Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2
Publisher: Little, Brown
Published November 6, 2012
Hardcover, 513 pages
Overview:
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
This is not that world.
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
Review:
Unlike its predecessor, Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor is not a love story. This sequel focuses on the ongoing war between angels and chimaera only hinted at in Daughter of Smoke & Bone. As a book about war, Days of Blood & Starlight is painful, frightening, and emotional, with no end of battle or relief in sight.
While Daughter of Smoke & Bone focused on Karou's and Akiva's romantic relationship, in Days of Blood & Starlight, the two are enemies, each fighting for their own people. New and old relationships take center stage in this book: As Karou helps rebuild the chimaera army, she works to make allies along the way. Her friendship with fellow chimaera Ziri is particularly endearing, and I was glad to see Karou's human friends Zuzana and Mik make a reappearance. Additionally, the friendships between Akiva and his brother and sister, Hazael and Liraz, add an interesting element to the story and allow us to understand Akiva better.
As always, Laini Taylor's writing is lush and her characters brimming with life. Her magical world of Eretz is one I wouldn't mind visiting (in times of peace, that is.)
And oh! That ending! Many characters are forced to make difficult decisions that set up for future events in the final book and battle. I was kept guessing until the very end, and like in the previous book, Laini Taylor is not afraid to write big surprises. I'm anxiously awaiting the final book, out this spring.
No comments:
Post a Comment