Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
By: Laini Taylor
I started my graduate program in Creative Writing feeling like an accomplished reader. And then I met my classmates. And I realized I was lightyears behind. They all read more books and at a more consistent pace. So every summer I went to Gunnison, Colorado, and I tried to collect as many books as possible while there—but mostly on my way home. There is a Barnes and Noble between Loveland and Fort Collins that I love. I’ve spent a lot of time there.
Last summer I spent a lot of time in the Young Adult section because this summer I also came to the conclusion that I wanted to write in that genre. While I studied the books on the shelves and fought the urge to buy all of them, I stumbled across Laini Taylor’s series. The covers and blurbs looked and sounded interesting—and they branched into a part of the fantasy genre that I hadn’t dabbled in much before. I bought the first book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
I finally got around to reading it this month.
It had a bumpy start for me. I wasn’t sure I was going to buy into the premise in the first 80 pages or so. The main character, Karou, seemed mysterious—but also petty. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get behind her. As the story unfolded I came to root for her.
This is an urban fantasy wrapped around a paranormal romance at its core. I didn’t expect the romance element to be so prevalent, but it grew as the story progressed.
The story is crafted with excellence and a subtle hand. Laini Taylor knows how to weave a good plot full of mystery and intrigue with characters that make you ache with them.
I will say that this is a more adult version of a Young Adult book. In fact, I think this could easily be classified as New Adult instead of YA. Some of the circumstances—violent and sexual—are more vivid than I expected and have read in other YA books. But maybe YA books are more mature than I realized.
The premise of the story is good. Really good. I’ll be reading the rest of the series, for sure. I read the last 125 pages in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. And I’m excited to see how the rest of the story will unfold.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a story of magic—of wishes—angels and monsters. It’s a paranormal Romeo and Juliet with spiritual warfare. It’s intense.
