Series Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Ok, yall know that there is no way that I’m going to remember which events happened in which one of these books so proceed with caution knowing that it’s possible I will spoil something. However! I am going to try to talk broadly and briefly about the series as a whole.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bones series is a completed trilogy by Laini Taylor. I think that the author has a well- deserved reputation for her vivid writing and world building. She takes the time to paint a picture in your mind without being
obnoxious about it. Each of the books have a rating that exceeds 4 of 5 stars. So, people really like these books. This positive attitude is exactly why I delayed reading the series. I don’t like to read things if there’s too much talk about them. I prefer to have as little info about books as possible and to read summaries and reviews afterwards. Is that weird?

However, I’m glad I got to these, finally! The basic premise is that Karou lives in a world where monsters are real but a secret from the human world. She doesn’t realize that her monsters have been at war with Angels for thousands of years in an different world. (This is the damn premise of the book, people, I’m not giving anything away, here!) There are several great supporting characters, including Karou's best friend, Zuzana, her last remaining kinsman, Ziri, and a sworn enemy, Lirazel. And Chimera are some of my favorite fantasy creatures and Ms. Taylor is creative in her animal- pairings.

The first book takes us with Karou as she discovers the secrets her monster family has been keeping from her. She also meets a man whose “soul calls out to hers.” Ok, that’s lame, but super sweet at the same time. Again, as in other posts: I encourage you to stay away from men who seem like they may be stalking you and talk about your singing soul. However, in this book, it’s ok. I really liked this first book.

In the second book, Karou is stuck helping questionable allies. Worlds are literally colliding and she trying to keep everyone safe, including herself and her frenemies. I LOVED the second book.

In the third book, and additional story line is introduced that I definitely would have skipped if I was reading this through my eye balls. But since it was an audiobook I just let it play out. This also feeds into an extra bit that needs to be wrapped up at the end, so you have that “oh shit, everything is wrapped up and there’s still 100 pages left” dread. I won’t give it away… but these elements made this the weakest of the series, even though there was some awesomeness. Here’s the problem with creating an excellent fantasy world: you gotta make it work all the way through the end. Sometimes, simpler is better. This one got a little complicated and was like – "whatever. Why, tho?"

Check this bomb ass fan art out, y'all! Pics link to deviant art sources that are not my own, because if I could art like this, then I would probably be arting right now instead of this typing thing I’m doing. Check out the artists gallaries. There's some serious talent in the world. Also, Karou is an artist in the books! Tie in! 

Ok. Hopefully, I didn't ruin anything. I don't think I did. Drop a note below when you read this series and let me know what you think about the ending bit. Also, what do we think about this being a diverse book? There's definitely some "dark skinned" stuff happening and traveling all over the world. Let me know what you think about that, too!

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