Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

I was drawn to the Daughter of Smoke and Bone book over a year ago, and subsequently received it for Christmas last year. Typical with myself, I am distracted by various other book releases that are coming out and as a result end up having a pile of books I have to get round to. Finally….i picked up this book by Laini Taylor. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is categorised within the fantasy and young adult genre, and for very good reason, centred on Demons/Monsters, Angels and that of our main protagonist Karou. I will paste a snippet of the blurb so you can get the general idea of what the book is about:

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, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

When I read this blurb I knew I had to get this book, and even when I picked it up again last week, the blurb immediately made me want to read it, the intrigue into what it could be about, teeth…handprints…winged strangers…devils supply…what more could draw a reader into reading a book.

Laini Taylors writing in this book is simply amazing, she weaves a world filled with magic and wonder, and so imaginative, you simply feel a little lost after closing the book and staring at the real world around you. A synopsis of this book tells us that this will be a story about how a Demon falls in love with an Angel…But that is not what this book is really about. The categorisation of Demon and Angel is incredibly subjective, this book is in no way a religious book, or has denotations of religion within it. They are simply races, living in a separate world parallel to that of Earth that is colliding in battle.

Our main protagonist is Karou, she is a sharp witted, vibrant art student living in the heart of Prague, who is quite frankly incredibly bad ass. I mean who would ever have the guts to answer back to a demon called Brimstone, who is not only a sorcerer, but from description…is kind of a bit scary looking….Never mind the adventures she forever goes on and the complications she encounters on her errands she does for Brimstone. Karou to her friends (I say friends, she has just the one) appears as secretive, independent and yet a confident and talented girl. Unaware of Karou’s secret life in the Demon World, her one and only friend Zuzana, battles that of the secretive Karou, her sudden disappearances and lack of family or friends leaving her at time rejected and confused. But Karous loneliness is what keeps Zuzana close by.

The second main character is that of Akiva, a Seraph (Or Angel) he is described as handsome, mysterious and strong.  We follow Akiva as he completes his mission, and ultimately meets Karou. The development between Akiva and Karou is great, there is that fear, threat and uncertainty that follow the pair of them throughout the book.  Uncovering snippets of each of their past the further the book develops. I almost felt like as each chapter progressed another layer of each of the characters was unveiled. Keeping the interest and intrigue constant with these characters the entirety of the book.

In the Other world, where Karou’s ‘Family’ are, known as Chimaera (Demons) the images Laini Taylor creates with her descriptive writing of Issa, Brimstone and Kishmish is truly admiring. When you are first introduced to these characters, Laini’s description clearly paints an image in your head so you have that character immediately envisioned. The details and specifics of appearance and mannerisms are truly incredible. An undeniable credit to Laini’s talent as a writer.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a brilliant fantasy book, and I would say a great starting book for those who are interested in reading more into the fantasy genre. Laini Creates such an amazing world and story, with great twist and turns, you really feel for Karou’s character. You feel her pain, loss and anger; you are pulled straight into her world. The pace of the book is great, there were no lapses in my concentration when reading this, and in fact I struggled to put it down when I had other things to do. This truly is an epic fantasy world that is populated with a variety of Angels and Demons.

This is part of a Trilogy, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book, I have heard it is even better than the first…if that is even possible.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating

The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting Book Review

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

When I first came across this book, I really didn’t know what to expect, from the blurb and other reviews, it came across as a young adult, romance, supernatural, crime thriller. So i was not entirely sure how it would all pan out, as it seemed like too many themes in the mixing pot. However, it really wasn’t as I thought it would be.

From the opening pages we are introduced to Violet, a young girl who seemingly has a knack…(I say knack, as power sounds a bit action hero esque) for being able to sense and find dead bodies. Morbid?... yeah! Violet is able to sense the echoes of the dead, which call out to her to be found. We learn that she typically finds those of animals, prey if you will, which have been killed in the woodlands around her house, except for that one day, where instead of an animal, it’s a young girl found, buried…murdered.

The premise of The Body Finder, centres around Violet and her gift, which I felt was very subtle to the point it almost didn’t feel supernatural, it was not over the top or to the point of being ridiculous. It was just the right amount to almost be believable, dare I say. The secondary focus is that of Jay Heaton, Violets long time best friend. Jay knows about Violets gift, after spending their childhood together, making adventures up focused around Violets gift, developing a closer bond and relationship over the years of growing up together. The story focuses on the shift in their relationship now they are both older, and now that the girls in school have noticed the changes in Jay over the past few months. Jay is now admired by nearly all the girls in their year, and Violet is not sure how to feel about her best friends new found admiration. Thirdly, there is a killer on the loose, young girls are disappearing right off the streets, and no one knows where they are…except perhaps Violet…nobody can quite find a dead body like her, but at what cost to her own safety?

