Book Review: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: April 2014
Pages: 624
Source: Purchased
For: Fun
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book 3

Summary from goodreads: *Spoilers are inevitable for the first two books*

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

Things I Liked:
I really like the world Laini has set up here.  She's created the mythology and the complexities to have our world coexist with her imaginary world.  She has such a unique way of writing that you would recognize something from her, even if you didn't know it was her (I think).  I love how strange and wonderful at the same time her creations are.  At once disturbing in its images and also beautiful.  Particularly the way she describes the beasts.  I was happy with the way things ended and wondered about more of what would happen.  It seems like she left it open to write more if she wanted to.  This series seems like from the premise it would be familiar, but it is much more interesting and unique than its idea.  Wonderful and rich and vivid.

Things I Didn't Like:
This story had a lot going on and I think it suffered a bit because of that.  There was a lot of jumping around and perspective changes that threw me sometimes.  I also thought the very ending felt like it didn't need to be included.  The denouement was loooong and I almost just wanted the book to end after the end of the main conflict.  It was kind of nice to see everything after, but I think I could have done without it all.  Also, I think some of the details about magic and how that stuff worked, while gorgeously described, was super vague and left me wanting.  Basically, I didn't quite understand everything she was writing about and thought it was sketchy on the details.  Still, enjoyed the final installment and will continue to devour anything Taylor puts out.

Read-alikes:
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
some

mrg-factor: X
implied, not on page

v-factor: ->->->
some gory details, it's got battles for sure

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: November 2012
Pages: 528
Source: Purchased
For: Fun!
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book 2

*Will likely contain spoilers for the first book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone*

Karou is still trying to understand who and what she is - though her memories have returned. She knows that Akiva betrayed her and stole everything from her and that knowledge spurs her to take great measures in redeeming herself with her people. But how far will she go to make amends and can she ever truly be accepted again? 

Things I Liked:
I continue to be amazed at the stuff Laini comes up with.  She has such a vivid imagination and an amazing way to bring those images and ideas to life with her unique writing style.  I love how strange and yet natural the descriptions she uses throughout the book paint a picture of this intriguing world.  Karou continues to fascinate me, especially with the many feelings she experiences.  She has hard choices and despite making mistakes, tries her best to overcome those.  She really grows over this book and the growth felt subtle, natural, and intriguing.  Chimera, angels, Eretz, teeth, resurrection, all of this adds up to a twisted, strange, and yet un-put-downable story that I was completely surprised by.  The direction it went left me guessing all the way to the conclusion.  I'm happy to report that this second installment did not suffer from second-book-itis for me.  Can't wait for the next one.

Things I Didn't Like:
I was a bit disturbed by some of the things that happened.  But, that's just me.  It was a brutal and honest book and despite my being uncomfortable on a number of occasions, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Read-alikes:  
Start with Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
some, though not a lot

mrg-factor: XX
a few incidents, quite a bit of innuendo

v-factor: ->->->
to the point of disturbing at times

Overall rating: *****

Are you a fan of this series?  What draws you in?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Boneby Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 2011
ISBN: 9780316134026
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Karou lives between two worlds, one just like everyone else's, an art student in Prague with best friend Zuzana. The other world is filled with fantastic creatures, ones that humans are unaware exist, an underground world and the one Karou grew up in. But when beautiful and terrifying angels show up and shatter the delicate balance of her life, she will learn much more about her past than she ever imagined possible.

Things I Liked:
Oh how I loved the writing.  Taylor had me wrapped around that story from page one.  I fell into it and I couldn't see (nor did I want to) my way out.  I read it slowly and in bits so I could savor every phrase.  And you can tell that Taylor spends time on every phrase so that they sound just right.  I love the spooky, creepy, quirky, but gorgeous style she has for writing fantasy stories with a dark undercurrent.  The world she's created is rich and deep and you think you know about it, until you learn more and realize you haven't learned much.  The story was not original in itself, but the way she's created the world, the characters (I adore Zuzana and Karou and Issa and so on and so on), and the cultures is so fascinating I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I'm even more excited to learn there will be more adventures in store for Karou.  A detailed and dark story that will lure you in.  I adored the details about Prague too - I spent only two days there, but Taylor brought it to life for me again. Here is some of the good:

The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century - or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies.  Tall houses glowed goldenrod and carmine and eggshell blue, embellished with Rococco plasterwork and capped in roofs of uniform red.  Baroque cupolas were the soft green of antique copper and gothic steeples stood ready to impale fallen angels.  The wind carried the memory of magic, revolutions, violins, and the cobbled lanes meandered like creeks.  Thugs wore Mozart wigs and pushed chamber music on street corners, and marionettes hung in windows, making the whole city seem like a theater with unseen puppeteers crouched behind velvet. p 24-25 of ARC

The first time she'd come to Prague, she'd gotten so lost exploring these streets.  She'd passed an art gallery and a few blocks later doubled back to find it, and...couldn't.  The city had swallowed it.  In fact, she never found it.  There was a deceptive tangling of alleys that gave the impression of a map that shifted behind you, gargoyles tiptoeing away, stones like puzzle pieces rearranging themselves into new configurations while you weren't looking.  Prague entranced you, lured you in, like the mythic fey who trick travelers deep into forests until they're lost beyond hope.  But being lost here was a gentle adventure of marionette shops and absinthe, and the only creatures lurking around corners were Kaz and his cohorts in vampire makeup, ready with a silly thrill.  Usually. p 185 of ARC

His eyes were hypnotic, his brows black and velvet.  He was copper and shadow, honey and menace, the severity of knife-blade cheekbones and a widow's peak like the point of a dagger.  p 195 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
As I mentioned, the story, if you stop and think about its bare bones, is not that original.  The telling and the wrappings and the life Taylor breathes into it brings me hope for more fabulous angel stories.  It is also not something I could devour in a few sittings, it requires time and thought to fully appreciate it.  Even if I felt it lagged a bit in the middle, I never could put Karou quite out of my mind.

Read-alikes:
Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
pretty regularly, though not overwhelming

mrg-factor: XX 
it does have it, but doesn't describe the actions

v-factor: -> 
not a lot, but they do fight and kill

Overall rating: *****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage