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

by Laini Taylor

[Angie]

Wow. I thought Daughter of Smoke and Bone was magical and awesome, but Days of Blood and Starlight takes it to a whole other level. If only all middle of a trilogy books could be like this one! While it did feel like an extended set up for the last book, it was by no means filler material or boring at all. Every page served a purpose in either moving the plot forward or expanding the amazingly detailed and original world that we were introduced to in the first book.

This is not a happy book. The first book wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, but it did have a more cheerful tone than this one. Book two is war and betrayal, so I frowned far more often than I smiled. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it's fitting given the circumstances. There was one scene where I forgot to breathe. It's all just very intense. Some of the author's wit and humor did work its way into the story though, so it's not all death and despair all of the time.

Why are five star review so hard to write?! It's easier to write about what I didn't like, which is odd, but I'll start with that. I hated that the book ended and now I have to wait an eternity for the finale. Now, what did I liked? Everything except that it ended and now I have to wait an eternity for the finale. Yep, that's pretty much it. I suppose I can get more specific though, if I must.

First of all, I loved how Zuzana (and Mik) was still present! I loved her in the first book, and I figured that the Chimaera/Seraphim war would keep her away from Karou. However, she's there and provides plenty of comic relief from the depressing stuff. It was also nice to see Karou smile after all that's been through.

I also loved how we got to see the war from several different angles. There's Karou in Morroco, Akiva in Eretz and the Empire, Zuzana gives a human perspective, and there's the refugees in Eretz. It's all bad from all sides, but I still enjoyed having each of these perspectives. It added to the experience, and I just adored all of the world building it allowed for.

There's so many twists and turns along the way, that I could never figure out what would come next. Some things ended up becoming worse than I imagined, while others weren't quite as bad as my mind was anticipating. There was only one thing that I did figure out in the beginning, and I was so happy when it was actually revealed! It was one rare moment of smiling during the book.

Anyway, I loved this book. This series is super fantastic, magical, exciting, romantic, and heartbreaking. I have no idea what the final book has in store for Karou, Akiva, and everyone else, but I do hope that love triumphs in the end!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.