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

Almost didn't read, but glad I did!

The description from the back of the book was both intriguing & not. I've had this book on my to-read list for more than a year, but always hesitated to start it, even though I almost did several times. Finally, (thankfully) I just decided to hell with it, bought it & began.

As soon as I got a few pages in, I realized I related to Karou & Zuzana being in art school, being an art grad myself, so I quickly sunk into the story & accepted the characters. The further I got, the harder it was to put down!

Eventually I began to understand what the description of the book meant & the idea of that became all the more intriguing! Halfway through listening to the audio, I bought the Kindle book as well, just so I could read it when I got home (I listen during the day at work & on my commutes). So I plowed through the book fast, devouring each page, one after the next. If I wasn't a responsible adult with a husband and a full time job I may have read it cover to cover in one sitting!

I agree with some reviewers have said about Karou learning as the audience learned what was happening and connections happened on my own as I read. The information isn't always given to the reader, but rather presented in a way that allows the reader to come up with those conclusions on their own & that is more exciting. Laini did a great job writing it in that specific way.

Overall, a great read! I'm leaping fast into the next installment, happy I found the series after all of the books are already published!! :)

Not my scene

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

I just couldn't get into it. The story is between chimeras & seraphim and as much as I enjoy fantasy, I just couldn't relate to these characters. If you like scifi, this is probably more your scene.

Has Daughter of Smoke and Bone turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

There wasn't anything wrong with the narration, it just wasn't a great story.

Do you think Daughter of Smoke and Bone needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

There is a follow-up, but I won't be reading/listening to it.

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your time.

Brilliant!

Most enjoyable book. Can't wait for sequel. Great to start a new series that is worth pursuing. Keep them coming.

Not So good

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

The story was a unique idea, but I did not finish. Got too dark for me about her working for Satan's men or something and there was a lot of swearing. Not happy with my purchase, would not recommend.

What was most disappointing about Laini Taylor’s story?

Foul Language and Link to Satan, too dark/evil for me.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

AMAZING PERFORMER, she did so good at doing voices and had just the right amount of animation.

Could you see Daughter of Smoke and Bone being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see it, but I wouldn't see it.

Unbelievably imaginative. I loved it.

This fantasy is the first book of a trilogy and I loved all three books. The author was probably writing for teens, since the protagonists were of that age, but I'm an older woman and this trilogy is one of my all-time favorites. It's hard to say anything about the book without giving away too much of the story, but I will say that it begins with Karou, a female student in Prague, who travels between what we think of as the real world, and a secret one. She enters the other world through an invisible door and runs secret errands for the people/creatures who raised her. A love story permeates this book of secrets and the biggest secret is unknown even to Karou. The narrator is perfect, giving just the right voice to every character. This story has mystery, lots of high adventure, and romance, with no explicit sex scenes. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy supernatural stories. If you don't, maybe you will after reading this series.

Really fell in love with this book!

Reading the mixed reviews of both the book itself and the audio version I was hesitant to give this series a chance...I am SO glad I did! At first I didn't know how I felt about the story or the narrator, but after the first several chapters I was not only hooked, but in love! The story, characters, and narrator quickly grew on me and I found myself wanting more and more. At first the story seems almost childish, but as the characters and story develop it turns into something magical. Give this one a chance, and make sure you stick with it through the first several chapters and you will not be disappointed. The second book is even better! Can't wait for the third.

average

The classic love story with a new spin...yawn. The small things about this story were interesting, but the overall premise I find to be rather over done.

How did I overlook this one?

I bought this audio back in 2015 and somehow never listened to it. going through my library, I found it and decided it was time.

I loved it. It's long but the pacing is perfect. The world is amazing and the story captivating. I'll be continuing with this series!

Interesting

No spoilers here. It started off a little slow for me and I wasn’t sure if I would continue to the next book. I will, but if I wasn’t able to it wouldn’t eat at me to know what happens next. You know when you get to the end of a book in a series and there is a cliff hanger and you can’t wait to get to the next book? This story doesn’t do that for me, but it was so bad that I have zero interest in doing so. The characters backstory isn’t something I’ve read before which is nice. In a nutshell, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I don’t know if that’s helpful for anyone but keep in mind that people have different taste in books and writing style. This book may be a 5 star for many. I got it because I saw people raving about it in a private book group chat so I gave it a whirl.

Love this series.

I absolutely adore this series and I’m so glad that I’ve got the audio now because it’s the perfect book to listen to while doing stuff. You’re transported to Prague and then elsewhere and the story is intriguing. Adore Karou and Akiva.