Michelle Palmer
michellepalmersbooks.blogspot.com
Once upon a time,
an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.
These opening lines of Daughter of Smoke and Bone are the perfect glimpse into a fantastic world created by author Laini Taylor in her newest novel. The story begins with Karou, a 17-year-old art student living in Prague. Karou is far from your typical heroine, from her bright blue hair (not dyed, but natural) to the bizarre family of monsters who’ve raised her, to the strange tattoos and scars that Karou does not remember getting.
Karou spends her days as a typical student, attending classes, hanging out with friends and getting over the break-up with her boyfriend. But at night, Karou returns to the strange shop where she was raised by half-human/half-beast creatures known as “chimera.” The household is headed by Brimstone, a fierce monster who sends Karou on dangerous missions around the world collecting teeth, both human and animal. Karou’s very existence is filled with mystery. As a human, how did she become part of a chimera family? What is behind the closed door in Brimstone’s shop? And what does he do with all those teeth?
On one of Brimstone’s missions to Marrakesh, Karou meets Anika. Anika is an angel, but not the cute, cuddly kind of angel that you see on a greeting card. He is an angry, powerful angel, part of an army of seraphim that is fighting to rid the world of the chimera race. From the moment they meet, Karou and Anika are drawn to each other, and it is not until the last third of the book that we realize just how deep their bond is. Through Anika, Karou begins to learn the history behind her birth, and the terrible war taking place in an alternate universe.
The literary world has had plenty of mythical creatures/human romances in recent years. But Daughter of Smoke and Bone offers something that most of its predecessors cannot—a magical world with creatures so fantastic, and a love affair so utterly heartbreaking, that it puts other books of its genre to shame. Karou is the balm for those readers who are tired of weak, ineffectual female characters that seem to permeate much of today’s literature. Taylor’s attention to detail and incredible imagination make Daughter of Smoke and Bone a book where you can read for hours and completely immerse yourself, a story where chores and work and phone calls all seem to disappear.
A word of warning for those who like their books tied up in a tidy bow: Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the first in a trilogy, and it ends with a cliffhanger. The abrupt ending leaves the reader frantically searching the last page of the book, and eventually, the internet, looking for the tiniest detail of what’s to come. It is a book well worth reading, placing on your list of favorites, and then reading again.
Michelle Palmer is a RTS One Book Committee member, and author of the book blog, Turn of the Page at michellepalmersbooks.blogspot.com.
