Early Review of Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor

• Title: Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone)
• Classification: Young Adult (15+)
• Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy
• Format: Hardcover, 528 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (November 6, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0316133973
• ISBN-13: 978-0316133975

Author's Website: http://www.lainitaylor.com/
Notes: I read the eARC (eBook Advanced Copy Reader version provided by the publisher via NetGalley) and will need to check my quotes against the finished book. The book is a bit more violent than most Young Adult books as there is a war going on.

'Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living--one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mother's arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon's secret temple and dreamed of a world that was like a jewel box without a jewel--a paradise waiting for them to find and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.'

We all have our breaking points. A point where something so horrible and unjust and painful makes us snap and breaks our grasp on all that is decent, humane, good and logical within us. If you don't think you have one, you've never been pushed to the edge and are lying to yourself. Such was the case with Akiva when his world was shattered as he was forced to watch his beautiful, smart, gentle and sweet Madrigal get beheaded for daring to fall in love with him, her natural born enemy. He came out of the experience bitter, furious, enraged and bent on vengeance. For those who killed her and those who let it happen would feel the blunt of his wrath and would suffer. He decided they would all pay dearly and dearly they did...

     "You know how, at the end of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet wakes up in a crypt and Romeo's already dead? He thought she was dead so he killed himself right next to her?"
     "Yeah. That was awesome."...
     "Well, imagine if she woke up and he was alive but..." She swallowed, waiting out a tremor in her voice. "But he had burned her city. And killed her whole family. And killed and enslaved her people."
     After a long pause, Zusana said in a small voice, "Oh."
     "Yeah," said Karou, and closed her eyes against the stars.

This is the world after.

And Karou is the world's last hope.

_______________

This was another wonderful story by Ms. Taylor. It's begins 2 days after Karou left Akiva in Morocco after her memories came rushing back when they broke the wishbone and she had learned what Akiva had done. No one, not even Karou's best friend Zuze, has heard from her since. Akiva is still recovering from the revelation that Madrigal didn't truly die 18 years ago and is trying to cope with the horror of what he has done to her. Zuze is frantic with worry because she hasn't heard from Karou and that is not like her. Reporters swarm around Karou's old apartment hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl from the bridge who had an encounter with angels and flew away. Reports abound of teeth being stolen from museums all over the world and Zuze and Mik speculate it must have something to do with Karou. One of the robberies, however, was near them and they can't fathom why Karou, if she'd venture so close to home, wouldn't have visited them and let them know she was okay?

In the angel and chimera realm, chimera's truly have been defeated and all but wiped out. While angel kind begins their victory celebration, angels are mysteriously being murdered and left with messages such as, "From the ashes, we are arisen." and "THE ANGELS MUST DIE."  Curiously, there is no indication that the angels who were killed put up any kind of struggle or fight.

In this book, we learn more about Akiva and his life as one of the Misbegotten. We'll learn more about his siblings and, more specifically, the two he forged a bond with--Hazael and Liraz. We'll learn a little more about Joram, Akiva's father, and how his empire works. We'll learn about Akiva's mother and what happened to her. But most importantly, we'll find out what Brimstone's last words were and see understanding finally dawn upon Akiva as he finally realizes what Brimstone was trying to say when he stated:
"Dead souls dream only of death," the resurrectionist told the emperor. "Small dreams for small men. It is life that expands to fill worlds. Life is your master, or death is. Look at you. You are lord of ashes, a lord of char. You are filthy with your victory. Enjoy it, Joram, for you will never know another. You are lord of a country of ghosts, and that is all that you will ever be."
And Akiva will once again need to make a choice. He knows there's no hope of Karou ever being able to forgive him for his sins, but he'll try to be the person Karou had once looked at with loving eyes.

Why is the book named Days of Blood & Starlight? I believe because of this verse:
     'Light coursed through Karou and darkness chased it--burning through her, chilling her, shimmer and shadow, ice and fire, blood and starlight, rushing, roaring filling her. Shock and disbelief. And rancor. And rage.'
You'll notice Ms. Taylor is listing a few pairs of opposites and blood and starlight is one of them. I kind of see the blood as representing days of death, destruction and despair, while starlight represents hope and better days. As so much blood has been spilled, I feel it's the appropriate title for this book. A nice representation of both the dark and the light that is within us all.

Favorite lines:
- 'There is intimacy in pain. Anyone who has comforted a sufferer knows it--the helpless tenderness, the embrace and murmur and slow rocking together as two become one against the enemy, pain.'

- 'Kaz made Zuzana wish that beauty were something that could be revoked for bad behavior.'

- "What is it about you?" She had asked him recently. "I almost never like people, even in tiny doses. But I never get tired of being with you."
"It's my super power," he said. "Extreme be-with-able-ness."

