Daughter of Smoke and Bone

By: Laini Taylor

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In a nation on the brink of war, a young art student's star-crossed love begins to bloom in the first book of the New York Times best-selling epic fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Laini Taylor.

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 otherworldly 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 one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored 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?

©2011 Laini Taylor (P)2011 Hachette Audio

An amazing read from start to finish.

This is my favorite book that I've ever read and I am ecstatic to be able to listen to it be narrated as I don't have the time to read physical books much these days.

The narrator was wonderful and did a great job capturing each character's differences via their voices. I could tell which character was which.

The story itself was wonderfully written and it's just as lovely as I remembered it to be.

The interview at the end of the book was the cherry on top. All in all, it's still and it always will be one of my favorite books whether it's in audible, kindle or physical form.

Meh

Meh the first 30 chapters were boring after that then it got interesting not bad could be better

Another World!

Any additional comments?

I could lick this book. The world building is phenomenal and oh so decadent! You will be hooked from the first chapter. Our heroine is smart funny and brave and you will fall in love with her and every other quirky character you meet. The ending is a little rough (for me) BUT I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT!

Khristine Hvam's narration is spot on!

Laini Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is such a different kind of modern fantasy; it’s hard to know where to start. So I guess I gotta just jump right into it.

I really liked this strange world Taylor created of humans, angels (Seraphim & Fallen) and mix of demon like creatures (pure & resurrected). The story takes place in “real” time and flash backs, as well as on earth (mostly Prague) and a demon realm.

Although DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE fascinated me from the start, the story did rollercoaster a bit. I was immediately drawn in by the oddly captivating tattooed artist Karou; with her blue hair and magical ways, then Smoke and Bones lost me a little in the middle and yet, re-captivated me again with Akiva and Madrigal story. So yes, I really liked this new and innovative tale of Love and Brimstone (pun intended ~_*) but the lulls midway through, dragged the story some, preventing a 5 star over-the-top declaration of love from me.

Slow bits aside, I did really love all the colorful characters and appreciated the uniqueness and imaginativeness of the story as a whole. I’d recommend DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE to any fan of curious dark worlds of demon creatures and angels... Oh yes and ‘love of overcoming’, of course.

Truly outstanding!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Daughter of Smoke and Bone to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but I truly found this book to be exceptional, by far the best book I've read on audible.

What other book might you compare Daughter of Smoke and Bone to and why?

I can't compare this book to any other, it's unique and stands alone. Sometimes you come across a book that transcends what you expect and desire from a book by such leaps and bounds that you can't compare it to anything else. It stands alone in it's own category.

Have you listened to any of Khristine Hvam’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I had not listened to Khristine before, yet I feel that this performance was flawless. I was ready to give up on audiobooks after attempting to get through 50 Shades of Grey and suffering. This book was amazing though and I give great credit to Khristine Hvam's performance for taking a stellar book, to the next level!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was highly addictive and I couldn't stop listening.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to everyone, even if fantasy isn't your genre, the storytelling and richly woven details will make you a fan of Laini and Khristine.

Atypical and otherworldly

Though I'd seen Daughter of Smoke and Bone everywhere, I think I was avoiding it, assuming it was another one of "those" books: the standard YA fantasy about a high school girl who inexplicably gains the obsessive love of an angel and ends up saving the world or some such thing. And then, in possibly the weirdest book buying decision-maker ever for me, I spotted it on Laini's Pinterest page. Above a board filled with half man, half beast creatures, educated devils (I know this because they were wearing spectacles), spectacular angels, and drawings of all, was a smiling, pink-haired girl declaring simply, "I write fantasy books; my newest is Daughter of Smoke and Bone. My husband has awesome sideburns and my daughter's middle name is Pie." And I thought, maybe I was wrong about this being the same old fairy tale.

Turns out, I was.

At first, I wasn't convinced. But at about a third through, I was hooked. I'll admit there is a bit of that previously mentioned kind of story here, but it is far from same old. The writing is beautiful and characters interesting, nonstandard, and unexpected. The locations are wonderfully "there" and change throughout the story to new and enticing places. It is suspense and the unknown and lovely storytelling, but what really got me were the passages with Karou and Akiva. There were moments so deliciously well done, that I wanted to stop and rewind to listen again. But I couldn't, because I needed to know what happened next. And, in a way that only audiobooks can trap you, I found myself not wanting the trip to end. I was, more than once, simply sitting in the driveway listening because I couldn't bring myself to hit stop. Those "pages" were worth the whole book.

It's hard to tell more of the specifics without spoilers because, like all good books, the unwinding of the story is the best part. But I will say if you're a fan of anything in the genre, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is worth a try. The narration was flawless. And I've already purchased book two.

AMAZING

Holy smokes this is one of the best novels I have heard on audio. Daughter of Smoke & Bones is paranormal meets action with hidden secrets. I can tell you that fans of any genre will enjoy the world that Lani Taylor built. The story is narrated by Khristine Hvam who brings the characters to life. I loved this book so much that I purchased the real book because I'm sure I will read it soon.

Paints a beautiful picture!

Would you listen to Daughter of Smoke and Bone again? Why?

Yes, it's so lovely. Rich pictures are painted, beautiful narration, amazing story, and characters you really care about.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Karou of course! A kickbutt heroine! Very lovable. Flawed, real. I like her.

Have you listened to any of Khristine Hvam’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Wonderful accents, a lovely pitch, good meter. She did great!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Once upon a time, and angel and a devil fell in love. It did not go well."

Any additional comments?

Purchased the second book immediately after finishing this one. I couldn't wait to see what happened!

Why did I wait so long?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I passed on this for so long and now I am kicking myself. This book is awesome! Its uniqueness blew me away. Its getting so hard to find things that are truly unique anymore. Not that I mind my traditional urban/para books, but its refreshing to hear something completely new.

What other book might you compare Daughter of Smoke and Bone to and why?

I can't think of anything else like it and that is a good thing.

Which scene was your favorite?

Let's just say things got a little bit itchy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Actually, for the first time in awhile with a new book, yes.

Any additional comments?

I am SO bummed this is only a trilogy. I love the world and the characters. I guess too much of a good thing is bad, but I love this, and wish it could stay longer than 3 books.

The story was fairly good but...

Being Czech, I was a bit distracted by the narrator’s incorrect pronunciation of the Czech names (and a bad attempt at Czech accent) and the author’s general misuse of the Czech language (esp. names, their deminutives and surnames) and some incorrect cultural/architectural/culinary references. Also, the Prague depicted in the book is not the Prague I know…