Review: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor
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.

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?

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.

[Image Credit: Wes-Talbott]

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:

Review: THE GRIMROSE PATH

The Grimrose Path by Rob Thurman
Book 2 of Trickster series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback

About The Grimrose Path:

I looked at the metal coated with blood — so very much blood — the same color as the darkest crimson rose. I was undoing this. I was making this right. And I’d like to see the son of a bitch who thought he could stop me.

Bar owner Trixa Iktomi knows that inhuman creatures of light and darkness roam Las Vegas-especially since she’s a bit more than human herself. She’s just been approached with an unusual proposition. Something has slaughtered almost one thousand demons in six months. And the killing isn’t going to stop unless Trixa and her friends step into the fight.

Source: Info in the About The Grimrose Path was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7827387-the-grimrose-path on 10/09/2012.

[Image Credit: Wes-Talbott]

Narrative Evaluation:

I have a few issues with some minor details... like when you sink a pointy heel into somebody's chest they tend to scream in pain and struggle, or even fight back. Not just lie there and let you do it. Little details like that, which tends to drag the suspension of disbelief down a couple of notches. And like in Book 1, this book also got a few little holes in the plot. I am kinda hoping that this little annoyances would improve in the next books in this series because I really like this author's story telling quality! It's quite compelling and I guess this is the main contributing factor why the book is a fast-paced one. Another thing about this book which I like is that Rob Thurman has masterfully woven the different mythologies with the christian "War In Heaven" theme into the world of the Trickster. This earned this series brownie points! At the end of it, I enjoyed this book a lot and looking forward to reading more books in this series. I am just hoping that there would be a lot of improvement in the plot building.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 3
Ending = 3.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 3.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Review: TRICK OF THE LIGHT

Trick Of The Light by Rob Thurman
Book 1 of Trickster series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback

About Trick Of The Light:

Now you see it… Now you don’t… Now you’re history.

There are demons in the world, Monsters. Creatures that would steal your soul. You might hide under your covers at night and pretend all’s right with the world, but you know. Even if you don’t want to admit it…

Las Vegas bar owner Trixa Iktomi deals in information. And in a city where unholy creatures roam the neon night, information can mean life or death. Not that she has anything personal against demons. They can be sexy as hell, and they’re great for getting the latest gossip. But they also steal human souls and thrive on chaos. So occasionally Trixa and her friends have to teach them manners.

When Trixa learns of a powerful artifact known as the Light of Life, she knows she’s hit the jackpot. Both sides-angel and demon-would give anything for it. But first she had to find it. And as Heaven and Hell ready for an apocalyptic throw-down, Trixa must decide where her true loyalty lies-and what she’s ready to fight for. Because in her world, if you line up on the wrong side, you pay with more than your life…

Source: Info in the About Trick Of The Light was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294062-trick-of-the-light on 29/08/2012.

[Image Credit: Wes-Talbott]

Review:

At first I thought that this is an entirely new series playing in an entirely different world. But by chapter 2 we meet Robin Goodfellow again. That was when I realised that though the Trickster series sports an entirely new cast, it plays in the same world as the Cal Leandros series. For a Cal Leandros addict, I was in seventh heaven!! By chapter 6, the book is starting to take on a Supernatural Season 6 "feel" to it with the "War In Heaven" theme. I also happen to be a Supernatural longtime fan, so I am happy for anything to feed my Supernatural addiction. However I am now getting worried that this book and this series would now start to take on a "recycled" theme effect. I'm nervous that it might start to feel like "same old, same old". At one time I wondered whether Rob Thurman copied from Supernatural or was it the other way around? But seeing that this book was published in 2009 and Supernatural Season 6 aired in 2011, I would say that it was the Supernatural scriptwriters who copied from Rob Thurman for so stark are the similarities...

There are little holes in the plot like, If the Eden House was such a powerful organization which has survived for a very, very long time, I'm sure they would screen their recruits stringently like I imagine they do in the secret service. So how come they could not connect the dots from A to B and make the connection between characters A and B? That just sounded strange to me. However I was willing to overlook those tiny holes for the twisty-ness and surprises it slugged me with. Lots and lots of brownie points for the twisty plot! At the end of it, I was glad I have The Grimrose Path to read to feed my urban fantasy addiction right after the fantastic ending of this book!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4
Plot = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries