Review: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor

Spoiler warning! This is the second book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and so this will contain spoilers from the first book. If you haven't read that then I'd avert your eyes or go and read my review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone instead. You have been warned!

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

[Goodreads page]

Author: Laini Taylor Website|Twitter
Published: 8 November 2012 (Hodder & Stoughton)
Format: Hardback
Pages: 528
Amazon: Hardback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Hardback|e-book
Book Depository: Hardback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world. 

My Review:
It feels like so long ago that I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and was left hanging just waiting for this book to be released! I finally managed to get Days of Blood and Starlight from the library and was super excited to start. The story picks up with Karou missing, much to the distress of both Zuzana and Akiva. On top of that there's a steady undercurrent of unease and building tension throughout both the human world and Eratz.

The book opened up with a chapter from Zuzana's point of view and that made me so happy! She was probably my favourite character from the first book and my love for her only intensified in this one. Straight away I was reminded of the humour and incredibly witty and clever characters Laini Taylor has created. Opening with Zuzana also gave you a glimpse into what life has been like since the events of the previous book. I found it really interesting to see how Zuzana and Karou's friendship has been tested by Karou disappearing. I particularly liked the inclusion of emails from Zuzana to Karou which mixed up the narrative a bit.

It takes a good couple of chapters for it to be revealed just what has happened to Karou and what she's up to now. I don't want to say too much or spoil the revelations but I loved her role in this book. Of course it was really interesting to discover more about her character and life as Madrigal and get that exploration of her character's past, but I was far more gripped with what was going on in the present and Karou's role in that.

The whole story feels a lot darker than I remember the previous book being, and has that brooding undercurrent of war and tension.The book focusses on several characters and their individual stories to reflect what is happening in the wider world. I liked some of the smaller characters and their sub-plots, but the downside was that there were some parts that didn't grip me. Mainly Akiva's story. I just found myself losing interest in Akiva's chapters because my mind was with the other characters elsewhere. His story itself I can see is completely necessary to get an idea of what is going on in the war and the wider tale. Towards the end of the book as everything started to come together I appreciated the chapters a bit more. Despite the fact we see lots of different people and their perspectives, the writing always flowed beautifully and it still felt like one complete tale and not lots of separate ones.

Speaking of the writing, I was once again completely blown away by Laini Taylor and her absolutely beautiful writing. I would find myself stopping and rereading sections just to soak up a particular sentence and quote. It really is some of the most elegant writing I've ever had the pleasure to lose myself in.

I was a tad worried how I would get on with this book with not having read DoSaB for a while (I read it last summer) because I'd heard there wasn't much recapping. I didn't really have any difficulty with recalling details whilst reading Days of Blood and Starlight and I was able to keep up pretty easily. I'd still like to go back and reread the first book and that's something I'll try and do as soon as possible. The only problems I had really were the amount of characters (keeping up with who was who) and some of the more heavy fantasy moments, which I had to stop and take a bit slower.

Days of Blood and Starlight did feel a tad darker and different to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and at times I found myself longing for the familiarity of Prague and Karou's old life, but overall I absolutely loved this book and loved falling in love with the characters and writing all over. The climax to the story was incredible and I'm once again on tenterhooks waiting for the next book so I can discover what's going to happen to the world and the characters. If you haven't yet checked out this sequel then I'd highly recommend you bump it up your to-read list!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The next book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy is expected to be released in 2014.
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Teaser Tuesdays: 12th March

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"The portal was a gash in the air. The wind bled through it in both directions, hissing like breath through teeth, and where the edges shifted, one world's sky revelaed another's."

- page 6, Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Goodreads page

Author: Laini Taylor. Website, Twitter
Published: 5 July 2012 (Hodder)
Pages: 448
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book 
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Received free review copy from Waterstone's.

Plot Summary: (from Book Depository)
Errand requiring immediate attention. Come. The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

My Review:
I entered a draw to win a copy of this from the Waterstone's Facebook page (it's a review copy so I've also posted a review on their website). I was so excited because it was a book I'd already come across and was wanting to read! I wasn't sure initially if it was YA fiction but I've seen it reviewed on a lot of other YA blogs, and the main character is a teenager so I think it appeals to that market. I'd probably class it as crossover.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone focuses on Karou, an art student living in Prague with a nuisance of an ex-boyfriend. She's grown up having to balance her studies and social life with her other life; running errands for the mysterious Brimstone who inhabits a shop the other side of a portal. Suddenly things start happening around Karou. Hand prints start appearing on portal doors and she has the fear she's being followed.

Firstly, I loved Karou. She's an absolutely fascinating character and so witty. I loved her friendship with Zuzana and the two of them had some hilarious moments that endeared me to them both. She's strong and capable, with a slightly cheeky side and her doubts about herself and who she truly is make her even more intriguing.

The plot itself is gripping, with plenty of mystery. I was kept in suspense throughout, waiting to discover what was going on. Whilst the majority of the book is written from Karou's perspective, you get glimpses from other characters which gives you more insight into the world the book takes place in.

The book is beautifully written. I adored the descriptions of Prague which is such a beautiful setting for the story. The magical and mythical elements of the story were so captivating, as well. I love books that leave me feeling wrapped up in the words and the writing.

The only thing that lead me to mark the book down a star was just the way the information was finally revealed towards the end. I would have preferred it to be done a bit differently because I felt the pace dragging a bit towards the end. Other than that, though, it's a book I would highly recommend.

If you love all things magical and mysterious, or you're a fan of angels and myths and legends then this is definitely for you. But this book has the potential to open up new worlds to readers looking to discover something a little different.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, the sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.