Days of Blood & Starlight
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Summary:
This is not that world.
Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is – and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
First Sentence: Prague, early May.
My Review:
I enjoyed reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone, but it didn’t amaze me like how it did with other people. Why did I pick up Days of Blood & Starlight then? Simple, the stunning cover (that makeup or mask!), the creative title (whoever came up with these titles is really a genius), and Laini Taylor’s writing all convinced me to come back for more.
One thing I really love about Laini Taylor’s books the Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight is that the summary gives absolutely nothing away to the readers. You have to read the actual book to find out what would happen, leaving us readers in suspense for what’s to come. At the same time, I also don’t like that the book summary reveals nothing about the book because we don’t know what will happen! (That is, until we finish reading the entire book.)
We are arisen, it read. It is your turn to die. (73)
Unlike Daughter of Smoke & Bone, I was immediately sucked in into the world of Days of Blood & Starlight instead of feeling disconnected from the book for awhile. I was easily reminded where we last left off (partly because the summary reminded me of how the Daughter of Smoke & Bone ended and partly because the first chapter gave a sort-of mini recap.)
Do the thing. Kill the monster. Change the world. (399)
There were so many scenes in Days of Blood & Starlight that made me so anxious and so frustrated that I felt that Laini Taylor literally tore my heart out and stomped all over it – repetitively. Laini Taylor leaves us with the most cruelest chapter cliffhangers – she’ll write a shocking scene at the end of a chapter told from Akiva’s point of view, abruptly end it, and then write the next chapter from Karou’s point of view, leaving us readers in stunned suspense, wondering what would happen to Akiva? Then Laini Taylor decided to torture us some more by making the chapter after that chapter focused on another person.
One thing I really hated about Days of Blood & Starlight is how Karou changed so much. Seriously, in Days of Blood & Starlight, Karou is like a completely different person from the cheerful person I read about in Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I was just shaking my head throughout the book. Karou was always hiding and constantly feeling sorry for herself, second-guessing herself and her decisions, and being emo; basically, Karou was a coward. There were also some extremely obvious scenes that strongly hinted about the bad guys’ plans that Karou just didn’t realize until deep into the book, about two hundred and something pages after I figured out the bad guys’ plans to be exact. The old Karou would have figured out everything right away. Sure, I understood why Karou acted the way she did, but that didn’t make me any less frustrated.
Take a weapon and you become an instrument with as pure a purpose as the weapon itself: to find arteries and open them, limbs and sever them; to take what is alive and deliver it unto death. There was no other reason to hold a weapon, no other reason to be one. (129)
As for Akiva, he was mopey and empty after what had happened in Daughter of Smoke & Bone, but unlike Karou, Akiva remained strong and knew what was right and what was wrong. He remained strong and true to himself throughout the book, something I really admired about him.
After reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight, I feel that nothing really important happened in both books except for a very slight few events. I don’t know if anyone feels the exact same way I do – after I finish reading both the Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight, I feel that the entire two books could be basically described in two or three short sentences and you wouldn’t miss anything if you didn’t read the two books.
Tomorrow they will start the apocalypse. (513)
I can’t believe that the next and final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series would come out in exactly a year from the day I wrote this review. A year. (Please note that Days of Blood & Starlight came out in November, so Laini Taylor would take seventeen months to write the next book. Whoa.) Hopefully, the last book would be epic and give me the happy ending I long to read about.
I LOVED this book so so much! I thought it was leaps and bounds ahead of Smoke & Bone in every area that counts. Taylor’s prose is seriously gorgeous and I love it so so much! I’m inclined to agree with you on the change in Karou’s character, though. Of course, it’s been quite a while since I’ve read the first book, so it’s hard to make a concrete comparison, but I bet you’re right that she saw major changes from book to book.
Renae @ Respiring Thoughts recently posted…Book Review: Eve (Eve #1) by Anna Carey
I definitely agree with you Renae, Days of Blood & Starlight was a lot better than Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I devoured it a lot faster and couldn’t get enough of it compared to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone.
I read Daughter of Smoke & Bone not that long ago, and Karou was originally confident, brave, and quick on her feet. In Days of Blood & Starlight, it’s like she did a complete 180 and was a coward in every way you look at it. :l
Hopefully the old Karou would be back in the next book!
Kelly recently posted…Series Overview: The Darkness Rising Trilogy – Kelley Armstrong
Better than Daughter of Smoke and Bone? I have to proof it! Actually I didn’t really want to continue the series, but reading your review makes me want to read it!
Najwa Shufia recently posted…Cover Madness Giveaway Hop at YA Fanatic
Yes, Days of Blood & Starlight is even better than Daughter of Smoke & Bone! :D
It’s not completely focused on the romance too. ;D
Kelly recently posted…Summer Lovin’ Readathon: Day 7 – Alma Mater
GAH!! I’m so eager to start this one. I just haven’t found the time to yet. I’m sure it’s going to be great! Everyone I know has at least really liked this one!
I’ll say that it’s safe to say that you’ll love Days of Blood & Starlight Vivien! ;D<3
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: How Setting Causes A Reading Slump
I really like this series, especially Days of Blood & Starlight, great book! Can’t wait for the sequel… :)
I can’t wait for the sequel too! The title sounds AMAZING.
Kelly recently posted…Summer Giveaway Hop 2013
I loved this book so much so that I pre-ordered the last in the series! Super excited for it!
I pre-ordered it too! High five Allyn to the awesomeness that will be in the next and last book! :D<3
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
Hmm…I still don’t know if I want to read the second book of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. :\ Just from reading your review, I could already tell that I might not enjoy the book. DOSAB (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) did entice me in some ways, however, there were some parts that were boring for me. DOSAB actually got me into a slight reading slump, however, I did also enjoy reading about the world and of course…Akiva. ;) Still don’t know if I should continue on with the trilogy or not….
Aww, I’m sad to hear that Ellen! D:
And Daughter of Smoke & Bone got you into a reading slump?! That’s horrible!
If you ever plan to give Days of Blood & Starlight a try Ellen, I hope you’ll like it! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [54]
It’s okay. :)
And yeah, kind of. It was unfortunate because I thought Daughter of Smoke & Bone would be really intriguing. But after reading the Days of Starlight review twice now, I might just end up picking up the book simply because I just want to know what happened.
Thank you! I really do enjoy reading your reviews! :)
Ellen Le recently posted…Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
I’ve heard so many great things about this series that I’m eager to read it but I want to wait until the third book is out first! The covers are so beautiful that I couldn’t resist buying book 1 and will definitely buy this one too.
Ha ha, awesome choice, waiting until the third book comes out. I wish I did that too so I can read the entire series all in one go. ;D<3
The covers are even more gorgeous in person Susan!
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [54]
I read this book some time ago and was one of my favorite books. I love the change that Karou has and the end! was like a heart attack, amazing. I can’t wait for the third and final book, the cover is amazing so the book has to be amazing too. The wait is been longer.
I agree; I was SO happy to see Karou become her old strong self again! Like, go girl!
I know! The release of the third book has been delayed for a week. ):
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [54]
Daughter of Smoke & Bone was actually quite a different read for me…… the way Taylor penned it you won’t find anything like that elsewhere, that style is her own…… and yes the gorgeous covers add to the beauty of it all…. i haven’t read this one yet but i definitely will as soon as i can.
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