Hey, guys! I just finished listening to the audiobook version (sorry for character name misspellings) of Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I'd heard so many great things about this series, and, while I enjoyed certain parts, I thought it overly long and a bit slow. I didn't think it was worth the hype, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
The Cover:
The Cover:
It's a bit overly intense. The cover shows Madrigal wearing her bird mask at a significant festival in the book. I think it's also supposed to be symbolic for Karou hiding behind various facades. I like that the cover actually ties into the story, but it is not a cover that I would automatically pick up. B cover.
Official Description:
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 grows 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 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 beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery 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?
My Review:
I feel like the official description is terribly misleading. The "truth"? It's only discovered about 20 pages before the end of this 418 page novel. About 90% of this book was purely setup/ world building. Personally, there is only so much world building I can take, and Daughter of Smoke & Bone used up about a month's worth. It was hard to get through. I'd heard so many great things about this book, and I just felt a little disappointed. The only part that I loved was the lengthy flashback right at the end of this book. I felt like most of this book was unnecessary. Why not just start with the story instead of 300 pages of Karou living her everday (if not entirely ordinary) life.
I didn't like the main character, Karou, either. She was strong, true, but she was also whiny and really just a follower. She never questioned what was going on and made huge assumptions over the course of the book. She was honestly a liability. I can see why others would like her. "Hey, a complex female character! Sign me up." But I found her irritating to be completely honest.
The other characters were all unique, though, which I enjoyed.
It wasn't all bad. The ideas behind the story were interesting and original (hence the pages and pages of world building). The writing style and tone were really casual and easy to read. At times, I thought it got a little too preachy. The author was trying too hard to connect the dynamics between angels and chimera to the racial/social issues of today.
Even with all the small things that I didn't like about Daughter of Smoke & Bone, it was still an alright book. The relationships between characters felt real, the plot was creative, and it was easy to read. However, I think that it would've been better for everyone had it been a hundred or so pages shorter.
I wouldn't go so far as to not recommend this book. I wouldn't suggest it, but if you don't mind a lot of world building, go for it. The book itself is good, and I think that the sequels will be better.
Audiobook Review:
Phrase:
Teeth
Happy Reading!
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The Cover:
It's a bit overly intense. The cover shows Madrigal wearing her bird mask at a significant festival in the book. I think it's also supposed to be symbolic for Karou hiding behind various facades. I like that the cover actually ties into the story, but it is not a cover that I would automatically pick up. B cover.
Official Description:
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 grows 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 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 beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery 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?
My Review:
I feel like the official description is terribly misleading. The "truth"? It's only discovered about 20 pages before the end of this 418 page novel. About 90% of this book was purely setup/ world building. Personally, there is only so much world building I can take, and Daughter of Smoke & Bone used up about a month's worth. It was hard to get through. I'd heard so many great things about this book, and I just felt a little disappointed. The only part that I loved was the lengthy flashback right at the end of this book. I felt like most of this book was unnecessary. Why not just start with the story instead of 300 pages of Karou living her everday (if not entirely ordinary) life.
I didn't like the main character, Karou, either. She was strong, true, but she was also whiny and really just a follower. She never questioned what was going on and made huge assumptions over the course of the book. She was honestly a liability. I can see why others would like her. "Hey, a complex female character! Sign me up." But I found her irritating to be completely honest.
The other characters were all unique, though, which I enjoyed.
It wasn't all bad. The ideas behind the story were interesting and original (hence the pages and pages of world building). The writing style and tone were really casual and easy to read. At times, I thought it got a little too preachy. The author was trying too hard to connect the dynamics between angels and chimera to the racial/social issues of today.
Even with all the small things that I didn't like about Daughter of Smoke & Bone, it was still an alright book. The relationships between characters felt real, the plot was creative, and it was easy to read. However, I think that it would've been better for everyone had it been a hundred or so pages shorter.
I wouldn't go so far as to not recommend this book. I wouldn't suggest it, but if you don't mind a lot of world building, go for it. The book itself is good, and I think that the sequels will be better.
Audiobook Review:
I listened to the version read by
Phrase:
Teeth
Happy Reading!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret
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