Days of Blood and Starlight
By: Laini Taylor
Sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Karou is alone in so many ways. She is apart from her friends, she can never be with the man she believed she loved and she is trapped by those who seem to hate her but need her. She has taken over Brimstone’s mantle, she is the Resurrectionist. The Chimera need her for their new type of war. Karou shoulder so much guilt and feels so terribly alone. Then she receives a gift, a friend she thought gone forever is returned to her from the most unexpected source. Zuzanna and Mik also turn up unannounced and totally unexpected bringing some joy and focus into Karou’s existence. Then she discovers just what kind of war she is part of and she knows something needs to change.
Akiva is a broken angel. Convinced he has lost Karou forever he rejoins his brother and sister in their side of the war. He too finds the war is something he does not want to be part of and that things need to change. Akiva finds hope when he thought there was none, when he finds Karou alive, but things between them can never be the same too much has happened. He is determined though, this time to make that first step towards the change to a life the two of them had dreamt about together.
Then he discovers the war isn’t the only problem.
I waited so long to return to this world and Taylor didn’t disappoint. I truly don’t care if it takes as long for the next book to come out. Good things shouldn’t be rushed and this is a good thing. Karou is an awesome character; strong, fragile, determined, flawed. Together these traits paint for us a very real character, she is someone you barack for, someone you are prepared to follow on their journey, someone who’s pain reaches into you. Akiva is just as broken, his vision was pure but has become tainted by his actions. His choices have affected his possibilities. You feel Akiva’s anguish. Yet in no way does he appear weak. Their love story is full of pain, tragedy and you hope there is a future for them but more, you hope there is a future for the characters that surround them. The way Taylor has crafted her characters to fill a very vivid and real world, is amazing. Issa, Zuzana, Mik, Ziri, Hazael and Liraz give our central characters places to feel safe and to bounce off. Zuzana and Mik bring, at times, some light relief that adds welcome texture to the situation. Both the really real and the created worlds are so well detailed, picturing them is no problem, you can feel the heat, taste the desolation. Taylor has crafted a great read. I can’t wait to see where she takes it but I’m okay to wait for that.
Highly recommended.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Published: 08 November 2012
Format: Paperback 528 pages
Categories: Fantasy, Angels, Chimera Romance
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