Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

The third and final book in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, is finally here. I will say this now and I will say it again in the end, if you haven't read this trilogy you should. I highly recommend it no, I more than recommend it. I would love to know if you have read these books and how you feel about them as well! I do have a review up of the second book Days of Blood & Starlight along with the first book, which is linked in the second book review.

In this final installment, two world are very close to war. Karou has commandeered the chimaera's rebellion, through some crafty deception. She is intending on steering their course away from an all consuming vengeance, and the future rests with her. Though reunited, Karou and Avika are not yet to their peaceful ending. Jael has brought his army to the human world and they have to form an alliance against Jael. Who is the enemy, the common ground between chimaera and Misbegotten. Hoping for a semi-good version of their long-ago dream, they try to forge a way forward for both of their people. Hopefully for themselves as well. With even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Avika strong enough to stand among the gods and the monsters?

Remember those feelings you get when you finished a book or even a series? That sense of bittersweetness, you have reached the end but it's an ending you wanted to go on forever just because of how good it was? Yeah, I'm there right now. I am going through withdrawals already, and I don't like it one bit. This book was long awaited for many readers, and I feel that the wait was worth it. I love Zuze even more and Mik has grown considerably on me since the last book. I completely ship Karou and Avika, I think Karou is a beautiful character and I think she would be a great friend to have. She as a character has come a long way, and she has really grown and developed through it all in the end. Avika balances her, as Karou does him, and for them to finally be able to really connect with each other in this book is very satisfying as a reader. The tension between the two was unbearable on paper and even more so in my head, and it was great to get away from the sexual tension in most other books. Their tension was just wanting to be able to be together without too much worry of the outside world and the possible impending doom. It was just a longing that was so vast, because they have tried and tried and tried again. I also loved how a bigger background story was brought into play and wrapped up in a way. Along with this back story we got introduced to a beautiful woman Eliza. We are given some information about her some, very big and other info that isn't too big but nonetheless important. We also get to know-very little thankfully- about a Morgan Toth. And boy do I love to hate him. As far as endings go, I was very pleased with this one. There was one little item that kept getting mentioned, if you caught it early you may have recognized the significance of it in the end. There is so much more to this book compared to what I have typed here. Really if you haven't read this trilogy you should.

I was only disappointed in a couple of things. One being how little action there was in it, and I know I am not alone in this. I understand the need for peace and wanting as few beings to get hurt as possible. Especially with as much unnecessary slaughter that has taken place in the recent past and further back. I will take the battles that did happen, because the loses (though significant in their own way) weren't that detrimental to me and others. But to be quite honest I don't really think that things would have went as "smoothly" as they did. I am still very sadden that Brimstone is not around and hasn't been, but I get a feeling that if he were Karou wouldn't have been able to develop as she had. Though I will say I am very happy with the ultimate demise with one character in particular, and who dealt the beating as well 'cause she deserved to do it. The other thing I take issue with is the sheer fact that this trilogy has come to an end. I only own the second book! I sincerely hope that Mrs. Taylor writes a novella or carries on more with Zuze and Mik because I know that Karou and Avika will still be around. Maybe even other Misbegotten or chimaera pairs.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. That also includes this trilogy, thankfully there is the option to reread books which is what I will be doing. I recommend this book to young readers, "old" readers, everyone in between, basically everyone. I know everyone won't like it but I still think it should be given a chance. I didn't think I would like it in the beginning either, but here I am getting the finished book blues over it, which does not happen often. It's a different type of angel story. As I said before I do own the second book but I cannot wait until I have the other two in my possession. It's not often that I find a book series, or in this case a trilogy, that I feel I can read over and over without getting tired of.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5.
Just in case it needs clarification, the only thing stopping me in giving Dreams of Gods & Monsters a perfect 5, is how little fighting there was.

Page Count: 613 pages (hardcover), this book is a monster but a good one!

Price: $19

Next Book: Command Me by Geneva Lee

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

So! Here is the second book review for the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. There is a third book coming out called Dreams of Gods & Monsters in April 2014, around the 8th (please don't shoot the messenger if the release date is moved, thanks!). I will try to get that as soon as I can but who knows when that will be. I do have a review up of the first book in the series, go check it out if you would like. I hope you enjoy! Happy holidays!

Karou now knows everything about herself. Good and bad. The love that she trusted, killed everything that was apart of her. And now they sit apart from each other, as a war comes back to life after being dormant for so long. As the time draws near, Karou is working hard to rebuild her peoples numbers and must decide what to do about Avika and the coming changes.Things aren't getting easier for Karou or Avika but they keep fighting and coming up with new strategies, but will there come a point when they are done?

