch :) me :) in :) the :) face :)” and I think that accurately sums my view up. That being said, here's an actual review that's NOT just me crying! Amazing!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone follows a demon's assistant, Karou, who helps to collect teeth for the family of her youth. It's a creative story that pulled me in from the beginning. Before we were 40 pages in, I knew I had found a favorite.

THE WRITING

Just as beautiful as everyone says. Laini Taylor's writing flows across the page to the point where instead of skipping across paragraphs as I usually do, I was hanging on her every word.

Like a shadow that coasts over the moon.

Is the word choice there not brilliant? It's such a subtle difference than “a shadow that covers the moon,” but it changes everything somehow.

The writing is also rich with emotional content. I just really, really loved it.

Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope is its own magic.

THE CHARACTERS

I absolutely love Karou. Laini Taylor infuses her with a quiet inner strength, yet also a loneliness and a desire for love.

I also loved the strong friendship between girls here. Zuzana is a dynamic, funny side character.

“This morning you hate men in hats, wiener dogs–”
“Weiner-dog owners,” Zuzana corrected. “You'd have to have, like, a lentil for a soul to hate wringer dogs.”

She's a sweet, believable character. I only wish she were in the second half more.

Akiva is a good character, although he isn't a strong love for me yet. He's a good character with a good personality and some moral ambiguity, but he's not as developed as I want him to be. I'm hoping he gets expanded more in the sequel.

THE ROMANCE

I feel like I should give this book four stars. I SHOULD. The romance is full of instalove. Yes, it's kind of explained, but it's still full of instalove. That should be enough for me to take off a star!

But I can't, because I loved the romance. There's something about the idea of star-crossed lovers, maybe. Or maybe it's just Laini Taylor's writing, or the strength of Akiva and Karou's characters. Whatever it is, I found myself totally invested in the romance after just a few pages. By the time we got to the twist, I was hooked.

THE PLOT

This book is a complete mindfuck, and I adored it. Although one of the major twists is easy to guess, most of the twists are sheer brilliance. Towards the end, plot points you've forgotten about are explained. Even little details of the first half are mentioned.

And that ending was just cruel.

THE WORLDBUILDING

The worldbuilding here is just awesome. Again, I can't expand upon that, because the worldbuilding isn't revealed until later in the book. You've just got to read it.

This isn't your typical angels vs. demons story; angels aren't all good and demons aren't all bad. I loved the nuance of their conflict. There's something to be said for taking an old story and making it something new, and I loved Laini Taylor's execution of this story.

Highly recommended and I can't wait to start book two!