Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3)

by Laini Taylor

It began with DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
It continued with DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT
It ends with DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theatre that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

• ISBN10: 0316134074
• ISBN13: 9780316134071
• Publish Date: 8 April 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 624
• Language: English

Reviews

[girlinthepages]

It's so hard to write a review for an ending of a series, because how can you convey how an entire journey ends? Dreams of Gods & Monsters was a dramatic end to one of the best crafted fantasy series I've read in the YA genre.

It's so hard to write a review without spoilers of this book, but what I loved about this last installment was that it brought the whimsical fairytale feeling of the first book, Daughter of Smoke & Bone and the darker, war-ridden atmosphere of the second installment, Days of Blood & Starlight. I loved that the final book in the series revisited Brimstone's enchanted wishes, the importance of teeth, and the strong friendship between Karou and Zuze, while delving deeper into the mechanics of resurrection, the mythological backgrounds of both seraphim and chiamera, and the use of magic (this book answers a lot of the big questions that run through the series).

This book also had great character development. Characters that were initially on the periphery, like Liraz and Ziri, get their own significant roles and important story lines, rather than Karou's narrative dominating the entire text. Mik and Zuzanna get to play an active role in both worlds (unlike in many YA paranormal/fantasy novels where the initial best friend is left by the wayside, constrained by being a mere human, while the protagonist ditches her for vampires/werewolves/angels/whatever). For me, this book was a big turning point because I actually started to like Akiva. If you've read my review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone, you know that I wasn't super impressed by the romantic interest in this series at first. However, Akiva really grows into a strong and determined character, and learning about his background as a Stelian and his upbringing had me warming up to him and rooting for him and Karou to finally realize their dreams of uniting to rival races and having alone time (which never really satisfying happens *sigh*).

What knocked this book one star down for me was like its predecessor, Days of Blood and Starlight, it was really slow to start. It begins with an entirely new perspective from an entirely new set of characters, which was really disorienting, and it took me a while to adjust to the new point of view before I was dumped right back into Karou's POV right where the last book ended. I came to like Eliza and the rest of the new crew and how her story intertwined with Karou's and Akiva's (and even Razgut's- yes, unfortunately he is still around in this installment, but I promise his fate is horrifying yet oddly satisfying at the same time) but not knowing why her story was being introduced in the first place as well as Karou's beginning being slow to start brought the rating down for me a bit. Also, Taylor may tie up a lot of loose ends but she opens ten times as many new questions, leading to what could no doubt be a spin-off series, and that really leaves the reader aching to know what happens. The series doesn't end with a happily-ever-after or even a conclusive "this is how the chiamera, seraphim, and humans all co-exist," rather it ends with one small conflict being explained and Karou learning of many, many larger problems that need to be handled. The book no doubt ends with "hope" (appropriate for that is the meaning of Karou's name) but it also leaves readers with a sense of loss, knowing that Eretz's fate is not even close to being determined.



Overall: The ending to the Smoke & Bone Trilogy is beautiful and complex and wonderful and lyrical, as long as you despite being a little slow in the beginning. Taylor has unparalleled world building skills in the YA world and leaves you wanting more, so much more, of her writing and of the world of Eretz at the end of this series. I don't know what I'm going to do if she leaves all of these questions unanswered!

Would I Recommend It: Absolutely! It's the best YA fantasy series out there!

You can read more of my reviews at my blog, Girl in the Pages

[e_rodz_leb]

4.5 Stars

The Daughter of Smoke and Bones series has been one of my favorites from the first page of the first book. I adore the beautiful-blue-haired-floating Karou and the handsome-loving-fierce-seraph Akiva. They are possibly one of my favorite bookish couples of all time.

This series is a mix of fantasy/contemporary/romance that is unique. Part of the plot takes place in the modern world and part in the alternate universe of Eretz. The story is driven by a love so powerful that changes the world.

