Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book 3

By: Laini Taylor

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Two worlds threaten to crumble in the face of a common enemy in the epic conclusion to the New York Times best-selling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy—now with a gorgeous new package!

What power can bruise the sky?

Two worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera's rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her.

When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited—not in love, but in tentative alliance against their common enemy. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves.

But with even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Akiva strong enough to stand among the gods and monsters?

The New York Times best-selling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion as—from the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond—humans, chimaera, and seraphim strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

©2014 Laini Taylor (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

*In the final book of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Taylor revives the strong interweaving of reality and fantasy that gave the first story such cross-genre appeal."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[An] ambitious, gorgeously edgy drama lit up by its coruscating characters and prose."—Kirkus

"New revelations, characters, multiple love stories, and constant plot twists and suspense will not disappoint Taylor's many fans."—Booklist

Light, Chimaera, Action.....

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

I would recommend it and suggest that my friend starts with the first and second books of the series before getting this one.

What did you like best about this story?

Lots of awesome characters. Lots of actions. Lots of complicated relationships. Lots of good stuff.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Mik went back in the hotel suite in Rome to get his violin and came out with Esther Van de Vloet's wishes!!

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

If I had the time, I think it would have been nice to listen in one setting. The book was 18 hours long which would have made this difficult.

Any additional comments?

This book was wonderful! I could not stop listening to it and was sitting at the edge of my seat right to the end. I remember when I read the first book of this series and felt that the next book would not come out quick enough. I was right! I was eagerly waiting for each book to be published and was never disappointed.

I am not sure if this is the last book since the author finished with an opened ending, but I won't be disappointed if I hear that another book is added to the series. I love all the characters, even the evil ones. I think it is a art for an author to make you hate a fictive character. Laini's writing is so good! I wonder how she was able to make each character so unique and perfect for the story. There is no boring moments and surprises are waiting for you at each turn of a page.

I recommend that you read the books in order to get the full experience. Each book has its flavour which is pilled up as you read them. If you have not read this series yet; I think it is time to do so. You won't regret it. Well done Laini!!! Loved it!!

Leaves you wanting MORE!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Dreams of Gods & Monsters to be better than the print version?

No, only because you have more imagination with the book

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dreams of Gods & Monsters?

all of it!!!!!!!

Which character – as performed by Khristine Hvam – was your favorite?

Karou

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

Karou's discoveries

Any additional comments?

YOU WON'T REGRET GETTING THIS!!

I've Pushed You Down Deep In My Soul for Too Long

This is an excellent conclusion to a remarkable series. Taylor expands her already expansive universe and also threads together seeming disparate story lines. Like with many books, I do not want to go to much into the story, I just strongly recommend this series. It is unique, has a distinctive prose, and has a fantastic mythology. Read it.

Always a good listen

Love the book and so happy with the ending. It's a great conclusion to a fantastic series. It still leaves you wanting more, so off to read Strange the Dreamer.

Loved This Series!

You know that teary-eyed feeling you get near the end of a book/series where you start reading slower to stretch out reading the last words? Yeah, that happened to me. Even though it wasn't necessarily sad, still I knew I was leaving my friends behind, possibly to never read about them again. I do hope that is not the case. But there was no cliffhanger. The threads, even those I had forgotten about were nicely tied up. So the chances are there might not be more. I will miss everyone from this series. Even the bad guys had depth.

But my favorites were the secondary characters: Zuzana and Mik. I LOVED them! Maybe even more than I loved the lovesick Karou and Akiva. I don't hate the main couple. They do what they should to remain superheroes. Oh, and I want to mention one more person, but I don't want to spoil it for others. I really miss that person. But I've missed him for two books. What I did learn today was there is a short book about ZuzaMik. Got it. Will read it VERY soon.

The writing of these books is my favorite kind of writing. It is fast and full with the right amount of dialog to counteract descriptions. I want to study how Laini Taylor's writing more so I may be reading these books again and again.

And then there is the icing on the cake: narrator, Khristine Hvam. She brings the story to life. She adds attitude where it might only be suggested by the writing. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Taylor read by Khristine Hvam.

May I suggest that you make sure you have a couple days to dedicate to just reading. I didn't do anything but for the past few days. reading way past bedtimes and food times, and nearly past pee times, oops! All of it was worth it! What a wonderful story!

Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Any additional comments?

It took me forever to finish this book but I finally did it! It took a while to finish for a few different reasons;
1: Its long.
2: It was an audio book.
3: It didn't really hold my interest in some parts.
It was a very well written book with very eloquently worded descriptions but really, do you need a three page description about a sunrise? All in all it was a great ending to a very beautiful love story. This story was so unique and I loved it!

So Beautiful

I loved this entire series. Laini Taylor is such a talented writer. It's like artistry on paper or ear candy for audible listeners. Her characters are deep with extensive world building - you can't help but get sucked into this fantasy she has created. I crave more and can only hope this is NOT THE END of such a wonderful series. Thank the God Stars, but I really want more!!!
Definitely a 5 star listen!!!!

A Little long ...

This story was a little long and convoluted. I didn't like it as much as the other 2. The narrator was great though. It had too many parts and not enough detail, so it was difficult to keep track of at times. At least it had a mostly decent ending.

Amazing

Khristine makes this book 10000 times better!
How she uses her voice to bring the characters to life and none of the characters sound the same! Love it

Makes up for the 2nd, still not the 1st

Gods and Monsters makes up for the second installment of the series for the most part but it still doesn't compare to Smoke and Bone. Enjoyable conclusion for some tastes, annoying for others.