Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters--the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known.
I loved the setting and world building of this book, and the characters are also brilliant. The love story felt too much for me, bit otherwise it was a joy to read and I will definitely be reading book 2 in the series.
Review of 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I'm a little tired of the ~mysterious beautiful perfectly-imperfect fantasy girl~ trope so I guess my enjoyment of this book was kinda doomed from the start, but I was hoping for something more impressive based on other people's reviews.
I don't regret reading it and I didn't want to DNF it but it was just kinda 'meh' for me. Elements of it appealed to me and I was curious to learn about Karou's past, but I didn't care as much about many of the characters or the romance as I wanted to.
Not sure if I want to read the rest of the series, even though I've heard the second book is better than the first.
Review of 'Daughter of smoke & bone' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
3.5 Stars for world building and Fantasy fiction. I also recognize that I am not the demographic this was written for. With countless eye roles I did enjoy the book, but not sure of book 2.
Review of 'Daughter of smoke & bone' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
uhhh BIG wow at these characters, this world, the magic system, the PLOT TWISTS from which I'm still trying to quell the butterflies swarming my heart, and big wow @ me for waiting YEARS TO READ THIS SERIES.
Review of 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I finally got round to starting this trilogy which has seemed to get universal praise from amongst blogging friends. Beautiful angels are good and monstrous beasts are evil, right? I enjoyed the play on the traditional assumptions on good versus evil and the exploration of the pointlessness of endless war. Is the similarity of the words of Chimaera to Crimea on purpose? When I saw their war referenced as the Chimaeran War, I misread it as Crimean.
This first instalment is very much about the back story, or at least the discovery of it, which reveals itself in snippets until it all comes tumbling out. I enjoyed Madrigal’s story, which explored more of the other world, its customs and struggles. Learning about the chimaera and the relevance of the teeth was riveting, and it all ties back to little hints during the book. The ending broke my heart…
Before Karou …
I finally got round to starting this trilogy which has seemed to get universal praise from amongst blogging friends. Beautiful angels are good and monstrous beasts are evil, right? I enjoyed the play on the traditional assumptions on good versus evil and the exploration of the pointlessness of endless war. Is the similarity of the words of Chimaera to Crimea on purpose? When I saw their war referenced as the Chimaeran War, I misread it as Crimean.
This first instalment is very much about the back story, or at least the discovery of it, which reveals itself in snippets until it all comes tumbling out. I enjoyed Madrigal’s story, which explored more of the other world, its customs and struggles. Learning about the chimaera and the relevance of the teeth was riveting, and it all ties back to little hints during the book. The ending broke my heart…
Before Karou gets all mushy, I liked her attitude and her best friend Zuzana. Their conversations were authentic and they were blasé about boys, even if Karou is annoyed about Kaz. She treats him in a way one would expect, well if we could wish itches on our exes. The story sets out with Karou as leading a very nearly normal life, and establishes her love of art and her limited social life in the streets of Prague.
I’d forgotten how rampant instalove used to be in young adult books. I understand there’s some sort of justification for it here, but there must be a better a way to write a bond between too people who barely know each other. It’s very intense and I know it’s arguable that’s because teenagers feel everything intensely, but then what’s Akiva’s excuse? I dunno, I just felt the romance was the weakest part of an otherwise amazing book.
Fantastic world-building and touching, non-romantic relationships mean I will definitely be reading the rest of this trilogy.
Review of 'Daughter of Smoke & Bone' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
(hidden for minimal spooilers)
The world-building in this book is astonishingly good, and the sense of place for Prague is very well done. The main character has a mystery that she hides from others, and there are deeper mysteries hidden from her. The first third of the book is really beautifully drawn, and the initial questions are very well set up.
And then it makes an abrupt left turn into a doomed-true-love-on-first-sight-that-crosses-space-and-time-including-death romance. Which is fine, I have nothing against TWOO WUV, but this part of the...was just not as interesting as the actual story the novel began with.
The last third of the book is an extended flashback, and feels flat. Although yes, it explains the entire backstory, again: not nearly as interesting as the first third of the book. The final reveal has a kind of DUN DUN DUN tone, and the emotional upheaval between the lovers that …
(hidden for minimal spooilers)
The world-building in this book is astonishingly good, and the sense of place for Prague is very well done. The main character has a mystery that she hides from others, and there are deeper mysteries hidden from her. The first third of the book is really beautifully drawn, and the initial questions are very well set up.
And then it makes an abrupt left turn into a doomed-true-love-on-first-sight-that-crosses-space-and-time-including-death romance. Which is fine, I have nothing against TWOO WUV, but this part of the...was just not as interesting as the actual story the novel began with.
The last third of the book is an extended flashback, and feels flat. Although yes, it explains the entire backstory, again: not nearly as interesting as the first third of the book. The final reveal has a kind of DUN DUN DUN tone, and the emotional upheaval between the lovers that CLEARLY has to result from that reveal happens offscreen, and is referred to in one sentence in the epilogue. The book just ends.
Which is not to say I hated the book, because I didn't (I bought the second one instantly after this), but Taylor is clearly an extremely talented fantasy writer and I wanted more.
Review of 'Daughter of smoke & bone' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Ein sehr spezieller und interessanter Roman, der stark beginnt, in der Mitte etwas schwächelt und einen zum Schluss so packt, dass man nach der letzten Seite erstmal nach Luft schnappen muss.
Mir gefallen die Charaktere sehr gut, gern würd ich mehr über Akiva erfahren, ich hab das Gefühl, dass da noch einiges kommt. Karou ist ein sehr vielseitiger und überhaupt nicht stereotypischer Charakter. Auch die Nebenfiguren wurden mit viele Liebe zum Detail erschaffen. Ich freu mich schon auf Band 2 und hoffe auf ein gutes Ende in Band 3.
Übrigens gefallen mir die deutschen Cover besser. Auch wenn die englischen natürlich auch was mit der Story zu tun haben.