“How do you just thrust “I love you” out into the air? It needs waiting arms to catch it.”

After the excruciating ending of Days of Blood and Starlight I just couldn’t wait to dive right in. Oh, Karou! I’m so glad you came to your senses, or that what’s between you and Akiva is much stronger than any misgivings and misunderstandings. Akiva is so sweet, so selfless, so ashamed of what he’s done and so willing to atone for it in any way he can. I don’t think that I can ever make justice to these characters, so I will not try. I love them. Period.

“The two of them were stoic and stone-faced and ten feet apart, currently not even looking at each other, but Zuzana had the impression of a pair of magnets pretending not to be magnets. Which, you know, only works until it doesn’t.”

Suzana, Mik, Lizar, Ziri, and so many other characters from the previous books join us in the adventure of Gods and Monsters. Suzana is probably one of my favorite characters ever! Her personality is so distinctly her. The loyalty and love that she feels for Karou and for the chimera cause is admirable. I’m so happy that she was prominently present in the last installment. We also get to know these characters a lot better and many surprises are in store for the reader.

“I love vengeance like normal people love sunsets and long walks on the beach. I eat vengeance with a spoon like it’s honey. In fact, I may not even be a real person, but just a vow of vengeance made flesh.”

The pace is not precisely slow, but the way the book is formatted made me want to skip chapters so I could follow Karou and Akiva’s story more closely. I’m not saying that the book is not good, not at all. But chapters are alternated between other characters as well. It’s like those movies where the story follows different characters and then it all makes sense at the end. In case you cannot tell, the book is written from the third point of view, that way we know what most characters are doing (and seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling) in different places. It works amazingly well here.

Oh, the writing! If you’ve read any of the books in the series (or my fan-crazed reviews), you know that I love Taylor’s writing. It’s so beautiful, lyrical, full emotion, and a sensory overload. A true treasure that I have learned to appreciate.

“It’s all I want, to be beside you, helping you. If it takes forever, all the better, if it’s forever with you.”

As with most things, Dreams of Gods &Monsters is not perfect. I feel that part of the plot, towards the end was unnecessary, unless Taylor intended to have a fourth book in the series (which I wouldn’t mind at all, by the way). Why unnecessary? Because it felt as if new characters and conflict was introduced with the sole purpose of separating Karou and Akiva. The ending didn’t really felt like one.

“And the stone table was between them, a barrier, but there could be no barrier to the smile that was her answer. It was another new species, and Akiva thought that he could spend a thousand years with her– please– and still be discovering new species of smiles.”

Overall, Dreams of Gods & Monsters is an amazing book and a worthy addition to an incredible series that I’m very sorry to see come to a close (*hint, hint*)

[lizarodz]

4.5 Stars

The Daughter of Smoke and Bones series has been one of my favorites from the first page of the first book. I adore the beautiful-blue-haired-floating Karou and the handsome-loving-fierce-seraph Akiva. They are possibly one of my favorite bookish couples of all time.

This series is a mix of fantasy/contemporary/romance that is unique. Part of the plot takes place in the modern world and part in the alternate universe of Eretz. The story is driven by a love so powerful that changes the world.

“How do you just thrust “I love you” out into the air? It needs waiting arms to catch it.”

After the excruciating ending of Days of Blood and Starlight I just couldn’t wait to dive right in. Oh, Karou! I’m so glad you came to your senses, or that what’s between you and Akiva is much stronger than any misgivings and misunderstandings. Akiva is so sweet, so selfless, so ashamed of what he’s done and so willing to atone for it in any way he can. I don’t think that I can ever make justice to these characters, so I will not try. I love them. Period.

“The two of them were stoic and stone-faced and ten feet apart, currently not even looking at each other, but Zuzana had the impression of a pair of magnets pretending not to be magnets. Which, you know, only works until it doesn’t.”

