Friday, August 31, 2012

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Taylor, L. (2011). Daughter of Smoke and Bone. NY: Little, Brown, and Company.
YA Lit / Fantasy

I probably would have given this a 4 out of 5 stars (I gave it 3) if I had read the book instead of listened to it. Though the narrator did a good job, it was just painfully slow to listen to this pretty long story.  I think it is a page turner if you read it, but I got a little bored because it took too long! And when I listened with headphones (on the plane, in bed), I usually fell asleep and then had to go back and listen to what I missed.

That aside, the story is interesting though it required me to suspend my disbelief a bit more than I am comfortable suspending.  The angels/demons among us premise is fine, but that so much happens with human observation (and no consequences) was tough to swallow.

The main character, Karou, is very mature at seventeen, living on her own for some time and already through a serious and mature, semi-live-in relationship with an older man.  That made her a pretty cool character, who would appeal to teenage girls, but it also pushed the book age appropriateness level a little higher (16 and up?) The book is fantasy on many levels. I love that Karou lives by the mantra of telling the truth. Her truth is so outlandish, no one believes her anyhow, but then she doesn't have to track the lies she tells!

The characters were well-done, and the cliffhanger ending just may be enough for me to READ the next installment, Days of Blood and Starlight, due out November of 2012. Below is the book trailer and you can read about both books on the author's website http://daughterofsmokeandbone.com/



NEW 09/13/12: CLICK HERE TO PREVIEW THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS OF THE SEQUEL, Days of Blood and Starlight.

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