Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
By Laini Taylor
Expected publication September 27, 2011 by Little, Brown & Company

Around the world, black handprints are being scorched into doors by mysterious creatures. Angels prepare to execute their revenge. A devil's supply of teeth is running out. And in the middle, a blue-haired art student in Prague wants to know the truth about where she came from. But will she still want the truth if it changes everything she's ever known?

This book is getting tons of buzz. And I read one of Taylor's other books earlier this year and absolutely loved it. So I greedily snatched this up at ALA. This title does not disappoint. Once again, Taylor has crafted a thrilling and engaging new world, populated with fascinating and unique characters put through unbelievable twists and turns. From almost the very first sentence, I was hooked. Taylor has a truly amazing way with words. I wish there were more books of hers to read (luckily, there are still two I haven't read yet!). She is definitely an author with a long career ahead of her. Her ability to write makes it easy to get sucked into the incredible worlds she creates in her books. I would pretty much believe anything she told me because I just want to keep reading what she's written. Her way with words also helps her create fascinating characters - she is able to describe them in more unique ways than most other authors. I absolutely fell in love with Karou and Brimstone and everyone else. These things make the pages fly by, so before you know it you've reached the "to be continued..." on the last page and can't believe you have to wait to find out what happens next to these characters. I didn't realize this was the beginning of a series and felt a mixture of emotions when I reached the last page and discovered those three little words: elation that there would be more to come from this wonderful story and utter depression that I couldn't read the rest of the story now. I will impatiently wait out the months until the next installment of this story and in the mean time, I will thrust Laini Taylor's books into as many hands as I can.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.