Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book unbounded by genre but located at a magical crossroads where The Passage meets Philip Pullman and Twilight meets Pan's Labyrinth.
Laini Taylor is the author of three previous books, the most recent of which, Lips Touch: Three Times, was a silver medal finalist for the 2009 National Book Award. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their baby daughter Clementine.
WOW. I wish I had written this book. - Patrick RothfussDAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is that rare beast: a novel that takes the familiar and makes it appear startling and new. Taylor has embraced the mythology of angels and reworked it in an extraordinary form, so that by the end of this lyrical, haunting book, I wanted to believe in the existence of these violent, tormented beings. I can hardly wait for the next installment. - John ConnollyRemarkable and beautifully written . . . The opening volume of a truly original trilogy. - GuardianNorthern Lights and Pan's Labyrinth in one. - StylistTrust us, it's brilliant - HeatRemarkable and beautifully written . . . The opening volume of a truly original trilogy. - GuardianYou don't want this book to end . . . it's cancelling-weekend-plans, stay-up-all-night addictive. - Easy LivingFor once the frenzy over a teen novel is justified. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor is one of those books that blots out reality, so consumed do you become in its fantasy world of chimeras and angels . . . inevitably there is an epic romance but Taylor is a talented writer; this is aeons apart from the usual angels and werewolves dross. - Sunday Telegraph
National Book Award finalist Taylor (Lips Touch: Three Times) again weaves a masterful mix of reality and fantasy with cross-genre appeal. Exquisitely written and beautifully paced, the tale is set in ghostly, romantic Prague, where 17-year-old Karou is an art student-except when she is called "home" to do errands for the family of loving, albeit inhuman, creatures who raised her. Mysterious as Karou seems to her friends, her life is equally mysterious to her: How did she come to live with chimaera? Why does paternal Brimstone eternally require teeth-especially human ones? And why is she "plagued by the notion that she wasn't whole.... a sensation akin to having forgotten something?" Taylor interlaces cleverly droll depictions of contemporary teenage life with equally believable portrayals of terrifying otherworldly beings. When black handprints begin appearing on doorways throughout the world, Karou is swept into the ancient deadly rivalry between devils and angels and gradually, painfully, acquires her longed-for self-knowledge. The book's final pages seemingly establish the triumph of true love-until a horrifying revelation sets the stage for a second book. Ages 15-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Gr 9 Up-For centuries, the Chimera and the Seraphim have fought, unquestioningly, on opposite sides of the same war. Meanwhile, in a dusty shop suspended between worlds, a strange creature dutifully collects teeth for a mysterious purpose. This lyrical and beautifully atmospheric story centers around the forbidden love that develops between Karou, a human girl lovingly raised by four Chimera, and Akiva, a Seraphim soldier brought up knowing only battle and blood. A deeper message warns that deadly wars are often fought over nothing more than ancient prejudices. Hoping to end the war, the Seraphim burn the portals linking Elsewhere and Earth, and Karou finds herself brutally shut out of her family's world. Still reeling from the pain of a long-lost love, Akiva begins doubting everything he has been taught to fight for-and against. Fearing for her family's safety, Karou enlists Akiva to take her on a perilous journey to find them. The pair discover love, heal old wounds, and share a tragic story of soul mates who should have been sworn enemies. Karou will finally unlock the greatest mystery of all: the truth of her identity. But a confession from Akiva could destroy everything. Interwoven with this deliciously romantic tale of loss and hope are the gorgeous imageries of ancient cities, mythical creatures, and mysterious other worlds. Laini Taylor's storytelling is masterful and her character development is outstanding. Brought to brilliant life by narrator Khristine Hvam, this fabulous story will enthrall listeners-and the cliffhanger ending will leave them clamoring for the sequel.-Alissa LeMerise, Oxford Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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