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.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2011: Karou is a seventeen-year-old art student with a most unusual family. From his desk in a dusty, otherworldly shop, her mysterious, monstrous father sends her on errands across the globe, collecting teeth for a shadowy purpose. On one such errand, Karou encounters an angel, and soon the mysteries of her life and her family are unraveled--with consequences both beautiful and dreadful. National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor has created a lushly imaginative, fully realized world in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Taylor’s writing is as sumptuous as poetry, and the story overflows with dark and delightful magic, star-crossed love, and difficult choices with heartbreaking repercussions. Readers of all ages will be utterly enchanted. --Juliet Disparte
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
Review
'WOW. I wish I had written this book.' -- Patrick Rothfuss 'DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is that rare beast: a novel that takes the familiar and makes it appear startling and new. Taylor has embraced the mythology of angels and reworked it in an extraordinary form, so that by the end of this lyrical, haunting book, I wanted to believe in the existence of these violent, tormented beings. I can hardly wait for the next installment.' -- John Connolly 'Remarkable and beautifully written ... The opening volume of a truly original trilogy.' -- Guardian 'Trust us, it's brilliant' -- Heat 'For once the frenzy over a teen novel is justified. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor is one of those books that blots out reality, so consumed do you become in its fantasy world of chimeras and angels ... inevitably there is an epic romance but Taylor is a talented writer; this is aeons apart from the usual angels and werewolves dross.' -- Sunday Telegraph 'You don't want this book to end ... it's cancelling-weekend-plans, stay-up-all-night addictive.' -- Easy Living 'Big things are expected of this, the first in a new fantasy trilogy, and we can see why ... Imaginative and sexy, we couldn't put this down.' -- Bella 'Northern Lights and Pan's Labyrinth in one.' -- Stylist 'A pacy and inventive tale of a girl with an unknown past and supernatural friends ... Mesmerising.' -- Marie Claire 'Laini Taylor's imagination is vivid.' -- Financial Times 'A beautifully written novel, reminiscent of Neil Gaiman ... It is a wonderfully realised world, with fantastic but completely believable characters ... It is sure to be a huge, and deserved, success.' -- We Love This Book 'DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a magical and engrossing book that is still going through my mind days later. Laini Taylor has created something different and exciting and I predict that it's going to be HUGE. It certainly deserves to be. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is easily the best book I've read all year and I'm sure it will remain a favourite for years to come.' -- jessheartsbooks.blogspot.com 'The writing in this book is exceptional. The language is evocative and beautifully done. The scenes are gorgeously realised ... I was swept away by DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. It was compelling, addictive and utterly superb. I expect nothing in your diaries on the 29th September, except to buy a copy of this book.' -- vulpeslibris.wordpress.com 'I absolutely adored every second of it!' -- deadbookdarling.blogspot.com 'The world created in this book is so uniquely strange and, whilst uncomparable, if I were to compare it I would point at Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials ... Definitely one of the best books I have read this year ... keeps you hooked from page one.' -- overflowinglibrary.com 'Easily the best book I have read since I first picked up Harry Potter years ago ... Laini Taylor's writing is phenomenal and even the most mundane of sentences felt magical.' -- yabookreads.com 'I LOVED it so so much ... it is going to be HUGE.' -- thecrookedshelf.blogspot.com 'The fantastic storytelling, amazing world building and original story is bound to captivate readers and have them begging for more, just like it did me.' -- inkscratchers.blogspot.com 'A masterful mix of reality and fantasy with cross-genre appeal. Exquisitely written and beautifully paced.' -- Publishers Weekly Starred Review 'I was smitten from page one. Reading this book is like falling through the rabbit hole alongside Alice into Wonderland.' -- serendipityreviews.co.uk 'This was such a treat, I cannot believe the amount of imagination a person must have to write this kind of story.' -- escapeinabook.blogspot.com 'DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a wonderful read and beautifully written ... I look forward to more.' -- bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com 'Laini Taylor has created a world of magic and wonder, and I was so absorbed in it I almost felt as if I had fallen through the pages ... Compelling - I could not put the book down ... DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE ... is a book that everyone needs to read. Pre-order it, borrow it, beg for it, whatever. Just read this book.' -- planet-print.blogspot.com 'Captures the imagination, more so than any supernatural novel I've read in a long time.' -- thirstforfiction.com 'It's the first in a trilogy and I can't wait for the next instalment.' -- Sun 'A beautifully written, compellingly powerful novel, one which draws you from page to page, chapter to chapter, with action and mystery and magic. Highly recommended.' -- ASIF
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More About the Author
Laini Taylor is the author of the National Book Award Finalist Lips Touch: Three Times, as well as the novels Blackbringer and Silksinger. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their daughter.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
212 of 232 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I would like to start off this review by saying that I really didn't want to read this book. The people who decided on the back of the book description did a crappy job explaining this story in an interesting way. Now that I have read it, the back looks good, but from a fresh perspective, it fell flat. If it weren't a Vine book, given to me for free, I would have never picked it out among the thousands of books out there. I am so glad I gave it a try.
