Series Sunday: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Daughter of Smoke & Bone, the first book in the trilogy of same name by Laini Taylor. A supply of teeth is running low in a dark and dusty shop. Black handprints appear on doorways. A bright blue-haired tatted up young art student, Karou, is caught up in an otherworldly war. Her sketchbook is filled with creatures she'd been drawing since she was a little girl: Issa, the woman serpent with bare breasts and the face of an angel; the giraffe-necked Twiga with a squinted eye; parrot-beaked Yasri with orange curls; the bird-like Kishmish that flutters away as a messenger; and the grumpy Wishmonger/Resurrectionist Brimstone. Of course Karou's friends think her trademark characters are fantastical. Only Karou knows they may be real; the single word tattoos on each of her wrists are a hint in plain sight: true and story.

"Over the years she'd found that that was all it took, that lazy smile, and she could tell the truth without risk of being believed. It was easier than keeping track of lies, and so it became part of who she was: Karou with her wry smile and crazy imagination." ~ pg. 9

Yes, you are on www.LiteraryMarie.com and read the book description right. Bookhearts know that I am not a paranormal fiction reader (with the exception of the Twilight series). Yet I still chose to start the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy based on the eye-catching cover, 150,000+ positive book reviews, and rave ratings from over half of my Goodreads friends. I finally borrowed the hardcover from the local library when my bookheart Steph highly recommended this series. I always trust her judgment on books. So here I am reviewing a fantasy/magic/nonhuman novel.

"Was there any fate more bitter than to get what you long for most, when it's too late?" ~ pg. 251

Was Daughter of Smoke & Bone worth stepping out of my comfort zone? YASSSS!!! One of the best bookish feelings is when a book turns out to be better than expected. Karou is such a strong, mature and smart heroine. The descriptions create vivid imagery and made me forget it was fantasy. The setting is in a place called Elsewhere. Oh, Laini Taylor, what an intriguing world you built about seraph and chimaera through beautiful narration. I will stop here; it is impossible to go into further detail without writing spoilers.

Trust when I say Daughter of Smoke & Bone lives up to the hype. I encourage those like me to put aside your reservations or dislikes of this genre and give this trilogy a try. Check out the book trailer tease below then add it to your bookshelf if you haven't already. If you are one of the bookhearts that already rode the Daughter of Smoke & Bone train, share your thoughts. I already love this trilogy. Do you?

"Love is a luxury. No. Love is an element." ~ pg. 363

Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Published: September 2011
Pages: 418
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: New Authors; Popsugar Nonhuman Characters; Popsugar Magic
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