Synopsis: Around 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 grown 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 beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery 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?
Review: I was sitting on this book for quite a while but I was glad to finally read it. All in all the writing and characterization were top-notch. It’s not very often when I can connect with a heroine but I really enjoyed reading this from Karou’s point of view. Though I enjoyed her interactions with Akiva as well, I think I the first half of the book was more entertaining for me than the latter half. The latter half takes on a darker and more serious tone and the series will never be the same from that point on.
My biggest gripe is the cliffhanger. While it doesn’t totally ruin a series for me I found this one particularly frustrating. I want to read the next one, but I am considering waiting until the series finishes or at least until a few more books are available. The twists and turns, while not completely surprising, were still shocking. When it comes cliffhangers, I was very happy to have read the Fever books by Karen Marie Moning after they were all released (before she decided to continue them anyway). I don’t know how fans who read those novels in real-time stayed sane. And I feel like the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series could be of that variety. The writing and intrigue are just that good, especially for a young adult novel. Who knows, when book 3 is out I might give book 2 a go. But for now I’m debating if it’s worth it to continue right away.