This complex story is about a girl who has no idea of who she really is. Her life has been filled with creatures that would cause terror to most but have been family to her. Karou is a strong, talented seventeen year old who helps her "family" of demon like characters collect teeth. The teeth have a use, but Karou has never found out what exactly. She just goes to designated sights through portal doors to collect the teeth and then goes back to her private art school and her one friend. Her lonely life is interrupted by the sight of an angel who is trying to put a stop to the teeth trade and the creatures who traffic them. Even though he should destroy Karou ,he can not bring himself to kill her due to her similarities to his long lost love. What follows is an intriguing tale of forbidden love in a lush, imaginative world.
I know, I know, collecting teeth sounds so...weird. I promise that the author pulls this off and then some. I struggled with what to say without giving too much away, but I wanted to tell more than the back cover. Karou is an interesting heroine who is beautiful, exotic, and real all at the same time. The world building is really the star of this novel. Everything is different than anything I have read. Yes, it has angels in it, but the author still makes everything fresh.
On a different note, I would not recommend this book to younger teens. Not only is it a little more complex, there is sex and sexual situations. I would say sixteen and up as an absolute minimum in age requirement. As an adult, this is one of those YA books that transfers just fine.
Overall, I really liked this book, and I will be looking for the sequel to help ease the cliffhanger ending.
This complex story is about a girl who has no idea of who she really is. Her life has been filled with creatures that would cause terror to most but have been family to her. Karou is a strong, talented seventeen year old who helps her "family" of demon like characters collect teeth. The teeth have a use, but Karou has never found out what exactly. She just goes to designated sights through portal doors to collect the teeth and then goes back to her private art school and her one friend. Her lonely life is interrupted by the sight of an angel who is trying to put a stop to the teeth trade and the creatures who traffic them. Even though he should destroy Karou ,he can not bring himself to kill her due to her similarities to his long lost love. What follows is an intriguing tale of forbidden love in a lush, imaginative world.
I know, I know, collecting teeth sounds so...weird. I promise that the author pulls this off and then some. I struggled with what to say without giving too much away, but I wanted to tell more than the back cover. Karou is an interesting heroine who is beautiful, exotic, and real all at the same time. The world building is really the star of this novel. Everything is different than anything I have read. Yes, it has angels in it, but the author still makes everything fresh.
On a different note, I would not recommend this book to younger teens. Not only is it a little more complex, there is sex and sexual situations. I would say sixteen and up as an absolute minimum in age requirement. As an adult, this is one of those YA books that transfers just fine.
Overall, I really liked this book, and I will be looking for the sequel to help ease the cliffhanger ending.
56 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Karou is a 17-year old art student. She lives in Prague, paints and goes to school. She is trying to get over her good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend. But there is an air of mystery about Karou. She knows magic. She has a secret life. Karou is an orphan who was raised lovingly by a foursome of demonic creatures. She occasionally runs strange errands for them; and on one of the trips she is confronted by an angelic-looking Akiva who attempts to kill her.
