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

WONDERFUL Fantasy

This book is flippin fantastic. I read it in about a day and was pretty much caught up in "Elsewhere". And that is just one of the many, many things that makes Daughter of Smoke and Bone so darn good. Here are some reasons why you should read this book:

The world building is stunning.
I mean, really. Some of the best world building I've seen this year between the demons, the angels, and the war. The descriptions of the places that Karou sees while she is in "Elsewhere" and also just the whole notion of this other world where demons are reincarnated during battle. There are such intricate details of this world that it feels real. If you like fantasy, you're going to love this book. So epic.

Great Writing
The writing in this book is incredible, bar none. Great descriptions, whisking you away in this fantasy tale of star-crossed lovers and a battle as old as time. I could literally see everything playing out right in front of me. I haven't read Ms. Taylor's other work but I've heard great things about Lips Touch: Three Times and if it's anything like Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I'll be raving over it as well.

The Ending
Simply amazing. I was on the edge of my seat and now I'm waiting for more.

Side note: I do not like Prague. This is a personal bias against the city because of a bad experience there while I was studying abroad. Going into this book, I was extremely skeptical because it's set in Prague. I have been to the Charles Bridge and some of the other destinations mentioned and you know what? I actually liked this Prague. Seeing the city through Karou's eyes made me actually like Prague. Kudos, Laini Taylor!

Fantastic characters, story and performance

What did you love best about Daughter of Smoke and Bone?

The characters in this book are fantastic. From Brimstone and the rest of the chimera, to Karou and her human friends, and the angels, they all have unique characteristics and are brought to life in by both the author and the performance.

What did you like best about this story?

Khristine Hvam's performance is right up ther with Jim Dale's performance in the Harry Potter series. She breathes a different life into each character and gives them their own voice no matter how big or small their role. She treats them with respect and gives them a completeness that is hard to find in books with a large cast.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book makes me smile and warms the heart, but it also tears at the heart strings when the situation calls for it. It really runs the gammut of emotions

Any additional comments?

While I felt the ending was a little weak, I'm really excited to see wher Ms. Taylor takes the characters next.

Unique

This was quite unique in the whole genre of angel/demon/fae YA literature. I like the mythology and I loved that the settings were exotic - Prague and Marakesh. I fully intend to read the next book.

So good!

Holy crap! I've had this book on my "To Read" shelf forever. I read it because one of my friends told me I "needed to" and was she right! This book was so engrossing. I didn't even read the synopsis but was enthralled since page 1. The pacing of this book was perfect and every single detail well-thought-out and necessary. Laini Taylor has such a unique imagination. I can't wait for the next book and so glad that it's only 3 mos away!

If you are a fan of supernatural or fantasy, this is a MUST READ!

Engrossing!

I really enjoyed this. It felt pretty substantial -- especially for a young adult novel -- with interesting characters, decent writing and a story that had some depth. I was kept completely engrossed by Khristine Hvam's narration. I've already downloaded the next book and can't wait to listen!

Eh...

The concept was great, but the whole drama of forbidden love kind of ruined it for me. The cliffhanger was also pretty annoying. I would definitely have enjoyed a book simply about the interaction between the two worlds.

This is a MUST HAVE!!

Refreshing, totally unbound, well narrated, and just completely worth it! I quickly bought book 2 ( just couldn't wait for more credits to be added, I paid anyway) I am holding my breath for the next addition. I can't wait to see where this author goes with this!

The best story I've read (heard) this year!

At first, I wasn't sure about Khristine Hvam--Karou sounded a bit too much like Arial from the Little Mermaid--but I was soon impressed by how she slipped in and out of the different character's voices, and she won me over. The story, however, had me at hello. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the best fantasy story I've heard (or read) this year. I'm so excited to hear the rest!

Fascinating series!! Not YA however.

The plot of this book caught me eye, along with alot of good reviews which were worth their merit.

The book is well written in terms of the characters and environment, introduces you to a unique young lady who doesn't know anything really about her past or the pseudo family that she loves or the chore she is consistently asked complete. We step into the murky world of angels and chimeera (which are not demons in this case, just different from angels) embattled in a war that began with their ancestors for reasons that no longer exist. And our star crossed lovers enter the picture -an angel and mystery girl.

I have not given away the plot, there is so much more inside, definitely a whole new universe has to be explained in the second book which is out. I however hold to my assessment that this is not a young adult book, there are sexual over and undertones throughout this book. Also the topic of angels and what are basically demons, are much more on the real side than the very fictional vampires, werewolves and ghouls, and can and will confuse a young person who is not inclined to understand that is a complete and total work of fiction. There are other options out there for fantasy YA, this one is really on the border. However it is a good read otherwise and I look forward to seeing what else is in store.

Amazing story. Unique charcters.

This book is a great surprise. Each character is so unique, the story so engaging. I am listening to it constantly, I don't want it to end. The love story is pleasantly mature in a way that it is lovely to listen to, not explicit. You can imagine their love for eachother, and not have to be told what happens. The language is clean, I can listen to the book on the stereo while my kids are in the room, I can't always do that. I look forward to exploring more of Ms. Taylor's books.