Monday, January 06, 2014

Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

From Goodreads: 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? 

My Rating: 5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Since I loved Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, another sequel that I caught up on over my winter break was Days of Blood and Starlight. Besides having more of Akiva’s perspective *cue my inner fangirl screaming*, I loved that Days of Blood and Starlight was a much darker read with some very surprising twists. 

Although the main perspectives remain Akiva's and Karou's, Days of Blood and Starlight enables you to get into the heads of other major and minor characters too. I really loved this because it showed how war can affect people in such different positions of life. Through these different perspectives, the novel introduces you to new characters like Ziri and Jael and fleshes out some of the secondary characters from Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I particularly enjoyed reading the perspectives of Liraz and Zuzana, and hope that their perspectives are included in Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Days of Blood and Starlight also lacks the insta-love romance that was present in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. In fact, considering how badly he betrayed her, I love that Karou doesn’t forgive Akiva! At the same time though, I love that Taylor leaves open the possibility of redemption for Akiva.

A sequel that definitely doesn’t suffer from the dreaded middle book syndrome, Days of Blood and Starlight was released in November 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Comments About the Cover: I love how everything is in shades of black and white except for the painted mask and the author's name, which therefore really stand out.

4 comments:

  1. I love this series too, and also gave this book five stars. I really like how she doesn't forgive him, which would have been typical of a YA romance. Can't wait for the last book!

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  2. Ah, books that avoid middle book syndrome are a treasure indeed. I am in the minority in that I liked, but had more mixed feelings about Smoke & Bone than I think most people did, but I have heard that the romance takes more of a back seat in this one, which I think might work better for me! I'm glad to hear Karou stands her ground, and I'm glad that this sequel lived up to your expectations.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  3. I bought this one the day it came out and have been waiting to read it ever since. I guess I'm too afraid of being disappointed, or of ending up emotionally crushed, whichever. I had no idea that she included additional points of view, but I do think I'd enjoy that in this case.

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  4. Oh, I know, how amazing was this sequel?? It totally blew me away because I loved it THAT much more than Daughter of Smoke and Bone which I didn't think was possible. I also really loved all the different perspectives. And after where it ended off, I seriously cannot wait for the third book!

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