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 otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or … 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?
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If I describe this book, it seems filled with tropes I don’t like: star-crossed lovers, heavy romance, and angels and demons. But I LOVED this book! It’s is powerful, torturous, elegant… explosive. It features rich settings in Prague and Marrakesh, intricate political world-building between humans and angels and chimaera, breathless action, …
I was super excited to pick this book up after reading and loving Strange the Dreamer. It definitely didn’t disappoint. There were some things I don’t think Taylor did quite as well in this series – there’s a lot more insta-love in this one and a little less clarity in the plot structure – but she has a unique way of taking familiar mythology …
Here’s the Question of the Week on Buzz:
What book would you love to see made into a movie?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone could be a beautiful movie. The different kinds of beings, the exotic locales, and the artistic bent of the main character would be glorious in the hands of the right director. And don’t forget the cgi. It would likely be a …
I especially love the first half of this book. The atmosphere in Prague has all I could ask: a foreign feel, a strange and unexpected situation, fascinating and drawing. I wished throughout the trilogy that Taylor would return to the context in Prague. I hope she writes giving the back story with Brimstone and spending more time in that magic. I …
This book as well as the whole series was an adventure filled with hope, love loss and despair and the struggle to find yourself and come back from the brink of it all. Karou is just trying to be a normal teenager in art school in Prague. She has an amazing talent and is known for her “fantasy” drawings and stories, what know one else knows is …
Beautiful story, lush and gorgeous writing, unexpected twists and incredible characters. Loved this book!
Great book series! I do love series especially when there sooooo good!!! Love to see in a movie series or TV series.
I’ve heard people talk about this series for years, and I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. And just, wow! What a book!
I was really impressed with the descriptions in the book of the chimera and their features and peculiarities. This author is great at making you actually SEE the characters you’re reading about. The world …
I loved this book and the entire series–so unusual and really off the wall–the writing is very good and the world Laini Taylor creates is believable and not like anything I have ever read. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy and strange and unusual plots and characters!
Laini Taylor’s writing leaves me absolutely breathless…it’s like watching a movie inside your head. Her world is wildly original, her characters are heartbreakingly complex, and her story-telling is truly epic. This really is a must-read.
New to this author, Laini Taylor, however I found the Daughter of Smoke and Bone a beautifully and mystical story that had a lot of twists. Haven’t read many YA novels although this one started that way but felt more of a mature read for me. Thoroughly enjoyed this”out of comfort zone” read.
Laini Taylor’s writing is magical, and her storytelling is utterly compelling in this first book of a fantastic trilogy. Highly Recommended!
Just the plush, descriptive writing and vivid, elegant phrasing earn this book five stars. The magnetic characters, the perfectly-timed revelations, the pacing, the realistic emotions, the exquisitely-strewn details, the imagination and originality of the story, and, well…just EVERYTHING make this story as addictive as chocolate and just as …
I have read and then purchased the audio books. Karou, a human child of “a monster”, struggles with the powerful draw,to the angel Akiva. Their love story will leave you breathless. The writing is a gift to the mind and heart of the readers. I could read or listen to the trilogy over and over again (and I have). Reading it will be one of the most …
This one took me a little while to get into, but then I couldn’t put it down! One of my favorite books to recommend!
It’s been years, but this is just as fantastic as I remembered. The writing, the characters, the angst! Oh how I love being back in this world. Definitely going to continue my re-read of the series.
Original storyline with beautiful characters. An original take on the “tooth Faery”. Heart wrenching and seductive. A must read.
Karou is an art student in Prague.
Her family is a bit different. Though special door, she has to go through Issa, a snake lady, to get to her adoptive father, Brimstone who trades with wishes. She goes on errands for him, all over the world, collecting teeth.
One day black handprints start to spear on special doors, portals that Karou uses, …
The language in this book is what grabbed me the most and has stayed with me. Beautiful words, like Laini Taylor dipped a brush into an inkwell of exquisite words and swirled it around before trailing it onto paper. And the story for me was unexpected, and challenging. I did stop reading for a while when there was a moment of head-hopping which …
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