In Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Karou has always been different. Her hair grows blue naturally, she has tattoos on the palms of her hands since she can remember and she was raised in an unusual home. The characters that she sketches in her sketchbooks may or may not be real. Creatures that could only come from imagination are actually her friends. Karou was trained to fight at a young age so that she is prepared for her “errands” that she runs for the creature who raised her, Brimstone. Now there are dark handprints burned into the portals that lead to Brimstone’s workshop and Karou has a feeling that something bad is coming. One night she gets in a fight with an angel named Akiva. Karou is drawn to him but doesn’t know why since he seems to be on a mission to hurt everyone she loves. Akiva is taken back not only by Karou’s uniquness but she awakens something in him that he had thought he lost long ago, Hope. Can Karou and Akiva find out who she is and why they are drawn to each other?
I really enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It didn’t grip me at first since it starts off a little slow but once the characters are really introduced the story comes alive! Karou is quite the character. She is sassy, independent, funny, strong, the list goes on! I really like how she is exactly what you want a heroine to be. When Akiva shows up she holds her own against him even though he is much stronger than her. The plot is very different from other Angel, Demon novels and I found it quite refreshing. The setting takes place mainly in Prague which is so unknown to me but after reading this I want to go there immediately! Such an enchanting story and characters I would highly recommend it!
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Title: Daughter Of Smoke And Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Format: Hardcover
Page #’s: 418
ISBN: 0316134023
Publisher: Little Brown
Release Date: September 2011
Reviewer: Megan
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher but was not required to provide a review and it did not impact my review in any way.
It the book Fracture by Megan Miranda, Delany is rescued after being trapped underwater for eleven seconds. Everyone calls it a miracle when she has nothing wrong with her. Delany calls is an abnormality, anomaly, or a mistake, especially when the MRI results of her brain come back. As she continues the healing process, she discovers that there is something different inside of herself. Delany feels an unavoidable pull towards certain people and she is working to discover what exactly causes it. Unfortunately, things continue to get worse. Delany’s parents accuse her of accidentally causing the death of a neighbor, her best friend doesn’t trust her anymore, and she can’t keep her 4.0 GPA. Delany is trying to discover who her true friends are and how to maintain a balance between being normal and her new found abnormality.
I started this book one evening before going to bed and the only reason I put it down was to go to work. I really enjoyed how it flowed as well as how it kept me guessing as to what Delany would do about each situation. The book amazed me with how quickly it caught my interest and maintained it throughout the entire novel. It was interesting to see the various dynamics between the different characters and how her opinions of each individual changed when new facts were presented about them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and would definitely recommend it to others!
You can read an excerpt here.
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Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Format: Hardcover, eBook
Page Nos.: 272
ISBN: 978-0802723093
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Walker Books
Reviewer: Jillian
Jaines Cord helped craft the gun that killed her husband, at his funeral she vowed to kill the man who killed him with it. In Dark Vow by Shona Husk Jaines lives in a world where the magical Arcane society rules most things including the inability of women to be members of a guild and practice any trades. With the death of her husband, Jaines is forced to close down the smithy because the penalty for women practicing trade is the loss of fingers. Jaines sets off on a journey to track down the killer with very little money and only a small idea of how to track him down until she meets up with Obsidian.
Obsidian is a man with secrets. Having been cursed by a mage, he is slowly turning to stone and needs to Jaines help to break the curse. Obsidian is attracted to the strong-willed Jaines but worries that their current plan of action of will get them killed.
Dark Vow is a fantasy novel with a very set magical society. Several of the Carina Press titles I have read and reviewed have been first person, I find this refreshing and really enjoy the personal experience first person point of view gives to the novel. I have to admit I struggled with the beginning of Dark Vow because it begins with the death of Jaines’ husband Lance but the premise of the novel was intriguing so I kept reading. The world Shona Husk has created is complex with a clearly defined society and roles. Jaines’ character was strong and the more I got to know Obsidian the more I liked him. Dark Vow reads more like a fantasy novel then a traditional romance novel, the magic and complex society with the fantastical elements made for a great read once I really got into the story.
You can read an excerpt here.
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Title: Dark Vow
Author: Shona Husk
Format: eBook
AISN: B005UPRO4A
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: November 2011
Available for purchase: Amazon, Carina Press
Reviewer: Jessica
**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley but was not required to provide a review and it did not impact my review in any way.
Evie dreams of being a normal teenager, with all that that entails especially a locker at a high school, but you can’t be normal when you work and live at the International Paranormal Containment Agency. In Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, Evie is the only being who can neutralize supernatural creatures so she spends her time bagging and tagging the things that go bump in the night but when a new type of shapeshifter is brought in, Evie starts to spend time with the teenage boy and starts to question who she is, where she came from, what exactly it is she is doing by working for IPCA.
To make matters more complex, IPCA has discovered a way to make faeries open doorways for them to travel instantly from place to place but Evie is the only who sees the danger in this. Chased after by her ex-boyfriend, Evie worries what exactly it is that he is after and what is could cost her in the long run. When IPCA is attacked, Evie must decide to who to trust and what she needs to do to stop the killing of supernaturals.
I picked up Paranormalcy at Border’s going out of business sale and it has sat in my TBR pile for a little while waiting for me to have some time to read it (among the other 40 books waiting to be read), I am disappointed I waited so long. Evie’s character is strong and yet you get a real feel for her loneliness and her desire to be loved. White’s portrayal of Evie mistaking what she had with her ex-boyfriend as love and yet her desire to give into to feeling that way again with him was well done, showing a complexity of character and relationship that was fabulous! So often YA authors portray a relationship ending as feelings immediately being cut off and that is not how it is, White’s world is fascinating, complex and yet heartwarming at the same time. I couldn’t put Paranormalcy down and highly recommend it!
Paranormalcy Reading Order:
Endlessly (release date July 24, 2012)
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Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Format: Paperback, Hardbound, eBook
Page Nos.: 368
ISBN: 978-0061985850
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 2010
Available for purchase: Amazon
Reviewer: Jessica