Suzana, Mik, Lizar, Ziri, and so many other characters from the previous books join us in the adventure of Gods and Monsters. Suzana is probably one of my favorite characters ever! Her personality is so distinctly her. The loyalty and love that she feels for Karou and for the chimera cause is admirable. I’m so happy that she was prominently present in the last installment. We also get to know these characters a lot better and many surprises are in store for the reader.

“I love vengeance like normal people love sunsets and long walks on the beach. I eat vengeance with a spoon like it’s honey. In fact, I may not even be a real person, but just a vow of vengeance made flesh.”

The pace is not precisely slow, but the way the book is formatted made me want to skip chapters so I could follow Karou and Akiva’s story more closely. I’m not saying that the book is not good, not at all. But chapters are alternated between other characters as well. It’s like those movies where the story follows different characters and then it all makes sense at the end. In case you cannot tell, the book is written from the third point of view, that way we know what most characters are doing (and seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling) in different places. It works amazingly well here.

Oh, the writing! If you’ve read any of the books in the series (or my fan-crazed reviews), you know that I love Taylor’s writing. It’s so beautiful, lyrical, full emotion, and a sensory overload. A true treasure that I have learned to appreciate.

“It’s all I want, to be beside you, helping you. If it takes forever, all the better, if it’s forever with you.”

As with most things, Dreams of Gods &Monsters is not perfect. I feel that part of the plot, towards the end was unnecessary, unless Taylor intended to have a fourth book in the series (which I wouldn’t mind at all, by the way). Why unnecessary? Because it felt as if new characters and conflict was introduced with the sole purpose of separating Karou and Akiva. The ending didn’t really felt like one.

“And the stone table was between them, a barrier, but there could be no barrier to the smile that was her answer. It was another new species, and Akiva thought that he could spend a thousand years with her– please– and still be discovering new species of smiles.”

Overall, Dreams of Gods & Monsters is an amazing book and a worthy addition to an incredible series that I’m very sorry to see come to a close (*hint, hint*)

[Stephanie]

Loves the plot, but the writing was too flowery and made the whole book draaaaag. It was probably 150 pages too long.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

This review is also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

Taylor ends the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy as strongly as she started it, giving readers a book full of high stakes and powerful emotions. Everything fans loved about the first two books are present in Dreams of Gods and Monsters and with the same intense quality. Readers will re-fall in love with Taylor’s richly imagined worlds and characters and with her beautiful, dreamlike prose.

The pacing of Dreams of Gods and Monsters is better than in Days of Blood and Starlight, of which my main complaint was that it felt too much like a “middle book” with no clear goal in sight. Taylor quickly stops playing games with readers in this conclusion and gets to the point: the battle between the angels and the demons, and the poor humans that are caught between. Action is everywhere in Dreams of Gods and Monsters, as plot threads weave together and plans are made and executed. Readers will be unable to put the book down, desperate to know what happens next—and who lives or dies.

Taylor likewise stops playing games with her characters, and Karou and Akiva quickly get their act together. They finally realize that there is too much at stake for them to prolong their petty fights. Other characters adopt a sense of carpe diem, as well, and a lot of unexpected but brilliant and seemingly right relationships develop. Whole new sides of well-known characters are revealed, but they seem natural, as if they were always there but hidden. Taylor is not manipulating her characters or directing them, but simply discovering them.

Most compelling, however, is Taylor’s finely tuned ending. Readers will get part of what they want, what they have been hoping for throughout the series, but they will not get everything—and that too seems appropriate. Taylor has been chronicling a war, and wars do not end neatly, with everything wrapped up in a bow. One task ends in Dreams of Gods and Monsters, but the rebuilding of a world is left—and an even bigger fight is introduced. This leaves the series open-ended, with the potential for not just a sequel, but a whole second series. Personally, though I would love to read more of the characters’ lives, I hope that series remains unwritten, left to readers’ imaginations. After all that has happened to Karou, Akiva, and their friends, the hint of inconclusiveness seems right.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy is YA literature at its finest, featuring a mature fantasy style that is beautiful and fierce and never watered down. Taylor takes readers on a gripping journey through two universes that will make them laugh, cry, and long in turn. Highly recommended, and a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a very, very good story.

