Days of Blood & Starlight

It's hard to write a review of this book without giving away too may spoilers, so I will keep this as general as possible.
This book is amazing! If you loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone (a must read on my list) then you will LOVE this book too. It's darker then the first and not as much romance (to my disappointment) but it is exquisitely written and the story will suck you in from the beginning. Once this story gets going you will find it very hard to stop listening. I was obsessed!
I was happy to see Zusana is back (she is one of my favorite characters) and there are many new ones introduced in this one.
I wouldn't suggest picking this book up before reading Smoke and Bone as it might be too confusing given all the new character developments.
As before, Khristine Hvam is brilliant at the narration. Thank you to Hachette Audio for sticking to a narrator that works!

I highly recommend this book/series and I can not wait for the next installment.

5 Stars all around

Well, my friends. Laini Taylor has hit it out of the park yet again with her sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and partnering yet again with incomparable audio narrator Khristine Hvam, I am simultaneously thrilled and pained that the wait has now begun for the final book.

Picking right up where Daughter of Smoke and Bone left off, this fast-paced and emotional book will not disappoint, as second books in trilogies sometimes can. Instead, Taylor sparkles with wit and depth, continuing the intelligent, wistful, and adventurous tale of Kerou, the heartbroken chimera. Left alone and considered a traitor, Kerou is still dealing with her conflicted feelings for Akiva, the seraphim angel. And although she is completely dedicated to her chimera people, and her wonderfully loyal and hilarious friends Zuzana and Mick (loved them!), Kerou doubts the leader of her chimera people, Thiago, and his motives. Final chapters leave the listener reeling, shocked by events, and breathless for the final book.

I refuse to divulge anything more for fear that it might give anything away for either book in the series, however suffice it to say that:

-- Book 2 is just as spectacular, creative, and innovative as Book 1
-- It is excellent on audio
-- It is the perfect book to listen to while running (it will make you run longer just to hear what happens next)
-- I wish that this was a longer series simply because I believe that Taylor has created a universe just as full and magnificent, and could equal a long duration, as the successful Harry Potter series
-- Bottom Line: You should read this

That is all I can say about this stunning Young Adult fantasy tale of angels and monsters, good versus evil, love and heartache, loyalty and betrayal. Laini Taylor keeps the fierce momentum going in Days of Blood and Starlight, powering through to the final emotional scenes, that ultimately leave you determined for more. Well done yet again, Ms. Taylor!

Audio Notes: Khristine Hvam returns to book two, thank goodness, and is a theatrical genius. I enjoyed her brilliant narration for all characters. Each is distinct and memorable.

Parental Notes: While the books are for an older young adult crowd, bear in mind that while it should be expected that there are battle-worthy moments of sword fighting and more, this one has moved a little more into scenes with consensual s3x, but also attempted s3xual assault. These are tougher to read/hear than the previous story. Make sure you have a conversation with your young reader to see if they have any questions.

This book was worth the wait. I can't believe I am actually saying this, but it is such an excellent book. What a great second book in the trilogy. Usually the second book disappoints, and adds additional love interest, but to great satisfaction, this doesn't follow the usual. I thoroughly enjoyed and this book is as awesome as the first. If you enjoyed The Daughter of Smoke and Bone as much as I did, I absolutely feel in love with, you should most definitely enjoy this one too. Most of the characters are back, some sadly aren't, but as with the first book Khristine Hvam is wonderful and does a great job. And Laini Taylor is my new favorite everything :)

I don't even know where to begin. This book took me on a roller-coaster of emotions. At one point it had me so depressed I stopped listening to the book for an entire week. I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone EVERY SINGLE THING about it... except the end. I went into this book knowing we were going to be getting a different story, a story far more serious and a whole lot less fun.

Sh*t just got real.

This book is magnificent. It's not always pretty and it is often gut wrenching. Laini keeps you guessing and absolutely NOTHING is expected. I don't believe a reader could ask for more beautifully orchestrated writing.

The first half of this book is a little like walking through mud (only a little) and the second half is like riding a dragon bareback out of a secret dungeon bank. By the time you finish this book you will wonder why on earth you just subjected yourself AGAIN to the torture of an entire year waiting for the finale. You will know the answer of course, and you would do it all over again given the choice.

This book is that good. So get to it!

