Author : Laini Taylor
Genre : Fantasy
Published Date : April 8th 2014
Publisher : Little, Brown & Company
Pages : 613
Source : Bought
From Goodreads :
By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.
Common enemy, common cause.
When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.
And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.
But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.
What power can bruise the sky?
From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.
At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?
Review
I've been waiting and dying for this one like forever, and when it's like April already and it's released, I'm practically ecstatic. And glad to see that this book really satisfy and ended this series beautifully.
"I want you, at the end of all this. The dream, peace, and you."
—Karou
And the way it all resolved was also lovely too, all loose end tied together and leaving out hope in the end.
The romance between Karou and Akiva is also way more lovely here than the other books, with their chemistry and their so called star-crossed lover existing and all. Sure, there's not a lot of swoony moments happening because they're in the middle of war, but it still doesn't lessened the charm this two had over me.
And they, as their own character, was also stronger than they are in the previous book. Karou continue to amaze me, while Akiva, well, he continue to make me swoon all over again.
As for the secondary character : Zuzana, Mik, Liraz, and Ziri, they also has their very own unique and strong characteristic here. The first part of the book might seems cluttered by totally new and random chimaera, but as the story goes on, I'm glad that Laini Taylor made a place and pivotal role for each one of them.
Also, the character that has became really interesting was Liraz, for me. Her development from the heartless angel to someone very human, is really really believable. And turns out, she's really, believably cute too, with her own problem and story.
All in all, I do have some complain about this book, such as the slow beginning and the story that stretched out a little bit too much. But for the final book in a trilogy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters didn't fail to impress and satisfy.
With a strong cast of characters and intriguing story line and unexpected twist, this book is totally a must read. If you haven't read this series already, do so right now.
Cheers, x
NK
Title : Days of Blood and Starlight
Author : Laini Taylor
Genre : Fantasy
Published Date : November 6th 2012
Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages : 517
Source : Bought
Rating : ✿✿✿✿✿
From 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?
Get a Copy : [AMAZON] | [BARNES&NOBLE] | [INDIEBOUND] | [THE BOOK DEPOSITORY]
Review
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the first book of this series, had been an amazing read. The cover was stunning and beautiful, and I really like the story. Since I've been dying to know the continuation of this series, when Days of Blood and Starlight was out, you can only imagine how excited I was. And needless to say, I was really thrilled by it.
"It was rare. It was love, and it was beautiful.”
—Issa
Days of Blood and Starlight continued as Karou traveled to her chimaera homeland, Loramendi, where she found it being ash and ruins from the angel’s doing. Desperate to save the only family she had, Karou hesitantly joined Thiago, who had beheaded her in the previous life, as he tried to resurrect his fallen army once again. But when she found out Thiago’s true reason of war, Karou began to questioned her people, her decision, and moreover, herself.
The plot of this book was actually quite okay in my opinion. While slow-paced, it was not boring and gave too much or too little for the readers. And what made it better was that the story was not as jumpy as the first book, and I found it easier to read it this way. The tension building was also better than the first book, and it kept the reader guessing about what would happen next, and what would the consequence of the action be.
The character was showing a lot of development here too, with Karou as our main character growing stronger and fiercer. She was shown as a tough girl first, but later developed a more softer side, yet still burning when provoked.
Akiva as Karou’s counterpart, was showing a lot of development too, being more rational and more human. I love how he would defy his belief if it’s for the once in a lifetime love he found on Karou / Madrigal, yet still love his brother and sister deep down on his heart.
One character I’ve found quite interesting was Hazael and Liraz, Akiva’s brother and sister respectively. I love how they seemed to balance each other, with Hazael being the humorous one and Liraz being the icy one, yet they both still care for each other. Their past, along with Akiva was told quite well too, being laid all over the story so the reader could threw it all together to made the story of Akiva’s childhood.
One thing I’m not quite fond of this book was how the story tends to sag when it was told from Karou’s point of view. Akiva’s and Suzanna’s part was actually pretty exciting, but I found that Karou’s part was a bit repetitive at the earlier part, but got better as the story went on.
Overall, if you had read the first book and like it, you would definitely love this one. Or if you’re just looking a new series to read, or you’re just an urban-fantasy lover, or love to read a story based strongly on angel mythology, I would really recommended this one.
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Author : Laini Taylor
Genre : Fantasy
Published Date : September 27th 2011
Publisher : Little, Brown & Company
Pages : 417
Awards : Audie Award for Fantasy (2012), Children's Choice Book Award Nominee for Teen Choice Book of the Year (2012), Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy (2011)
From Goodreads :
Around the world, black hand prints 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 grows 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 one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored 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?
My Review :
What drew me into reading this book was the "a young art student" in the excerpt. The first two lines was intriguing, alright. But when the 'art' word entered my mind, this book totally made it into my list.
That, and all of the great reviews I've heard about this book.
That, and all of the great reviews I've heard about this book.
It took me long enough before I decided to give this book a try, and now I regret my decision for waiting so long.
What to say, I love this book.
First of all, the cover was stunning. I mean, blue against black is a killer combination. And the content was surprisingly amazing too. Laini Taylor did a great job describing the surrounding without giving too much I can pictured scene-after-scene in my head easily.
First of all, the cover was stunning. I mean, blue against black is a killer combination. And the content was surprisingly amazing too. Laini Taylor did a great job describing the surrounding without giving too much I can pictured scene-after-scene in my head easily.
The plot was surprisingly intriguing too, with a teeth-dealer, mysterious tattoo, and all that. I love how Laini Taylor put an enough amount of conflict onevery pages that left the reader wanting more.
Our main character, Karou-what a unique name-was not your typical scream-and-run girl either. She's strong, stand up for herself, and able to make her own decision. Akiva, our main hero, was a bit undeveloped for me. He did have a nice trouble with his life and all, but his personality seems a bit flat, like he was there to complement Karou only.
Overall, I think this is highly recommended for an urban-fantasy lover. I love this book, but well, maybe Akiva changed my love to just like.
My Rating :