There are many twists and turns within this book, you never know where you are heading or what is next, you cannot predict what will happen on the next page. It is one of the many reasons I could not put this book down, I had to know what was going to happen next, who is the killer, who will be the next to disappear, it’s getting closer to Violets home town will it be someone she knows taken next? So many questions that you are left hungry for the answers too.

The writing style is easy to follow, it is overall an easy book to sit down and read and lose yourself in, as it is one of those gripping reads that you just cannot remove yourself from. You feel for the characters, worry for them in parts too. You follow them on this journey peeking round each corner to see what is about to happen next.

The character development is very slight throughout the book, with only slight shifts in characters actions and personalities. The one thing I lacked was greater detail on the relationship with her parents, it is there at times, but I felt I knew and felt more comfortable with her relationship with her uncle than that of her parents; they barely seemed to be around. I know this is part of a series of books and currently there are two books after this, so maybe there will be more detail and interaction with her mum and dad from there.

Overall I would recommend this book, it is an enjoyable read and I cannot wait to find out what happens as the series progresses.

I would give this a 4 out of 5 star rating.

October Book Haul

So as many book lovers will know,  it is impossible to not walk into a book shop and come out empty handed. Or at least with a list of all the amazing books you now want to buy. I am one of those people. As a result  I end up with an overflowing bookshelf or a precariously stacked pile of books that I need to work through, so each month I am going to set myself a target of what books I want to read, hopefully this clears down my pile and ultimately….means I can go on to buy more….

For the remainder of this month, seeing as we are almost half way through now, I intend to work through the following list and hopefully provide reviews of each:

Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell

The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

The Coldest Girl in Cold Town – Holly Black

Happy Reading!

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell Book Review

It is safe to say, I am late to the Rainbow Rowell Fangirl bandwagon. I bought this book a few months ago after hearing great things about it and seeing many a 4/5 star review. However, I never got round to reading it, I just didn’t have that pull of ‘’I need to read it now!’’ that I had with many of the other books I had purchased. Safe to say I completely regret that I didn’t.

I don’t really want to talk too much about the content in the book or the characters, as much as I know a review is solely for that, but I really don’t want to take away that first experience of reading this book, because it really is so enjoyable. I read it in one sitting, all be it, I was up until half 2 in the morning….totally worth it may I add.

Fangirl is an amazing book, I honestly wish I picked it up and turned that first page the instant I bought it. This is such a heartfelt, coming of age book that is so relatable in so many ways. The character Cather (Cath) is the main protagonist, following her struggles as an introvert, lost in her fan fiction world of Simon Snow. Watching her transition through to college, with her twin Wren, who is the complete opposite as the social butterfly that she is, is not only heart wrenching at times, but humorous with just how easily anyone can relate to her.

Cath is one who loves to lose herself in her fictional world online, writing fan fiction about her favourite Simon Snow series (something quite similar to that of a certain Harry Potter) she is not one for parties, or drinking, or even making friends. She has after all, always had her twin there for her to do that. But with Wren cutting the ‘twin string’ as I see it and devouring her independence as the college student she is, Cath is now left to make her own way in this world, completely out of her comfort zone.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rowell’s writing in this book; before you know it you are completely absorbed into this world, encouraging Cath along with each twist and turn she faces, you feel sorry for her and her lack of confidence, her over analysing of situations, but you also laugh along with her. ‘’Emergency Dance Party’’ being an all-time favourite moment, for many a reason. There is nothing more you want, than to root for her throughout the entirety of this book.

The character development throughout this book continually grows, characters I was unsure of or didn’t like I grew to like, characters I thought I would enjoy actually infuriated me, only to curve ball back round for me to like them again, you really feel each moment and each situation. Which really is a credit to Rowell’s talent as a writer.

My one negative, if you can even call it that, as much as I loved to read Cath’s fanfiction, at times I felt it wasn’t needed, I know it was the sole basis of the ‘Fangirl’ theme, but i think I got a little greedy with wanting to spend more time with Cath on her journey. Than the odd page from Simon Snow or Carry On Simon Snow.

I thoroughly recommend you read this book, it is a young adult genre, but I’m 25 years old….and I love nothing more than a good young adult book and this is one of my favourites so far. Rowell is by far an amazing author, and I cannot wait to dive into her other books such as Eleanor and Park and Attachments. I just hope it absorbs me as much into the pages as this book did.

I would give it 4 out of 5 star rating .