This isn't a happy, cheery, all smiles book. This is the calm before the storm in the next book, but it isn't that calm though. I love that though Karou and Avika aren't together in this book (like I mentioned in a different review) it really doesn't follow the writing stereotype. They aren't together because Avika *SPOILER-ALERT* is the reason why Brimstone and everyone else that Karou loved is dead. *SPOILER-ENDED* He didn't know that Karou was Madrigal in the life before, until they broke the wishing bone and he knew for sure. It's safe to say that he feels horrible about it though. I love how this time around it's not the girl trying to get the guy back, it's actually Avika trying to get Karou back and by any means necessary, even if it means letting her go. I love that Karou shows that even when surrounded by creatures that could kill her in seconds, that she will never back down. She really grows as a character in this book, even with everything that happens to her. I don't want to give away any of the good things though! Zuzanna is an amazing friend as usual, and I think that really helps Karou to be strong. I really couldn't put this book down, I wanted to read it from front to back but thanks to the holidays I couldn't. Something new for this book that I liked was that the readers are not just given Karou and Avika's story, there are a few others that we get to read and follow for a bit. From the first chapter to the last, this book had action going, being either in your face or subtly creeping out of the shadows and staring at you. I love that the readers get to see into the lives of the Chimaera and the Angels, and see that neither is very pretty at all.

When I picked up this series I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be too happy of a series, but it does have its moments. However this book didn't have many at all. For this being a trilogy, this second book was more of a back story leading up to the next book. It did stay on the plot, but I really just wanted to know what happened to Karou and Avika the most, not all of the other characters that Taylor had put in, though I did enjoy reading about them. And just like I loved reading this book, I didn't want to read what was going to come next. This isn't a happy book like I said, but it isn't a terrible book, it's really far from it. I just wished it lead up to this next book in a different way. As for characters the White Wolf is on my sh!t list for all of eternity, along with Ten, and a few others.

As a whole I loved this book, there were a few things that I did not like. But I wouldn't want them changed, I would just tweak them a bit. I do know that I still feel the same about wanting to own this trilogy if I had the money and knew who was selling them. I do recommend these books to everyone who wants something different to read. These are located in the "Teen" section of my library but I know that "adults" would enjoy them as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Page Count: 517 pages, including acknowledgments.

Price: $18.99 (hardcover), I paid $5.97 at Meijer.

Next Book: Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

Happy holidays and thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
~Jade

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

This is the first book in the possible trilogy to come. There are two books out already (including this one) and I have been hearing that a third is on its way in April 2014, but I have not heard or read anything official. Another thing is that when I type up a summary I read over the one that is given on the book. With Daughter of Smoke & Bone there is none. So I have created one of my own based on what I have read in the book.

All over the world black handprints are being burned onto doors. Teeth are growing hauntingly low in a demons shop. And in Prague, a girl is about to find a war on her doorstep. A war that isn't dealing with humans. Karou is a blue haired. tattooed, multilingual girl who runs errands for a demon. The blue hair grows in that way, and everything that she draws in her sketch book may be true. Fostered by a chimaera she has not a clue who she really is. Soon though she finds out when a fiery eyed seraph named Akiva crosses her path.

Karou is a character I fell in love with the moment I opened the book, and her best friend. Brimstone is Karou's foster father and he is one that you learn to love. I couldn't stop reading this book every chance that I got I was reading it. Though I was really confused when I first started reading, everything caught my attention and kept it. Karou though travels through door that lead from the chimaera world and the human world. She gathers teeth for Brimstone, from others. When I read this in the book it reminded me of Howl's Moving Castle, the door in the house. I love when Taylor describes the chimaera they are really neat to picture in your head. I love the setting, I love the characters, I loved a lot about the book and I don't want to give anything away.

Along with liking a lot I dislike very little. I got confused with what was going on twice. In the very beginning and at the very end. But once I read through those parts I understood what was going on. One other thing I didn't like is Akiva's background is so small you really don't know what to get from it. Yes it works with the book, I just wanted to know more about Akiva. There really wasn't anything else that I wasn't happy about.

I love so much about this book, and I know what works for me may not work for someone else. I got this book from the 'teen' section of my library but I really recommend this book to people of all ages. There's romance, heartbreak, and hope all through it. I will be reading the second book, the next time I go to the library I will pick it up. I do want to own these book one day if they continue going on.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 418 (paperback)

Price: $9.99

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

Days of Blood & Starlight book two's review!    Dreams of Gods & Monsters book three's review!