Days of Blood & Starlight

By: Laini Taylor

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

An art student and monster's apprentice must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people in this riveting sequel to the mesmerizing, acclaimed book Daughter of Smoke & Bone by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor—now with a gorgeous new package!

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

©2012 Laini Taylor (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Enchanting!

I loved the first book and this one was just as captivating. Fantastic read!

I Can't See The Stars Anymore Living Here...

This is a very, very dark sequel to "Daughter of Smoke and Bone." It is also a great second in a trilogy, something which is difficult to do. Taylor's world-building is unique and visionary. The characters are rich and complex. I do not want to go too much into detail, but I highly recommend this entire series.

A Very Different Feeling Sequel

The story is still engaging, but this book has a very different feel than the first. Probably because it takes place mostly amoung the non-Humans, it feels less relatable. On the whole it's still a good story, but not quite as captivating as the first. As always Zuzana is the high point.

More Please

Where does Days of Blood & Starlight rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm so sad that I'm done reading this one. I wish there was more. I loved the story line and the twists and turns of the book. I am usually incredibly good at figuring out the plot to almost every book or movie, just by looking for cues. This book had more than one surprise that left me wishing for more ....

So, please don't let the next book in the series take more than a year to come out. PLEASE!

Brutal and engaging , with laughter and hope

I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone so much, I raced out to get Days of Blood and Starlight as soon as I finished it. I couldn't put ithe second book down, like with the first, it is an engaging but brutal story, with moments of laughter and hope. Although, I would have preferred a little more romance and a little less blood. It's an excellent story, full of creativity and characters to love, I hope the unrelenting suffering and separation of the main characters in this book abates in the next one.

Much More than Five Stars!

Normally, when I get a book that has no text-to-speech and isn't lendable I give it fewer stars in the rating. But since I love this series so much that I would give it more than five stars for each book, you can only go down to the limit of five from above. Dar rationalization. I'm sticking to it! Besides, without the narration of Khristine Hvam, I think, this book would just be average. Who am I kidding? I think it would still be fantastic. Khristine Hvam is just the icing on the cake--but isn't that the best part?

Book two starts off immediately where book one left off. Good think I reread book one to understand that. The adventure continues with all the same players and a few new ones. I love that there are more points of view introduced in this book. Zuzana now has her own part to play as does her boyfriend, Mik. Their thoughts and histories add humor and wonder to a crazy world that Karou and Akiva already knew and showed us in book one. I love Zuzana so much. I love her sense of humor and excitement. I may love her more than the main character, Karou. But Mik is adorable, too. They add a lot to the story.

I want to write more, but book three is calling so loudly that I can't think of anything else to say. Please, give this series a chance, preferably with the narration. I think you may love it as much as I do. Now let me go bury myself in the next book. Bye!

Very Nice Listen

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

Yes, character's voices are close to my imagination

What did you like best about this story?

Character Depth, plot

What does Khristine Hvam bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She makes characters seem as if jumping off page.

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

No, but not even finished with listen. Had to write this. Almost, almost as well narrated as Davina Porter, and Outlander series, which is Gold Standard.

Any additional comments?

Great Listen; I was kind of leery after buying and returning Kim Harrison, Dead Witch Walking (did not like narration), but pleasantly suprised. And money not lost with Audible's return policy.

As good or better than the first book!

Would you listen to Days of Blood & Starlight again? Why?

I will definitely listen to it again! The story is so compelling, and the writing is gorgeous. Laini Taylor has become one of my favorite authors. This book is a little harder to read because the focus has shifted to the points of view of many characters and in multiple locations, but it's handled really well. I also feel like Laini did a fantastic job of showing just enough brutality to be realistic in a war-torn setting without being gratuitous or over the top. Her world-building is fantastic- I really felt a sense of every location and could close my eyes and picture each scene, especially in the "sandcastle".

What was one of the most memorable moments of Days of Blood & Starlight?

It would be a MAJOR spoiler to say, so I'll just say the whole interaction with Karou, Akiva, and Thiago.

What does Khristine Hvam bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I haven't listened to the first book yet (read the hardcover) but for DoBaS I started with the audio and I'm so glad I did. Khristine really brought out the nuances and subtext for me, as well as the humor of Zuzana and Mick.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Again, don't want to spoil, but the scene where Ziri has to make a decision that Karou doesn't want him to make. My heart felt ripped in two at that point.

Any additional comments?

Read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and you'll fall in love with Akiva and Karou. Read Days of Blood and Starlight, and you'll fall in love with everyone who matters to them.

As good as the first!

Would you listen to Days of Blood & Starlight again? Why?

Yes, I would although more likely I'll wait until the last one comes out.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like all the characters, but in this book my favorite is Zuzana. She's very funny.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

The voice fits the characters.

Really good

The story is great, couldn't wait to find out how the story could continue but I am happy with how the story line is coming together and the narrator is really outstanding.