Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Karou is more than in touch with the world of fantasy. She was raised by a man/monster that collects teeth for a living and has a half serpent/half human woman who was like an aunt or mother to her. Now older, Karou is living in a flat of her own and attending art school where she excels. But she still can't help but feel alone or different from her normal, human classmates.
Karou’s father figure still sends her out on errands such as collecting teeth for his collection which he will never tell her what they are for. However, Karou knows he deals in some kind of magic, and she wants to know what it is. He gives Karou trinkets of wishes but never anything more powerful than the lowest forms of magic because she is often immature in her use of the power. Little does she know she might one day need those larger wishes for protection?

During one of her outings she discovers large black handprints appearing on the doors which house portals to the world of magic. More of them appear as time goes by and then one day they all burn, locking Karou away from her family on the other side of the magic door. Stopping at nothing to get answers she finds herself face to face with the enemy, an angel named Akiva. But neither of them can seem to kill the other, or forget them. Soon they find themselves drawn to each other even though it may cost them everything.

This is an edge of your seat book for all from high school age and up. I could help but be drawn into the magic aspect of the story and I had to wonder, just like Karou, what all those teeth were for. The explanation wove a story which drew me further into the lives of Karou and Akiva until I felt they could almost be people I knew. The author does an excellent job of not only painting a realistic world but making the characters come alive through the pages of the story. Awesome! I can’t wait to read the next book!


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