- 'Perhaps Fate laid out your life for you like a dress on a bed, and you could either wear it or go naked.'

Overall, I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses. By far one of my favorite books of the year. I HIGHLY recommend this one. It will be in the upper half of my top ten favorite books for 2012 and just might take the number one spot. At present I can't think of another book I've enjoyed as much and since receiving the ARC have read it more than once. That's something I NEVER do so soon after reading a book and hardly ever after. Beautifully written with a quirky sense of humor added in that offsets some of the darker parts of the book. If you've ever wondered how to take a classic story like Romeo and Juliet and make it your own, Ms. Taylor's series is an excellent example. Yes, there is a war going on and so there are some violent scenes. As to what age group this one is targeted at, I'd say it caters to the older young adult audience of perhaps 15 and up.

  

Order of the series:

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor

• Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
• Classification: Young Adult
• Genre: Fantasy
• Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 27, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0316134023
• ISBN-13: 978-0316134026
• Author's website:  http://www.lainitaylor.com/
• Notes: Characters have sex, although nothing graphic. It's just gently stated. Also of note, Karou takes an art class that includes nude models.

     
     'Karou was plagued by the notion that she wasn't whole. She didn't know what this meant, but it was a lifelong feeling, a sensation akin to having forgotten something. She'd tried describing it to Issa once, when she was a girl. "It's like you're standing in the kitchen, and you know you went in there for a reason, but you can't think of what that reason is, no matter what."'


     'Was there another life she was meant to be living? At times she felt a keen certainty that there was--a phantom life, taunting her from just out of reach. A sense would come over her while she was drawing or walking, and once when she was dancing slow and close with Kaz, that she was supposed to be doing something else with her hands, with her legs, with her body. Something else. Something else. Something else.
     But what?'

Karou is human, but she was raised by chimaera. She knows nothing of her birth parents or how she came to be in Brimstone's care. She's haunted by the notion that there is something about herself she should know but can't quite grasp. Knowing she doesn't truly fit in the chimaera world, but feeling like she doesn't quite fit in to the human world either, she's a lonely individual. She's lived in many places and knows many things most humans do not. For Brimstone is a wishmonger and lives 'elsewhere' in another dimension with ties to the human world. Portals can transfer you from one locations to the next, and in Karou's world wishes really do come true. When burnt hand prints start showing up on portal doors, and creatures whose shadows have wings start being seen in the vicinity shortly thereafter, everyone knows something bad is about to happen. Though Karou's been sheltered from the brunt of the chimaera world, everything is about to change forever.

This book was the most original book I've read in 2011. I spent the whole book trying to figure out what was truly going on and didn't even come close. Brimstone's teeth collecting and wish granting made me wonder if he was a tooth fairy at the beginning, but  as I couldn't see anyone raving about such a book I quickly dismissed it. Karou was an equally mysterious character. She had to hide things from her friends, for who would believe she was raised by "monsters" and was given an unlimited supply of simple wishes. The fact Brimstone never even confided in her to tell her what her true beginnings were was both mysterious and confusing. It's obvious the man cared about her and did the best he could in raising her, but she didn't know what his connection to her family was. One of my favorite bits of wisdom imparted by Brimstone is,
     "I don't know many rules to live by," he said. "But here's one. It's simple. Don't put anything unnecessary into our self. No poisons or chemicals, no fumes or smoke or alcohol, no sharp objects, no inessential needles--drug or tattoo--and...no inessential p@nises, either."
     "Inessential p@nises? Karou had repeated, delighted with the phrase in spite of her grief. "Is there any such thing as an essential one?"
     "When an essential one comes along, you'll know it."

Akiva was another intriguing character. An angel who was about to kill Karou when something mysteriously changed his mind. The moment he hesitated she quickly retreated into the portal to Brimestone's dimension. Days later, she finds Akiva stalking her. She finds herself drawn to him and the felling is mutual. She feels like she knows him and the mystery of who Karou is thickens. This one leaves you wondering throughout the whole book what exactly is going on. It's like an intricate jigsaw puzzle where you have most of it put together, but the most critical pieces are missing until the very end. I absolutely loved it.

A seemingly beautiful tale full of mystery and drama. I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses. It is definitely going into my top 10 list of favorite reads for 2011. It has romance, deceit, betrayal, vengeance, and hope. It's a smorgasbord for the book lovers senses. So be prepared for a wonderful journey that ends in a cliffhanger which will make you wish you had the next of the series in your hands. This was a total book seduction for me. Oh, and for your information, I looked at Laini Taylor's blog late last night as I was writing this review and found out that her book has been optioned for a movie by Universal Pictures. Congratulations Laini!