Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)

OH MY GODSTARS! This book is awesome.

First of all, I loved Laini Taylor's writing. Its so utterly captivating and its like fireworks. The title, the names of the characters and the chapter names - everything chosen so perfectly, I can't stop wondering about the author's talent.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is that rare book, where it starts with familiar scenes and makes it appealing, startling and new. Its the story of Korou, a mysterious art student, who lives in Prague. Karou has very few friends, and they are not all human. Karou has a past - a secret - even she can't understand (or remember???). She belonged to a family of chimaeras and she runs "errands" for them, when called for. Brimstone, the chimaera, who raised her, denies any knowledge of what or who she is.

When Akiva (I love his name - yup, its really musical), a beautiful, haunted angel (a seraphim), meets Karou, he finds out that he is drawn towards her - his enemy in the war between seraphims and chimaeras. Akiva follows Karou, and when he recognizes her true soul and what she is, Karou's life - past, present and future - changes.

The thrill and complication of the past knocked me out cold.

So what if this is another YA fantasy novel about angels and devils and star-crossed lovers? Laini Taylor's words and formation of the story - the complicated morality in the words will keep your head spinning and you will want to read out loud, just to feel the essence of the words.

To friends who are yet to read this book:
Okay, I will tell you something, although its a spoiler..when you read the title - Daughter of Smoke and Bone - and after reading, "Once upon a time an angel and a devil fell in love... It did not end well" from the reviews, do not think that this book is going to be a fantasy and the title mentions a daughter of angel and devil. Whatever you think, think it, imagine wild and get this book..this book will exceed your imagination..it did for me.

Overall, it’s stunning and shocking and terribly perfect and unfair and wonderful, all at once.