[Vicki]

4.5 stars

[littleread1]

I honestly don't think I have words ... Amazing doesn't do it justice. How do I go on with regular life after finishing this story? How can I explain to people the story I just lived though while reading?

[reveriesociety_]

I love the poetic feeling Laini's writing has, and how the words flow so easily. And the plot! Everything that at first seems separate, at the end stitches together to weave a great, kick ass story. Her characters are great, but I think that since the story covered so many, we didn't have the chance in this book to inmerse so much in any of them. That's the only thing that bothered me a little. But otherwise, I absoultely loved it!
I'll miss this world :3

[Angie]

Well, this was unexpected. It seriously never crossed my mind that I wouldn't enjoy Dreams of Gods and Monsters after absolutely loving the previous two books. Maybe my expectations were too high, or perhaps the book and I really just didn't mesh well. Either way, I'm saddened. I was beyond excited, but also nervous to find out how Karou and Akiva's story ends. This series has been heartbreaking and beautiful, but also full of hope and a little humor, but most of that was missing for me from this finale.

My biggest issue with Dreams of Gods and Monsters was that it felt long. It is long at just over 600 pages, but it felt never ending. There's a lot of detail, and many characters to follow, but it's also repetitive. Many scenes are repeated in adjacent chapters and this annoyed me to no end. It's not like I forgot what happened two pages ago and needed a reminder from another character's perspective. Then there's also repeats from earlier scenes that I don't think were needed. All of these things are short on their own, but they do add up and really messed with the pacing.

Another element that I didn't care for--and which added to the substantial length--was the introduction of Eliza. I simply wasn't interested in her from the beginning. She felt like an addition just so we had a way to see what was happening in the human world while the Seraphim/Chimaera war was starting. She does wind up being important at the end, but all of her chapters bored me. Most of them are the same: her worrying about her dreams and anyone finding out who she really is. Then I was bothered by the fact that she had run away from home as a teenager, and wants nothing to do with her family at all, and yet her mother calls and texts her constantly. This made no sense, and seemed to only serve as a way for someone to expose her identity. To what purpose? I have no clue. I think she hurt Dreams of Gods and Monsters more than she helped.

After the whole Eliza fiasco, I had to wonder what did happen in the human world after the war ended. I know it's not that important in the grand scheme of things, but humans were brought into it, so I want to know. There's no way to write away humans not noticing a swarm of angels, but what about when they found the Chimaera bodies? What about when the angels were gone? What happened to humanity?! Did they study the bodies? Write it all off as a hoax? What happened?! We see what happens in Eretz in the epilogue, but Earth is completely forgotten!

There were parts of Dreams of Gods and Monsters that I loved, but those scenes were few and far between. They also didn't grab at me the way the other two books did, which was disappointing. I loved the tension between Karou and Akiva! I wanted to smash their faces together almost as much as Zuzanna did! I also found myself oddly drawn to Razgut and actually wanted a novella or even a full story about him and his past. Zuzanna and Mik provided some lightness that I appreciated, but overall I found them a bit out of place.

So, in the end, Dreams of Gods and Monsters did not make me happy or satisfy my craving for more from this fantastic world. Everything felt drawn out and over complicated. And I'm not even going to pretend like I understood those last chapters all. It felt like a new book, with new world building, and a new plot was starting, then abruptly ending. It was a struggle for me to get through, since I felt like I was reading forever and making no progress. Dreams of Gods and Monsters will, of course, work for many fans of the series. I just couldn't get into it.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I have been so eagerly awaiting the final book in the series, and now it's here! I absolutely couldn't wait to read it, but I was so sad that the trilogy would be ending! But I'm so pleased to say it's the most perfect ending to the most perfect trilogy!

