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 Audible Masterpiece

Where does Daughter of Smoke and Bone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in my top 5. I didn't even realize how much I truly enjoyed it until the second book came out and I was positively giddy placing it in my Shopping Cart. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the perfect beginning to this trilogy. It creates a foundation while opening the possibilities for the storyline.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

Hvam does an excellent job of capturing emotions with her shifts in tone. She is a talented reader and I look forward to listening to her again.

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

Heck yea! If I could have, I would have.

Any additional comments?

This series is not for the faint of heart especially once you get to the second installment. I would not recommend this book to someone who has an issue with violence. However, if you do not mind a little blood, this book is worthy of exploration.

Very unique book!

Wow. This is one of the most interesting, unique books I've read in a long time! The characters are amazing, even the secondary characters are memorable and unforgettable. The world that the author built was so vivid I had wished a couple times that there had been pictures. Should I be embarrassed to admit that?

Unfortunately, I do have a small criticism. There was way too much angst and self reflection going on. Several times during the book I just wanted them to get on with it already! I don't think it was the writing style because I didn't have any issues with the rest of the book, but I think (for me) it was just the way the author decided to write those sections of the story. I found them a little boring and long winded.

Overall, the book was excellent and the narrator was excellent!

A good start

This is an interesting story, well developed if a bit heavy at times. This first volume sets up what looks to be a star-crossed love story with a fantastical war in a parallel world as its backdrop. There aren't a lot of surprises, but the characters are interesting and it's engaging to watch the details unfold. The author lays it on a bit thick a bit too often, though. The reader does an excellent job, particularly in bringing to light the side-kick/best-friend character who both brightens and lightens the atmosphere.

Different kind of YA book

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was a book I was not super into throughout but felt compelled to finish because it was somewhat interesting. There were a few questions early on that kept me listening because I wanted to know the answers. If not for them, I may have ditched earlier. Very different than the typical YA book. Odd places, scenarios, characters. Sometimes so odd I had a hard time relating but interesting enough so that I wanted to know more. I will not be getting the sequel though as I do not really care what happens to anyone :(

Waiting on the next one!

Excellent narration. A perfect choice for this book. Made every emotion palpatible! bring on the next one.

Interesting book, a little frustrating at times.

A few reviews likened this book to Twilight. Aside from the paranormal flavor and the star-crossed lovers, I don't see much overlap. Well, some of the ways the author references the main romantic relationship are pretty sappy. I think the book is on a more interesting and intelligent level than Twilight. I liked the story.
The performance was lacking. The performer has two accents she uses and most of the scenes where the main character is experiencing wonder or melancholy, she just sounds flat. It really detracted from the story.

Oh boy this is a goody!

Any additional comments?

First of all, the narrator is superb. I tend to follow narrators, listening to everything within my genres of interest. I would listen to anything Khristine Hvam did.

I was a little worried at first because I'm not much of a young adult book reader, and thought this would be a little youthful for my tastes, and boy was I wrong. I ate the book hungrily, and then came back and bought the other two before I was even finished with the first - I didn't want any break between books!


This is one of those stories that makes you wish there was more....give me more! This was superbly written. I'm off now to see what else Laini Taylor has written.

So much better than I thought it was

What made the experience of listening to Daughter of Smoke and Bone the most enjoyable?

Mostly Khristine Hyam whose performance was amazing and brought the characters and story to life. I loved her in Iron Fey and I love her in this.

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

It's really nothing I've read before. It has a feel of a little of this and a little of that but it's a story of it's own.

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

Iron Fey series and it has the same pace and life to the character. You know what the characters are by her performance and that's what makes it great.

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

Within a week.

Any additional comments?

I loved it and was surprised by it.

Enjoyable!!!!

This book has been sitting in my wish list since it came out. I kept on pushing it aside to read something else. I am so glad I finally listened to it. I enjoyed it right from the start. There where times that where a little slow and drawn out, but the overall story makes up for it.

I liked the narrarator for the most part. The fake accent was a little hard to listen to at first, but I got use to it quickly. I am looking forward to the next book!

Daughter of Smoke and Bons

This was an engaging, intense story. The narration was excellent. Parts of the story was crude but I don't remember any cussing. The ending definitely sets you up for #2