What happens next is best described by the book's own first lines:
Once upon a time,
an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.
There is nothing cliche about this story, trust me. Laini Taylor is a writer with talent and extraordinary imagination. What I loved the most about "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" was the world behind it. We all have read our measure of angel books and you will probably agree with me that the portrayal of angels in them rarely goes beyond wings, sexiness and some dark secret behind the "fall." But what if angels and demons are not what is traditionally/biblically accepted? What if you could get into the midst of their world, learn about their cultures, gain knowledge about their centuries-long war? What if the love between an angel and demon is forbidden and a taboo (maybe even by human standards)? Would you like to read about that? I bet you would.
"Lips Touch: Three Times" is one of my most favorite books ever. If you liked those stories, I doubt "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" will disappoint you. This novel is equally dark, sensual, unsettling and a little twisted. The imagery is stunning. The language is beautiful, every word matters (there were a couple of slips into overwritten, I must say, but only a couple). And the love... well, it pushes boundaries, it transcends time and space.
Too bad the cover doesn't do this fantastic book justice...
What happens next is best described by the book's own first lines:
Once upon a time,
an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.
There is nothing cliche about this story, trust me. Laini Taylor is a writer with talent and extraordinary imagination. What I loved the most about "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" was the world behind it. We all have read our measure of angel books and you will probably agree with me that the portrayal of angels in them rarely goes beyond wings, sexiness and some dark secret behind the "fall." But what if angels and demons are not what is traditionally/biblically accepted? What if you could get into the midst of their world, learn about their cultures, gain knowledge about their centuries-long war? What if the love between an angel and demon is forbidden and a taboo (maybe even by human standards)? Would you like to read about that? I bet you would.
"Lips Touch: Three Times" is one of my most favorite books ever. If you liked those stories, I doubt "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" will disappoint you. This novel is equally dark, sensual, unsettling and a little twisted. The imagery is stunning. The language is beautiful, every word matters (there were a couple of slips into overwritten, I must say, but only a couple). And the love... well, it pushes boundaries, it transcends time and space.
Too bad the cover doesn't do this fantastic book justice...
41 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a Gothic urban fantasy, dark and stunningly written. Laini Taylor weaves words together beautifully and she crafts narratives so that you are completely pulled into her world, hopelessly captivated. You simply devour her words. She is gifted and has given us ample proof that stories labeled as Young Adult can easily appeal to adults. Due to very mature themes, this story is not for children and I would recommend that only teens 16 and older read it.
This is a story about a girl named Karou living two vastly different lives in two vastly different worlds. The joy of this story is discovering Karou and her role in the other-world known simply as "Elsewhere." I was mesmerized by Elsewhere and the fascinating descriptions of its inhabitants and I was completely smitten with the black market concept of trading teeth in exchange for wishes of varying degrees of potency. The teeth are a source of great intrigue and the author does not disappoint when their purpose is revealed. That's where the real story begins. Overall, I was satisfied with her characterizations, though I think the male protagonist, Akiva, needs further development. Since the author utilized a dual perspective, she could have easily developed Akiva more fully. But she didn't and I'm really not sure why. That is the power of that perspective. However, she does a fantastic job bringing secondary characters to life. I was also very pleased with the complexity of motivations. The opposing forces are not solely good or evil, but a fine shade of gray, multifaceted. The premise is imaginative and the possibilities are endless.
But then a superficial romance is thrown into the mix, confusing my impression of this seemingly carefully crafted tale. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but this one - putting it kindly - falls flat. In fact, it felt careless, something I wouldn't have expected of this author who seems so deliberate. Simply put, this was yet another example of lust equated with love, a misguided element for fiction aimed at young adults. Though the quick attachment between Karou and Akiva is explained, the prerequisite still falls short and does the disservice of disconnecting the reader from the protagonist. The plot twist introduced (the aforementioned prerequisite) made it difficult to relate to Karou from that point forward. I felt like I didn't know her anymore. Needless to say, sexual attractiveness does not necessitate love and this is where the romance (which takes up a good portion of the latter half of the book) sidelined me. I needed more to buy it.
