Feature And Follow Friday (1)

Feature and Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we will answer! This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. This weeks question is:

Question:   

What is the one thing you would tell your favourite author? 

Answer:  

Dear JK Rowling, 

Thank you for your amazing books. The accuracy in your work is near perfect. However, I'd just like to inform that the 'Elder' Wand is actually made of Willow. 

Sincerely, 

Skye - The Master of All Three Deathly Hallows (Willow Wand inclusive)

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself." - (Goodreads)

I loved this book from the get go. It is one of the most original books I've read in quite a while. Set in the picturesque country of Prague I was captivated from start to finish. Riveting, dangerous and completely unique I found I couldn't put 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' down! I loved the protagonist Karou. Tattooed with blue-haird, she's exciting, mysterious and headstrong making her utterly intimidating and intriguing to the reader.

It is clear that Lani Taylor has created a brilliantly orignial plot. The entire concept of demons, wishes and teeth all tied together had me puzzled and intrigued throughout the entire novel. Not to mention the angelic Akiva, who openly contradicts your perception of angels upon first meeting, who's completely too loveable . The characterisation is great. The time span in which events and feelings develop is spot on; not unrealistically fast, thought not boringly slow. The way that Taylor writes the realtionship between Akiva and Karou makes it blantelny clear how perfect they balance one another out. I personally thought the addition of Kaz, Karou's ex-boyfriend was ingenious. The normality and essence of his eccentric, cocky, human character makes us immediately dislike him but gives the novel another layer of depth and allows the reader to relate more easily to Karou at the start of the novel, giving the us something to sympathise and empathise in relation to her character.

I feel obligated to say something about Brimstone and the charters in Elsewhere. I loved the way Taylor wrote the 'family', both in their physical description and their dialogue. In a way it's exactly what you would expect -intimidating and rough- though Taylor's clever written their excerpts so that the bond between them all feels almost tangible. The twist that delves deep in the past at the end of the novel left me reeling. I'm not one to spoil but I will say that I'll be surprise if anyone can see it coming. Overall this one if a must read! I loved it. Kudos to Lani Taylor for pulling out such an amazing debut novel.

Rate: 9/10

-- Skye