Synopses & Reviews
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious errands; she speaks many languages — not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers — beautiful, haunted Akiva — fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
Review
"Lush description of a gothic and ghostly Prague beckons readers from the first page and fulfills its promise, leading to a star-crossed romance that spans worlds and transcends death....[Leaves] the reader both satisfied and eagerly anticipating a forthcoming sequel." The Horn Book, starred review
Review
"The suspense builds inexorably, and the philosophical as well as physical battles will hold action-oriented readers. The unfolding of character, place, and plot is smoothly intricate, and the conclusion is a beckoning door to the next volume." School Library Journal, starred review
Review
"Rarely — perhaps not since the author's own Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer (2007) — does a series kick off so deliciously." Kirkus, starred review
Review
"Taylor crafts both her world and her romance with meticulous care, building the first on a wealth of thought-provoking details and making the second equal parts tender and antagonistic....Fans of torturously star-crossed lovers a la those in Marr's Wicked Lovely and Black's Tithe will find much to enjoy here, but those who flock to innovative, character-driven fantasy with thematic depth will be equally enthralled." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
Review
"Thrillingly fresh and new." Entertainment Weekly
Review
"[A] breath-catching romantic fantasy about destiny, hope and the search for one's true self." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"An adventurous story of self-identity, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is written with high-stakes flair and a touch of humor....[It is] well-told and well-paced, raising intriguing questions about notions of identity, expectation, trust, betrayal and belonging." The Los Angeles Times
Review
"Author Taylor has created a variety of worlds, time frames, and creatures with such detail and craft that all are believable....Readers will look forward to the suggested sequel to this complex, exciting tale." Booklist
Review
"Wow. I wish I had written this book." Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Wise Man's Fear
Synopsis
The first book in the New York Times bestselling epic fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Laini Taylor
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
About the Author
Laini Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of Days of Blood & Starlight, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, the Dreamdark books Blackbringer and Silksinger, and the National Book Award finalist Lips Touch: Three Times. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their daughter, Clementine. Her website is www.lainitaylor.com.