“She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair. She wasn't innocent now, but she didn't know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was certainly missing...”
“Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic.”
- Hardcover: 422 pages Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (29 Sep 2011) Age Range: YA Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Source: Publisher
Rating:
My Thoughts - Seventeen year old Karou lives a double life. Raised by Chimaera - Brimstone - during her visits, she finds herself running errands for him through collecting teeth - even though she has no idea what purpose they serve. But on the other hand, in Prague, she is just your teenage arts-y student on the mysterious side with odd blue hair which she claims is completely natural. No one can quite figure her out though. Not even her ex - stalking - jerky - boyfriend Kaz or her best friend.
I have to say that I was really liking what I was reading during the first few chapters. I mean, here was a book that was quite refreshing. Nicely detailed setting, interesting plot and - at the time - promising characters. I quickly realised why people had fallen in love with the book, but once Avika was introduced, things seemingly went downhill. For one, I had a few eye - rolling moments every time Avika, Karou and Kaz' beauty was gushed about. I just wish that less focus had been placed in their apparent breathtaking looks and more time spent on building up their personalities.
The thing is that the book holds an interesting premise and has some lovely concepts. The wishing beads perhaps being one of my favourites.Yet although we've seen the creatures before, the Romeo and Juliet styled love story - the author did manage to interweave all these aspects and make them her own - which I truly did recognise and appreciate. Unfortunately, throughout, I couldn't push away the feeling that something just wasn't quite there.
During the middle the pacing really slowed down for me. I actually had to put the book down a few times, but convinced myself to give it a chance. The book did get a little more interesting towards the end, but honestly, eventually it felt like a chore and that's never any fun. Also, I can't get over the fact of who our protagonist is. I knew exactly where it was heading and felt let down. It made me feel like the romance was just a total cop-out. Although I understand that there is all this history behind it that serves a purpose, I just wish that they had scrapped it, because in my opinion, there was no need for it.
You know, I really wanted to love DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, in fact, it may be the very high expectations that lead me to be more disappointed. However, it's my fault for buying into the hype when I always promise myself to stay away from it all. I suppose, this time, it seemed like every review I read promised me something almost flawless. So, when I dug in, I was completely caught off guard when I started struggling with the book and failing to connect with the characters.
Keep in mind though - I do seem to be one of the very few who shares this opinion, so - if it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure the majority of you will enjoy it more than I did, or completely fall in love with it.
Recommended reviews that loved the book ;)
Amy @ ReadingTeen
Jess @ Jess Hearts Books
Casey @ The Bookish Type
Melissa @ I Swim For Oceans
“Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic.”
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