Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)

by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
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?

Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

4 of 5 stars

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First off I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to sit down and write this review, maybe it’s the emotional turmoil that I endured or maybe it’s because I have no clue how to properly encompass all of my feelings into a seemingly logical and understandable review. Nevertheless I do remember how I feel about it, so I’ll attempt.

If you remember the first book you’ll remember some of the heartbreak and beautiful imagery Taylor gave us; this book is really no different. We get to see more of Karou’s world as it is now, which is a war torn nation about to undergo yet another unforgiving battle. I appreciated the fact that we get to see the soldiers AND those who merely live in the world carved out by those with power. This isn’t a book about a romance, this a book about war and the effects it has on those involved.

I was surprised that Karou and Akvia have very little time together in this one, but there is so much on their plates that it’s entirely understandable especially given the ending of the first book. I really want things to work out for them but every is so poisoned and intense between them and the events of this book really hurt my heart. We do get to see more of Hazael and Liraz though and I really loved the time that was spent building up their characters and motivations. I really love Liraz despite her tough exterior and I enjoyed seeing her develop as a person. I could go on and on about how much I hate Thiago…I could write a book on all the ways he is a completely and totally douche canoe (pardon my language, but sometimes characters deserve vulgar and kind of funny names). But thanks to him I got to see more of the Chimera, so there are some positives to having to put up with the White Wolf.

I love that this book is not just a filler middle book. It has it’s own action, sub-plots, villains, and character growth. There are no easy outs when it comes to this book and I firmly believe Laini Taylor wrote just so she could rip our hearts out all over again. That being said I can’t wait to read the third book and I have my fingers and toes crossed for a semi happy ending…I need someone to have a happily ever after or I might cry.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 July, 2013: Finished reading
  • 6 July, 2013: Reviewed