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sophieamreacher's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. Fun premise and sad storytelling, imaginative. Pacing was a bit strange towards the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
rachel_jones03's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to read this book as it has been on my TBR for a while, I enjoyed Strange the Dreamer and I wanted to read more of her work. So, I decided to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I enjoyed this book, but I got completed lost during the middle of this book.
This book is based on 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 colour. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she is about of find out. However, 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, Karou is about to get caught up in the war. Then there is beautiful and haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets are unveiled and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But with Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
I still adore Laini’s writing style and the way she describes things so beautiful and makes you feel like you are lying on a soft pillow. I loved the love story between our two MCs, even though I don’t usually like love at first sight. Karou is such a badass and yet she’s got a heart of gold and just wants to find a true love for herself and who she is – like having a gooey inside but a tough shell. Akiva told a while to grow on me because I didn’t know if I could trust him or not and still don’t trust him after this book. I loved Karou’s best friend and how she still wanted to meet Akiva even if they don’t speak the same language, but she wanted to threaten him to not hurt her best friend. I just wanted to hug her throughout this whole book – she just wanted to have friends and live. The story was so unique, and it was so interesting.
However, I struggled with the jump between the past and the present. One minute it was Karou and Akiva in Prague about to find some of Akiva’s friend and then it was the past and the White Wolf and Madrigal and I just lost the storyline a bit. It just sort of happened and then we were back in the present and I had a headache.
Overall, this book was brilliant, and I will be carrying on with the series and hopefully the second book will make more sense because that cliffhanger was mean.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual content
arcanegrrl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve sat on Daughter of Smoke & Bone for a couple of days just to process it. To put it simply: I fucking loved it. What an incredibly rich world full of beautiful & deeply flawed characters. The entire book was a surprise, full of creatures doing terrible things that you still find sympathy for. What a perfect, thrilling, immersing first installment to a series! All of this from the lens of YA, too! Laini Taylor’s world is fantastical & shocking while full of deeply grounding morals and ideas. I’ve already started the second book! 1000000/5 for the book. 1000000/5 for audiobook quality.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Violence, and War
frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I absolutely loved this book. By which I mean I devoured the book.
Laini built a gorgeous and unique world, where you both want to love in it and are just slightly terrified by it. How could she write this without stepping into the world?
My only complaint is that I felt the organization of the book just didn’t quite work for me.
Laini built a gorgeous and unique world, where you both want to love in it and are just slightly terrified by it. How could she write this without stepping into the world?
My only complaint is that I felt the organization of the book just didn’t quite work for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Blood
justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition
2.0
"Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic."
I think the lower rating on this book was mainly due to the fact that I was expecting to love it (it is by an author who wrote one of my 5 star predictions, after all) and I didn't. After the first few chapters, I was extremely confused and also a bit uncomfortable because of
The writing style was actually really nice and I liked the worldbuilding, but I was a bit confused by it at first. Even the plot felt confusing at times and I found myself skimming a lot. But, I did like the locations that this book had. And I did read this book in about 4 or 5 sittings, so, there's that.
I'll still continue the series though, because I want to see how this continues after that abrupt ending.
And I hope that Strange the Dreamer is better than this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Torture
ashwiebe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, War, and Classism
tracy713's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Death and Violence
kiwij96's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a super easy read: well-paced chapters and full of plot points that all eventually come full circle at the end. Engaging plot in that sense, especially when the twists come in.
Not super in love with the idea that Karou was potentially being groomed by Kaz as it mentions in the beginning that they had been a couple for a while before their break-up and he is now 20 while she is 17. I also felt super uncomfortable with the Akiva and Karou romance plot too given the age gap there too.I was also worried at one point that he was her dad. However, the plot all comes together at the end and boy did it.
My only other gripe is Chapter 22. It felt massively out of place and I had to reread the chapters either side of it to figure out how it fitted in with it all. Felt like an afterthought but misplaced in the sequencing.
Not super in love with the idea that Karou was potentially being groomed by Kaz as it mentions in the beginning that they had been a couple for a while before their break-up and he is now 20 while she is 17. I also felt super uncomfortable with the Akiva and Karou romance plot too given the age gap there too.
My only other gripe is Chapter 22. It felt massively out of place and I had to reread the chapters either side of it to figure out how it fitted in with it all. Felt like an afterthought but misplaced in the sequencing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
muchadoaboutbooks__'s review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The insta-love and fatphobia were just too much for me. The story was predictable and the male main character had no personality whatsoever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and War