Laini Taylor

Teen paranormal romance with a dash of urban fantasy, this. Generally not really my thing, though I do understand the appeal. Taylor creates a really fascinating paranormal world, an interesting main character, and a decent romance. While I never cared really deeply for the characters, I was completely invested in finding out what was going to happen.

My biggest problem with the story puts me solidly into cranky old lady territory. I am so tired of paranormal romance heroes who are beautiful show more beyond all imagination and of "destined" romances. Daughter is much, much better about making the relationship complex and real than some other paranormal teen fare (Twilight, I am looking at you). But there's still this tendency to over-romanticize, to make the relationship the only important thing. I know, I know. It's a story, it's a fantasy. And nothing annoys me more than the suggestion that a teenager's (or anyone's) entertainment diet ought consist of nothing but spinachy substantive tales bound to the workings of the real world and better preparing one to face it. Sometimes you just need a custard-filled doughnut-story swathed in chocolate icing with sprinkles on top. But even so, there's something off-putting about this wrapping up of impossible ideals in a supernatural package: Okay, we know there's no such thing as perfect beauty, but, see, the character is an angel, so it's okay. See, we know that a girl shouldn't let her relationship become the only thing that has any meaning for her, but their love is destined, so it's okay. We know that love is more interesting and lasting if it's a choice rather than fate, but their destined romance will bring peace to the world, so it's okay. We know that we can live without the ones we love dearly, but they actually can't because of Supernatural Stuff, so it's okay.

This kind of use of the supernatural as excuse to keep telling all the old "romantic" untruths appears to be a new trope, and I think that's too bad. I don't read enough of this genre to know whether there are books out there that get inside this trope and turn it on its ear. (I hope so. Maybe Taylor's going to do that as she continues on with this series--the characters are flawed enough, the heroine smart enough, the set-up complex enough that I think she certainly could.) There could still be a happy ending. There could still be overwhelming joyful squishy ecstatic love. They could still bring peace to the world. But how much more interesting it would be if, instead of just being irresistibly drawn to one another, they really loved each other, saw each other for what they are, shit and all, and still chose to be together. How much more compelling if they were complete alone and a truly kickass team together. What if the supernatural elements, instead of making it "okay" to slot back into the old stereotypes, opened up whole new worlds and ways of understanding love? show less

Karou finally has all the answers she has been looking for. She knows who she is, what she is and is now living with the consequences of that knowledge. Heart heavy with guilt and feeling she owes a debt that can never be repaid, Karou has led what's left of her people to a hidden desert fortress so she can carry on with Brimstone's work. Survival alone is not a very good life. How do you end an unending war?

Days of Blood and Starlight is vastly different than the first book. Gone is the show more magical light heartedness and mystery as we were being first introduced to Karou and her family. This was a very dark book. Dealing with how an endless war affects people doesn't make for a happy story. The author did a very good job of presenting the horrors of war without being gratuitous. It makes for a slower paced, and in places, more difficult read, but was well worth it.

Karou ends up being dragged through the wringer, physically and emotionally. The effects of unending war are felt by everyone, with tons of resentment and blame to go around. Even as the chimera's only hope for survival, Karou is constantly treated like crap, which ends up being a pretty important plot point once we discover why this is so extreme. Also gone is the love story for which I'm extremely grateful. How could someone be expected to forgive and love a person who murdered her family and nearly wiped out her species? I'm glad Taylor treated this realistically instead of carrying on with the insta-love trope.

The story continues with wonderful world building. I loved seeing more of Eretz, as it was mostly left to our imaginations in the first book. We're also given an insight into Seraphim society and wow is that twisted. I'm happy to say that we have pretty solid hints that a second seraph society is not like this at all, which carries on the theme of hope that is one of the foundations of this series.

Zuzana and Mik are back and bring a much needed lightness to the story, a little levity to help us through the darkness. Karou is lucky to have them as friends.

The story leaves us with one hell of a set up for book three. I'm looking forward to it! show less

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

YES, YES, YES.
This is the YA quality that I keep looking for and hardly ever find.

First, I'd like to clarify that I lower the rating to 4.5 only because the book ends in a HUGE cliffhanger, which is annoying, but not annoying enough to ruin the whole thing. Although I can't possibly imagine the torture of those who read the book when it was first published and had to wait for the next book to come out. I'm glad I have the full trilogy at hand.

This book is a rare show more happening in the YA world: it actually lives up to the hype. After my disastrous experience with Angelfall last week, my need for a dose of YA literature had not been fulfilled. So I turned to this book. And boy, was I pleased.

