A review by josisbooks
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I picked this up after DNFing the last series I started and didn't expect a lot - and boy, was I surprised! I absolutely loved this story. The world building is amazing, as is the whole mystery-air around where the magic is coming from. Following Karou is such an enjoyable experience. She is very observant and funny and it's a refreshing experience. One of my favourite tropes ever is this "several worlds existing simultaneously" and while it can be botched very quickly, it was nailed here. As the story progresses, we get dual POVs (extra credit for that alone and for introducing Akiva) and the story isn't needlessly dragged out. There is a clear focus on where it should go while showing rather than telling the reader enough information to follow along.