February 26, 2016

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2) by Laini Taylor 4/5 stars

Hey, guys! I just finished the sequel to Daughter of Smoke & Bone. (Link to that review) I was expecting to be disappointed and I was pleasantly surprised.  Days of Blood & Starlight was much better than the first book in the series.  That being said, I struggled to rate this book.  The first half of the book was of the same caliber as book one (3 stars), but the second half was worthy of five stars.  I settled on the average, but keep in mind that this book definitely gets better as it goes on.

The Cover:
The Cover:
It is trying to be a more dramatic version of the first book's cover.  I don't like it.  It doesn't match the tone of the game and doesn't symbolize anything in the book.  C- cover

Official Description:
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—andwhat she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

My Review:
As I wrote earlier, I didn't really enjoy the first half of this book.  The story was very slow paced and excessively angst-filled.  This series really relies on the interactions between the characters, and they all remained separate until about half-way through the book, which made it hard to get through. However, once the story finished the purely set-up section of the book, it was actually quite fast-paced and fun to read.  Once it got interesting, it didn't stop, and I powered through the last 50% in one sitting.  
The characters in this series are very well-though out.  They are complex and unique.  I love the interactions between them, too.  That being said, I think the main character, Karou, is too much of a "follower" for me.  She is super non confrontational.  Her only strong/brave moves are done in self defense.  She is a difficult character to rally behind, but the other characters, Akiva and Zuzana especially, are fun and the soul of the book.
If you managed to make it through Daughter of Smoke & Bone, I would definitely recommend that you read Days of Blood & Starlight.  It finally makes use of the intricate world building of the first book.

Phrase:
Bestiality

Happy Reading!


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