The writing... the oh, so beautiful writing.

“Until a few days ago, humans had been little more than legend to him, and now here he was in their world. It was like stepping into the pages of a book —a book alive with color and fragrance, filth and chaos— and the blue-haired girl moved through it all like a fairy through a story, the light treating her differently than it did others, the air seemed to gather around her like held breath. As if this whole place was a story about her.”

I absolutely LOVED the writing. I loved the poetic sound to it, the beautiful images, the choice of words, all of it, and not a single grammatical error (as a grammar nerd, you cannot possibly imagine how much pleasure that brought me). It's not the kind of careful writing you see very often in YA. Or, at least, that I see very often.

As for the story, it was amazing. Sure, it had cliché elements. But, let me tell you, I adore cliché stories if they're well-done, with a creative twist, with good writing and with good characters. And this book had all of that. I'm a sucker for well-written romance, and I'm also a sucker for fate playing a part in it. Don't ask me why, I just am. I love the idea of things and people being meant to be (both in literature and in real life). I love it if it's well-written and not super cheesy. This book does get a little bit cheesy in some parts, but not enough to have me rolling my eyes, which really says a lot. Thinking back on it, there is some kind of insta-love there, which is one of the most annoying clichés of YA. But it doesn't quite feel like insta-love. I'm not sure why or how, but it never feels forced. Their attaction for each other seems natural and logical, and not once did I have the thought, "They literally met two days ago and are already in love," followed by the eye-rolling. The beautiful writing probably helped in that matter. To summarize, the romance was great and well-developed, in my opinion.

Halfway through the book, you can get an idea of the mystery that is Karou's life. You have a general idea only, since the full truth of it is impossible to imagine. Though not strictly speaking surprising, the truth behind Karou and Akiva's connection is impossible to guess until it is spelled out for you. The mystery elements play a big part in that. The mystery was very well-accomplished, giving us tiny hints about it that would only make sense until we find out the truth, but not giving us so little amount of clues that the reader would feel annoyed or played with.

As for the characters, I loved every single one. No damsel in distress to be found anywhere, no macho attitudes except for one of the antagonists at the very end of the book, and even that guy was written as a believable jerk with a big ego... annoying, but believable. I love how natural Karou's character is, never talking too much about her knowledge of some martial art or of how to fight with knives. Never indirectly insisting on how bad-ass she is.

Honestly, this book does everything right except for the cliffhanger. I do realize that this book is merely an introduction to the proper story. This tends to bother me a little because, usually, books that do this feel almost like wasted time because we are not given any ending or closure to anything that the story proposed. But, truthfully, this time I don't care. I enjoyed the book too much. The world the author created was so imaginative and special, although I feel there's much more to it than what we're told in this first book. I'm gonna start the second one tomorrow at the latest. show less

I LOVED Daughter of Smoke and Bone. However, in the time between its publication and this sequel, I got into a bunch of other series and only just returned to it. I regret waiting so long!

Days of Blood and Starlight suffers somewhat from “middle book syndrome” in that the plot slows way down so the heroine can wallow in guilt for a while. A long while, unfortunately. This didn’t keep me from plowing through it in less than 2 days, though. Karou is a fascinating protagonist, show more particularly now that she knows she was/is Madrigal. The first book ended on a cliffhanger with Karou **SPOILER ALERT** learning of the complete destruction of the Chimaera stronghold, Loramendi. She feels responsible since she helped Akiva escape, never mind that it was Thiago who told him the secret of resurrection. The book opens with her working as the new resurrectionist for Thiago, whose team were not in Loramendi when the Seraphs razed it. She is reviled and alone, and now fully understands the literal pain of Brimstone’s mission.

Part of the reason the book was still so good, despite the wallowing, was the expanded worldbuilding. The book alternates between Karou and the revenants in a hideout on Earth and what is happening to Chimaera on Eretz. The Seraphs are hunting down and killing or enslaving them. Akiva (also wallowing in guilt about Loramendi) is part of such a squad but is actively working against them to save what few he can. When he reveals the truth to his brother and sister, they join in his cause. This leads to some interesting revelations about Akiva, his magic, and the mysterious Stelians – Seraphs who left the Empire. All of this kept me turning the pages well into the night.

The book really picks up once Karou’s human friend Zuzana and her boyfriend Mik track her down. They help bring her out of her despondency and give her new purpose. Meanwhile, the fallen angel Razgut has sparked a conspiracy in the Empire that will have dire consequences for Eretz...and Earth.

Overall, this was a very entertaining read and I started the final book immediately upon finishing it. Highly recommended! show less