Jael has gone through the portal with his horde of Dominion, and with the assistance of Razgut, has the people of Earth believing their angels sent by God to prepare them for and help them with the apocalypse. To help them, Earth needs to have over it's weapons. There is no way Jael can get ahold of guns, he will wipe out Misbegotten and chimaera to extinction. Despite the lack of trust, Akiva and Karou have joined seraphim and chimaera in a tentative, unlikely alliance now they have a common enemy - Jael and his seraphim army. But is the peace they so desperately want possible when each side wants the other's blood? Will Karou and Akiva find their way back to each other? Who will survive when the very sky is attacked?

Oh my god, so much happens in this book! Yet I should have been expecting it, considering the previous two books. But it's SO, so good! Such an incredible novel that I don't even know where to begin!

Seeing the chimaera and seraphim together was just amazing, despite the issues they have. It's the only way there's any possible chance Jael can be defeated, and necessary, but you can't read the beginning of their alliance without being so full of hope that Akiva and Karou's dream - that was born in the Requiem grove back when Karou was Madrigal - of peace between the two species can be found. You're so desperately hoping as you read, despite the terrible things that occur, not just for chimaera and seraphim, not just for Akiva and Karou, but for Ziri. The amazing, self-sacrificing beautiful soul that is Ziri, who has given up his life and his body to inhabit the body of Thiago. A body, a person he cannot stand. A person he has to constantly pretend to be, to act like. Create change, bring about the starting of what could be real peace between the two species, but without giving the game away that Thiago is not himself. The power and viciousness, the actions and words he has to do and say... he hates absolutely every second of it. The only thing that keeps him going is Karou, knowing who he is, knowing what he's going through. I felt so desperately sad for Ziri and the position he's found himself in. He did it for Karou, to save her life, and now to save the people of Eretz, but his selflessness doesn't come without such a dreadful price.

Akiva and Karou... quite possibly the most romantic couple I have read in YA fiction, ever. There's is such an epic love story, not just in their struggle and the obstacles in their path, but because of Taylor's incredible writing. Taylor easily captures the passion and longing, the heartache and despair that the two characters can communicate with just one look. With just a look, you're brimming over awe at their love and desperation that they find a way. Just a look - and so much more goes on between those two! Taylor can take emotion and describe it in a way that is so beautiful, but so real! There were certain passages I would read over because of the beauty of the language, the beauty of the moment, and something inside me declaring, "Yes! This is love! This. Is. Love!" It seems too small a word to consider Akiva and Karou's personal aspect of the story "romance". It's not romance. It's the whole world, the whole point; the power that fuels the hope, the dream. It's epic. It's perfect.

I have to mention Zuzanna and Mik. I love them. I think everyone probably loves them. They bring such light to what is mostly a dark series. Humour, but also such loyalty and faith and willingness to do whatever they can. These two play a bit more of a role in this book, and they really shine. They have got to be my favourite secondary characters of any book. Such courage, such love. They're just wonderful.

And then we have the things I can't talk about in any great deal without spoiling the story. The incredible Eliza. The hugely powerful Stellians. The bruised sky. This book will have you guessing at every turn, and you will never get it right. Such an original, unique, unpredictable story. My heart was in my mouth more times than I can count, and it broke several times over. High stakes, so much danger, more emotion than you can shake a stick at, and the most incredible ending I've ever read.

The story that started in Daughter of Smoke and Bone comes to a complete conclusion in Dreams of Gods and Monsters. But Taylor has laid down the possibility of a further trilogy/series. There is so much scope for these worlds, so much yet to do and discover. It would disappoint me no end if the trilogy ends like it did, and we don't see any more of these characters. There's more story, a new story, to tell. And I sincerely hope Taylor shares it with us.

Quite possibly the best trilogy I've ever read. If you're waiting on Dreams of Gods and Monsters, you have such a thrilling ride ahead!

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for the review copy.