I loved it ALL! It was beautifully written, beautifully narrated...most of it was quite tragic, but described in such poetic words....just WOW!

there are many, But I do love Karou....she strives for a better world, and with such young hope and brutal strength....you can not help but love her...I wanted to reach into the book and take her in my arms and just tell her that it would be ok,,,,but will it?

I liked many, or loved to be specific, but I think when she teaches her friends to become invisible was one of my faves....

SOOOOOOOO MANY! But the ending, the last hour or so, made me weep,,,

Laini Taylor is so talented, she writes with such an open heart,,,I can not wait for the next book!! OMG! WOW! Tears......such a beautifully tragic tale...I will read it again....

"Days of Blood & Starlight" is generally well-written with good plotting, and Khristine Hvam again does an excellent job at narration.

However, I found this sequel to be somewhat lackluster, especially in comparison to the "Daughter of Smoke & Bone". This audio book did not hold my interest the way the first novel did, and the early chapters of this listen unfolded very slowly in a somewhat repetitive way. To some degree, almost all sequels suffer in comparison to the original, but I was really hoping for more "passion" in this book.

Overall, this novel felt more like a bridge between the first and next book, than a critical part of the overall story. (It wouldn't stand alone without its predecessor.) That said, Ms. Hvam's performance really elevated this sequel to the degree that I am looking forward to the final installment of the series.

I am clearly in the minority here based on the average review for this book on Goodreads, but I was bored.

I wasn't expecting to be blown away based on my impressions from the first book. The first book had this slow, angsty build, but about halfway through, it turned a corner and suddenly I was with Madrigal and Akiva and nothing else that came before mattered. So I wasn't surprised that in this installment, we had another slow start. But I was expecting it to pick up at some point, and for me, it never really did. Sure there was some action, but it was in brief, unsatisfying spurts and immediately after it was over, the tone would temper again and it was like nothing ever happened. By the end, I just wanted them to get on with it.

That being said, I still plan to pick up the final book in the series (or at least, I hope it'll be the final book in the series) when it comes out. The way this book ended, I think that the final book has real potential for a lot of action. I just hope Taylor doesn't drag it out like she did in this book. Hopefully this book was the long build-up to a whole lot of something in book 3

YES!!! I spent every spare minute I had listening to it and I am jonesing to listen to it again to catch details I missed in the first listen. I loved the story and fantasy of the story. It was really one of those books that took me to a different world. I felt like I was right there with Karou through the whole book.

It's hard to choose just one. I think that some of the best were the parallel desires of Karou and Akiva, even though they were rarely together. I don't want to give anything away for people whom haven't got to listen/read yet.

She does a wonderful job with each individual character. She has such a presence through the whole story. Wonderful work!!

Yes I did. I went through many emotions throughout the whole book and I attribute that not only to the great writing of Taylor but also the narration of Hvam. I was able to feel each characters own feelings throughout.

It is a great read/listen and I recommended it to several of my students. They also loved it. It was a great sequel that strays from the typical sequel blues. It was full of surprises, twists and turns. I had to force myself to stop listening when I had things that I had to do but it was turned right back on as soon as I could. Many late nights were spent listening because I could not stop.

Yes. Although it is a complete 180 from the first book in the series, I still feel in love with the story, the prose, and the characters.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, because it is its predecessor.

I really can't answer this. There were so many scenes that I loved that were painted beautifully by Laini Taylor

Yes, I did. I could not stop listening to it--I brought my phone with me everywhere until I was finished. I laughed and cried. And, after I finished listening to it, I couldn't stop smiling dumbly at nothing for a few minutes.

Like others, I was worried this would turn into another fantasy love book completely centered and concentrated on Karou and Akiva's relationship. But, I loved the world and Taylor's writing, so I picked this one up to listen. Although I expect there are many who would be disappointed, their relationship isn't the forefront of this book--the war between seraphs and chimaera is. And, I loved that. This book is much darker and has much more violent themes in the book. The first book was whimsical, light, and fun, with a hint of the dark side of things under the surface. In the second book, that dark side comes through at full throttle. We see more character development of our old, loved characters without them losing themselves completely from the first book, and we meet new characters. I loved it, and I would recommend it to anyone. I can't wait for the third!

The second book to the series is NOT a disappointment. The story continues with Karou, and her friends.

Laini Taylor continues with her excellent writing style. She is able to create a story that not only allows us to listen to it's easy flow, but experience the many emotions of Karou's and her friends. The fear, loss, desire, joy, to mention only a few of the emotions.

Again, I recommend this series to all fantasy listener.