Nothing about Karou is normal — from the top of her blue-haired head to her tattoos and fantastic sketches of monsters that may or may not be real.
Her friends wonder at her imagination, but the truth is it’s all truth. Issa and Brimstone, baby teeth and wishes and locked doors. A child raised by monsters.
And Akiva, a being even Karou can’t imagine existed. Suddenly she is embroiled in a war that has raged for centuries and has nothing—and everything—to do with her.
What will Karou discover about her past, about the hidden worlds her family has kept from her? And when the dust settles, will she be the only one left standing?
Solid beginning
I’ve waffled on reading this one, mainly because I’ve been reading a lot of YA recently and am feeling a little glutted. Plus it’s the first of yet another series, and right now I’m more in the mood for standalones.
The world building of Daughter of Smoke and Bone is great, with some aspects being more original than others. Karou is a good character—one that I hope will grow stronger throughout the series—but the love story is less interesting to me than the larger world in which it is set.
It’s got the classic characteristics of a first book—introducing characters, exposition, explanations, details—but it’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy paranormal mystery stories with a touch of romance and a hefty dose of action and magic.
Anyone else read this one? Planning to continue the series?
I’ve yet to read this one but it sounds good and gets such good reviews. I hate that it’s another series, though. 🙁 More standalones please!
I’m still kinda torn about it — mainly because it’s a series and more YA. I’m in total agreement about standalones. More please!
But it was a good read, and I enjoyed it. So in that way it’s successful