Reviews with content warning for Death - Dcera kostí a dýmu

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Dcera kostí a dýmu by Laini Taylor

54 reviews

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.

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rachel_jones03's review against another edition

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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

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biobeetle's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-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? No

5.0

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dcnarvaez's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did (or the entire trilogy as a matter of fact), being a book from the 2010s with a premise so similar to many other romantasy books that came around that time such as Shadow Hunters (Shadow Hunters Wish it was this good), but Laini Taylor has demonstrated that she is a master storyteller and made this story so unique and interesting. Loved it!

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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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.

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justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition

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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

Kaz and his modeling.

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.

And I do not love insta-love. This book also felt way too overly-sexual for a YA book. It kind of messed up my expectations a bit and rubbed me the wrong way.

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.

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ashwiebe's review against another edition

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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

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tracy713's review against another edition

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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

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kiwij96's review against another edition

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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.

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sheyri's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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