Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)by Laini TaylorAmazon | Goodreads | Book DepositoryAround the world, black handprints 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?

Source: Amazon Kindle

Rating:  

   

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a book that started out with a concept I had never come across before, and that I found rather fascinating. Laini Taylor's writing was captivating from the beginning, and that kept me hooked as I kept reading throughout the book. The war happening in the story, along with the great characters made this book very enjoyable for me.

Interesting plot: 1/2

I wish I could give this a 2/2, seriously. But the book was really amazing at the beginning, but halfway through the book, it got a little more intense, and very very detailed. Which is great, because it gives a lot of information on everything the reader does not know, but I think it was a little too much for me. The details made me read the book a lot slower, just so I could perfectly understand all that was happening, so I think it became duller than the first half of the book.

Characters: 1/2

I absolutely adored Karou. She was an amazing character, who was brave, and knew how to express everything she thinks. Her friendship with Zuzana was very real, and for once, I thought it was great to find a fantasy novel where the best friend knows everything, and the main character trusts in her the secrets of her world.

Although I loved both Zuzana, and Karou, I didn't enjoy the character of Akiva. I understood why he did everything he did, but his character seemed weak, compared to Karou, and although he was intense and determined, I didn't enjoy his presence. However, as the novel progressed, so did his strength, so that was great!

Pace: 1/2

I already went over this, and how I thought it became sort of slow at certain points, but the beginning was amazingly paced so I give this one 1 point.

Writing Style 2/2

I loved how Laini Taylor managed to create a really interesting plot that was transmitted beautifully through her writing style. Kept you hooked throughout the novel.

Recommend it?: 2/2

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Review: Dark Companion, by Marta Acosta

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.
Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.
The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member. 
Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Source: Tor/Forge

Rating:  

Dark Companion is a book that made me really excited when the Publisher accepted my NetGalley request. It looked like an amazing, dark novel that.

It was a really good book, but I don't think it was for me, really. There are people who like calm, slow novels, but I prefer fast-paced, page-gripping novels. This was unfortunately was sort of slow, specially at the beginning. I think it took a lot of time before something exciting started happening.

Like I said, it was a really good book and what made it good for me were definitely the characters. This book had intriguing male characters that had me swooning every few chapters. The main character, Jane, was very likeable as well, and her initial shyness yet strong will to accomplish things made it a lot easier for me to like her.

Overall, I recommend this book to people who are looking for a calm book, instead of a fast paced one.

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