DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor Book Review
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2
Publication Date: November 6th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 
– Exceeds Expectations | 
Book Summary: In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor Book Review Overview:
- Immense character growth for Karou
- Fleshed out secondary characters that you can’t help but love
- Wished for more romance but the amount of lovey dovey was appropriate in terms of the plot
Like with any other sequel, I had doubts coming into DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor. The first novel of the series, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, had been a stunner. A wonderful blend of fantasy and romance, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE had easily been one of my favorite reads of last year. Was the sequel going to be able to live up to my high standards? It seems that I had nothing to worry about. DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor is everything that readers have been anticipating. It will not disappoint.
Karou grows so much in the span of DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT. She is such a different character from DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, hardened by her recent experiences. She struggles between following through her obligations and following her heart. It is so easy to empathize for Karou because you grew to love her in the first book. You understand why she has difficulty in deciding what to do.
I think that the secondary characters are such a delight in DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor. Taylor takes this time to flesh out the characters, and we see a side of them that we did not get to see in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Furthermore, I loved the interpersonal relationships between all the different characters. Karou’s friendship with Zusana is one of my favorite elements of the book. The relationships in DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT continue to be true and genuine.
I yearned for a little more romance, but that’s mostly just me fangirly-ing over Karou and Akiva. They are a match-made in heaven (no pun intended) and it hurts me as a reader to see them apart. The amount of romance is adequate in terms of what is going on in the story. There’s not a lot of girly squealing in DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor, but I know it will just make things a lot sweeter in the later books. No matter what happens, you just know that Akiva and Karou are meant to be together.
Laini Taylor is such a talented author. The world-building continues to be richly detailed and beautifully written. She artfully weaves themes of war, loss, and betrayal in DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT. Fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone will not be disappointed with this enchanting sequel.
Other Book Reviews:
365 Days of Reading
The Overflowing Library
The Paper Planes
About the Author
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Find the Author
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Laini Taylor is a writer of fantasy books for young people, but her books can be enjoyed by adults as well. Her ‘Dreamdark’ books, Blackbringer (2007) and Silksinger (2009) are about faeries — not dainty little flowery things, but warrior-faeries who battle devils. Her first young adult book, Lips Touch, is a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award! It’s creepy, sensual supernatural romance. . . about kissing. Taylor is also an artist with a licensed gift product line called “Laini’s Ladies.”
Can’t wait to read this one!
I was afraid it might be too difficult to match the amazingness of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so I’m really glad to hear it lives up to the expectations.
I had my doubts… I usually do when I start a sequel. But the writing continues to be beautiful and compelling. It’s hard not to love it. I hope you get to it soon now that the semester is winding down!
I had doubts too. Sequels, especially when they are going to be a middle book, are always so iffy. But I think Laini Taylor totally knocked this one out of the park. I actually think I might have loved this one a tiny bit more than the first. Maybe. Or maybe its just I loved them both for very different reasons. I loved how many POVs we got in this one especially. It added so much to the story.
Great review! :]
I do love the multiple perspectives. It just gave me so much more appreciation for the other characters in the story.