Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) - Laini Taylor

 

Summary

Goodreads:  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—and what 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?


Thoughts

If Daughter of Smoke and Bone was all mysticism and wonder and magical, this book is pain and devastation.  I knew as soon as I started liking something - anything it didn't even have to be a character, something terrible was about to happen.  There are scenes in here that were graphic and terrifying...at least for me.  It's common knowledge on this blog that graphic and terrifying are not things I handle well in books, so while I found them...horrifying, some of you might be less disturbed haha.

I don't have near as much to say about this book.  If you liked the first book, this carries on in much the same vein, and luckily there's still plenty of Zusanna!  There are definitely some twists here that I definitely didn't see coming.  (And in one case I thought SPOILERS would be more emotionally invested in the angel's brother's death since he's supposed to be all sunshine and happiness, but I guess we just don't get much connection to him. END SPOILERS).  I'm not sure how I feel about where this book is going (Is there anything involving angels that doesn't involve war damn it?!), but I trust Laini enough to stick around to see where this will take us.  I'm third in line at the library for the book after it's released (and the library actually receives it) so yay!

TL;DR

You've read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and loved it.  Good, read this next.  You haven't read Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  Well what are you doing silly?  Go read it!

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Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) - Laini Taylor

Summary

Goodreads:  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 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?


Quotes:

“I don't know many rules to live by,' he'd said. 'But here's one. It's simple. Don't put anything unnecessary into yourself. No poisons or chemicals, no fumes or smoke or alcohol, no sharp objects, no inessential needles--drug or tattoo--and...no inessential penises either.'

'Inessential penises?' Karou had repeated, delighted with the phrase in spite of her grief. 'Is there any such thing as an essential one?'

'When an essential one comes along, you'll know,' he'd replied.” 


Thoughts

Guys.  Guys.  GUYS.  THIS BOOK!!!

I mean, I know I'd heard great things about it.  But...WOW.  I mean if there is an emotion in the human spectrum of emotions, this book takes you there.

But even more than the feels...oh my god.  I don't know how Laini Taylor does it, but I would read a book on sea cucumbers if she wrote it.  There's just something so evocative and exquisite and....it's almost impossible to describe how amazing her prose is.  And we all know that if there is anything that will make me forgive any flaws it's prose.  (Or well...almost anything.  After Bellman & Black, I now know that authors with the most gorgeous prose in the world are not invincible).  There were times I didn't trust you, Laini Taylor, particularly with the instalove...but I never should have doubted.  Each time I doubted, I was proved wrong.

And that ending???  Oh Laini Taylor you brilliant, brilliant woman.  All the clues were there.  They were basically shouting to be discovered.  And oh the heart break.  I should have known!  I never saw that coming in a million years.  I usually have a vague inkling of things that are about to happen in a book - I imagine most of us who are big readers tend to at least have a few vague theories, and one of those theories is generally right.  But complete 100% unprepared shock?  Very rare.  And the best part is...ALL THE CLUES WERE THERE.  I felt so betrayed by my mind (And also my heart because I'm pretty sure it stopped for a second), because I should have had a clue.  In fact...it's entirely probably I was just being an idiot and most of you who have read this book did have a clue.

Other things I love?  Zusanna.  Ahhhh girl friendships are the best.  This one made me so, so happy.  It's a bit like Kami/Angela's friendship or Anya/Scarlet's friendship in that they really are kind of codependent on each other.  It's not unbalanced and Zusanna doesn't fade into the background - she's WAY too awesome for us to forget!  Where Karou brings mystery and magic into Zusanna's life, Zusanna tethers Karou somewhere so that she's not aimlessly drifting about the world.


TL;DR

Read this.  Please for the love of god, if you like fantasy...if you even think you might like fantasy, read this.  Don't be put off with distaste of "angel" stories, because trust me, it's not structured how you think it is.  I regret putting this series off so late (well only a little, because now I only have to wait until April for the third book to come out!), and as I've mentioned...3rd book is coming out in April! You have no excuse.  The whole series will soon be available at your bidding.

Echo Prophecy (Echo Trilogy #1) - Lindsey Fairleigh

I received a copy of this book from the publishers.  This did not affect my opinion or the content of this review.

Summary

Goodreads:  Discover what's hidden--a powerful, mythic race, an ancient Egyptian prophecy, and a love strong enough to shatter the boundaries of time.

Alexandra Larson isn't human...but she doesn't know that. As far as Lex is concerned, she's simply an ambitious and independent archaeology grad student with a knack for deciphering ancient languages, especially the various forms of Egyptian. When she's recruited to work on her dream excavation, her translating skills uncover the secret entrance to an underground Egyptian temple concealed within Djeser-Djeseru--the famous mortuary temple of Queen Hatchepsut. Lex is beyond thrilled by her discovery...as is the enigmatic and alluring excavation director, Marcus Bahur.

As the relationship between Lex and Marcus heats up, a series of shocking revelations leave the young archaeologist reeling. Once Lex discovers the truth of her ancient Egyptian roots--the truth of her more-than-human nature--the people she trusts most make one final, terrifying revelation: Lex is the central figure of a four-thousand-year-old prophecy. She is the only thing standing between the power to alter the very fabric of time and an evil megalomaniac...who also happens to be her father. As events set in motion over four millennia ago lead Lex and Marcus from Seattle to the heart of Egypt, the fate of mankind depends on one thing: the strength of Lex's love.

***Contains adult content.***


Thoughts

So I've come to realization that apparently I went absolutely mad on Netflix and requested everything (and I mean EVERYTHING), and for some reason they were all archived in January, because I an going though a whole shlew of books that I ordinarily wouldn't have picked up.  Clearly I was possessed because I have no recollection of requesting them, nor do I have a clue what made me think I'd want to.  That being said, it's kind of great!  I'm having good luck reading outside of my comfort zone, so yay!


This is the sort of book I'd ordinarily read for fun and wouldn't bother reviewing.  It's actually a lot like something I'd enjoy reading on fictionpress.  I'm not saying this to dismiss it, as I have high regard for a lot of the really fantastic authors on fictionpress.  Basically it's the kind of book that I don't mind for a quick, fun read.  I'm not reading it to engage my mind, and I just don't feel like picking it apart.  It was fun!  Did it have a lot of issues with the feminist side of me?  Yeah sometimes.  Was I confused as to whether Lex was a graduate student or doctoral student?  Yeah, and ok I probably would have liked that clarified.  I also would like the whole father thing clarified because I was SUPER confused *spoilers* I totally thought her biological father ended up being the same guy who raised her, but then half way through the book it wasn't him? I must have really missed something along the way *end spoilers*  I just don't have high standards if I'm reading a book specifically for romance.  Once I figured out that's what the book was, I turned my brain off and went along for the ride.  Which of course is not helping me figure out how to review this, particularly because I forgot to jot down any notes about the book when I finished.  So it's time for Elizabeth's lazy list time because

- Clearly there was some research done on Egyptian mythology and ancient culture, although I can't guarantee how thorough it was (and in the end it doesn't really bother me too much one way or the other).  I could just tell it had been done.  I do wish there had been a bit more world building, but then the only series I have to compare this with is Kushiel's Dart, as if I do read a romance, it's almost always historical.   Honestly the two are utterly incomparable.  I mean Kushiel's Dart is one of the best written series I've ever read and is SO MUCH MORE than a simple romance book (in fact mostly it's not one, at least in my mind).  The world building that is done is pretty cool though.
- When I'm about to roll my eyes, she often acknowledges it is an eye rolling worthy bit of writing, even if that didn't stop her from including it in the first place.  But the fact that it is acknowledged assuages me, so I'm not too worried
- Lex can come off as rather Mary-Sueish at times, or rather that the things that come easily to her are sometimes a bit convenient.


Overall

Do you want a romance novel?  Do you want paranormal/mythological tones to that romance novel?  By all means check this out because it's a really fun read!  Do you want a book with an infallible plot and characters that extremely fleshed out?  This book probably isn't for you.  So really, this book is mostly about what you want in your romance novels, and that will largely affect how much you enjoy this one.  Happy reading (and Happy Valentine's Day since my bloglovin feed has hinted that perhaps that's today)