It is overall a good story and I hope the sequel will focus on the conflict between the opposing forces, which is the most compelling part of the plot. 3-3.5 stars
This is a story about a girl named Karou living two vastly different lives in two vastly different worlds. The joy of this story is discovering Karou and her role in the other-world known simply as "Elsewhere." I was mesmerized by Elsewhere and the fascinating descriptions of its inhabitants and I was completely smitten with the black market concept of trading teeth in exchange for wishes of varying degrees of potency. The teeth are a source of great intrigue and the author does not disappoint when their purpose is revealed. That's where the real story begins. Overall, I was satisfied with her characterizations, though I think the male protagonist, Akiva, needs further development. Since the author utilized a dual perspective, she could have easily developed Akiva more fully. But she didn't and I'm really not sure why. That is the power of that perspective. However, she does a fantastic job bringing secondary characters to life. I was also very pleased with the complexity of motivations. The opposing forces are not solely good or evil, but a fine shade of gray, multifaceted. The premise is imaginative and the possibilities are endless.
But then a superficial romance is thrown into the mix, confusing my impression of this seemingly carefully crafted tale. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but this one - putting it kindly - falls flat. In fact, it felt careless, something I wouldn't have expected of this author who seems so deliberate. Simply put, this was yet another example of lust equated with love, a misguided element for fiction aimed at young adults. Though the quick attachment between Karou and Akiva is explained, the prerequisite still falls short and does the disservice of disconnecting the reader from the protagonist. The plot twist introduced (the aforementioned prerequisite) made it difficult to relate to Karou from that point forward. I felt like I didn't know her anymore. Needless to say, sexual attractiveness does not necessitate love and this is where the romance (which takes up a good portion of the latter half of the book) sidelined me. I needed more to buy it.
It is overall a good story and I hope the sequel will focus on the conflict between the opposing forces, which is the most compelling part of the plot. 3-3.5 stars
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Amazed
I don't give a lot of 5 star reviews. I'm very picky about what I read and it takes a lot to really impress me. A really good book is only a 4 star for me... Read more
Published 15 hours ago by K. Knight
Amazing!
Was not particularly keen on reading this book, but once I picked it up, I didn't want it to end. Very engaging - the characters and the story. Can't wait for the next one!
Published 4 days ago by Sidd
Loved the story & writing style, but was disappointed by the romance
This book was so good - read it! The writing and world-building are amazing, and all the secondary characters (Karou's best friend, her ex-bf, Brimstone, Issa) are well-developed... Read more
Published 6 days ago by annaluce
Great read if you can stick it out
This book was a great read, although I'd say the book itself is definitely a little more difficult that most YA reads, which I enjoyed! Read more
Published 7 days ago by AppleBologna
Review: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Lani Taylor
There was quite a bit of hype for this book, and I was anxious to get my hands on it. When I finally got it in my hott little hands I devoured it. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Melby223
Hands Down, One of the Best... Ever!
Wow. Simply, wow. Though I finished this book yesterday, my mind is still reeling from the experience, still spinning and twisting and absorbing the loveliness of Laini Taylor's... Read more
Published 9 days ago by CoLiamPet
Unique and engaging story
I've read a lot of YA fiction and this is definitely a unique book. Despite containing angels and having the ever-popular troubled and breathtakingly handsome lead male character,... Read more
Published 9 days ago by scaevity
Beautiful words and limping storytelling.
There are authors who can't write but are somehow published and popular anyway. There's also authors who have the brilliant knack of story telling if not the complete command of... Read more
Published 12 days ago by rameau
DON'T MISS "Daughter of Smoke and Bone"!
No matter your age, gender, heritage or creed, you will love Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Taylor writes brilliant prose, dynamic and painstakingly life-like characters, dialogue... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Kiersi
review: daughter of smoke and bone
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a modern-day fairytale. Except it's one with no promise of a happy ending where the princess has blue hair and tattoos and the prince is an incredibly... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Jen Pfluke
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