Narrated by Khristine Hvam
Book 1 of the Daughter Of Smoke And Bone series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback & audiobook
About Daughter Of Smoke And Bone:
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.Source: Info in the About Daughter Of Smoke And Bone was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone on 30/08/2013.
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 hair actually 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?
Fav Quote:
"Never repent for your own goodness, child. To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength."
(Brimstone [from the book: Daughter of Smoke And Bone. 2012] p.406)
My Thoughts:
Another take on the "War In Heaven" christian mythology. Another spin on a tired old tale. But I read it anyway... because there's so much publicity about this book and I wanted to see for myself what the fuss was all about. And I do not have any aversion to the "angels and demons" mytho. And I'm glad that I did because the world building was beautiful even though it took ages for the author to get to it. And even though it was not very original, Laini Taylor managed to make it interesting. Kudos to her for achieving that in what is, by all rights, a congested playing field! However I wasn't very fond of the way she told the story that almost always hints that Karou is stupid. What was that all about??! Well, I blame it on the story telling style rather than a character development flaw. And it is majorly annoying! And is the main reason why I stopped reading this series with this book even though I already got Book 2 in my TBR (to be read) shelf. Maybe for a more tolerant reader, this book would be a better and faster read, but it was too annoying. However what really clinched it for me is the cliffhanger ending. Sooo not fond of cliffhangers!
I like Khristine Hvam. The words are clear and I couldn't hear any slurring. But she reads a little bit too flatly for my liking. Not much inflections to anger lines nor sad lines. But the words are clear so can't give her a less than a 3. It's not her fault that I find the author's story telling style annoying.
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 2
Character development = 3
Story itself = 3.5
Ending = 0.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = 2.5
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 3.5
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone Series:
