His eyes were like a lit fuse, scorching the air between them. He was the most beautiful thing Karou had ever seen.
Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Star Rating: **
Word Rating: a bad-good book
Keywords: supernatural, magic, love, angel
Adult Content: brief but explicit mention of sex
Karou is an art student, known for her mysterious drawings telling of monsters and demons. Little do those around her know that these stories are real. For she is not only an art student but a messenger - a messenger for the chimera Brimstone who collects teeth in exchange for wishes. Karou has never had to choose a life, living with one foot in each world, but as the doors to the world of the chimera close, she must make a dangerous decision. And so it is that she sets out on a desperate quest to rescue those she loves... and discover the truth about who she is.
I really enjoyed this book. It rips along at a great pace, and the world it portrays of angels and demons and chimera and artists, all in the setting of Prague, is wonderful and unique. And I completely didn't see the twist at the end! In this respect, it is very different to the paranormal romances that are going around at the moment. However, I feel it is also very similar to them in many ways, which irritated me. I've had enough of girls finding perfect (supernatural) boyfriends who are both incredibly handsome and incredibly virtuous. So, for me, although this book has the potential to be a breath of fresh air, a full five-star read, it is brought down by the fashion of the moment. Which is a real shame, because it started off being so unique and interesting.
Nevertheless, I know that a lot of girls my age can't get enough of paranormal romances, and I would therefore recommend it to girls between 14 and 16.
