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bookwormbay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
enchanted_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
juliealmeida's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I'm enjoying this series very much! I just think this particular book spent a long time in a dark place of hopelessness. But the amount of tension and dejection I felt is just proof of how well written it is. And it did feel like a natural progression of the story. I'm still amazed at how dark and tense this story got. I wouldn't have guessed from the first chapters of the first book we’d land here. And at the same time, I'm glad to read something that doesn't feel the need to relieve tension all the time... even if it made me slow my reading pace to almost a stance still at times.
Right now, I'm equal parts excited and scared to read the next book.
Right now, I'm equal parts excited and scared to read the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Self harm
beachybookstack's review against another edition
3.0
I made the mistake of returning to this series after over a year, aka I forgot who half of the characters were and/or their physical description. To make things worse, Taylor doesn't throw in one of those refreshers that many authors pull out when reintroducing a world and its people again. Perhaps it was also the fact that I read about 75 books in between book 1 and 2....
Regardless, this is one of those sequels that has a bit of lag time between "omg excited for more *opens book*" and "oh look things are happening," and it was frustrating. Sequel syndrome! Though once the ball finally got rolling at a decent pace, it was past the hallway mark. This book could have been 100 pages shorter. There are added perspectives, yes good. But Jesus, it just went on and on and on..... This is not the same interesting environment, vibe, whatever as Smoke & Bone which I was aware of after reading other reviews. Yet I was still dissatisfied with the pacing so much that I actually picked up 2 other books (Bardugo's Siege & Storm, Pohl's Gateway, both good) in the meantime.
So things happen, and of course it's all crammed into the last 200 of the 500 pages. I almost want to read the next book but I know I won't have time for it for a long while---because getting married, grad school, work, giant list of other books---yea. So I'll pass this along to a friend and see how they like it. Damnit sequels, whyyyyy.
Regardless, this is one of those sequels that has a bit of lag time between "omg excited for more *opens book*" and "oh look things are happening," and it was frustrating. Sequel syndrome! Though once the ball finally got rolling at a decent pace, it was past the hallway mark. This book could have been 100 pages shorter. There are added perspectives, yes good. But Jesus, it just went on and on and on..... This is not the same interesting environment, vibe, whatever as Smoke & Bone which I was aware of after reading other reviews. Yet I was still dissatisfied with the pacing so much that I actually picked up 2 other books (Bardugo's Siege & Storm, Pohl's Gateway, both good) in the meantime.
So things happen, and of course it's all crammed into the last 200 of the 500 pages. I almost want to read the next book but I know I won't have time for it for a long while---because getting married, grad school, work, giant list of other books---yea. So I'll pass this along to a friend and see how they like it. Damnit sequels, whyyyyy.
manus_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
trin's review against another edition
4.0
(I know I really loved this in 2013 when I read it, but now I barely remember it.)
carlisajc's review against another edition
5.0
Days of Blood and Starlight is the second book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Like the first, I loved it. Taylor has such a way of building this beautiful, yet horrible world. Normal yet fantastical. Familiar yet entirely new. And the second one didn’t disappoint
I love the mixing of the normal and the fantastic. I talked about this in my review of DoSaB, but it rings true in this novel as well. Which is interesting to me because this novel is much, much more “fantastical.” I can’t think of a better word than fantastical, so I’m going to keep using it. Taylor uses Karou’s friends from Prague, Mik and Zuzana, to bring this sense of normal and real. And I love them. Zuzana might honestly be my favorite character. Anyways, these two are present so that we (since we’re humans and not mystical beasts or angels) can relate to the story in a deeper way. Also, the involvement of Zuzana just shows how truly important friendship is to this story. Zuzana was friends with Karou long before any of this craziness started happening. And they’re friends despite that. And I like that. I like that despite the madness and war and betrayal and torment, friendship is remembered and the small, secondary characters aren’t just forgotten. This was my only quip with the first, that I didn’t see Zuzana more, so I’m so glad she had a more important role in the sequel.
Along with Zuzana, Taylor also uses small characters to personalize the war. It’s literally a war of terror between the chimaera and the seraphim. Children and farmers are being slaughtered. And Taylor gives these small, brief moments from their perspective and it’s beautiful. Hauntingly beautiful, but beautiful nonetheless. I think this really helped me connect with the story. It also shows that there isn’t really good or evil. There’s good people on both sides, innocent people on both sides. But there’s also malicious and evil people on both sides. These moments of changing-perspective really give the reader that glimpse into the innocence of both chimaera and seraphim. If it was just a story about a war, I don’t know how much I would have liked it, connected with it. But I read from the perspectives of these small characters being affected by the war. And that affected me.
I think I mentioned this in my review of DoSaB too, but, oh well. Taylor’s pacing is perfection. Literally she knows just how long each chapter should be. Right when to switch perspectives. The very moment she should end a chapter or part of the book. She knows all how to do all of these things to make the reader want to keep reading…which is a good thing because these books are getting longer and longer.
I don’t even have anything bad to say about it. I just really, really liked it. And I’m already reading the third so prepare yourself for that review!
I love the mixing of the normal and the fantastic. I talked about this in my review of DoSaB, but it rings true in this novel as well. Which is interesting to me because this novel is much, much more “fantastical.” I can’t think of a better word than fantastical, so I’m going to keep using it. Taylor uses Karou’s friends from Prague, Mik and Zuzana, to bring this sense of normal and real. And I love them. Zuzana might honestly be my favorite character. Anyways, these two are present so that we (since we’re humans and not mystical beasts or angels) can relate to the story in a deeper way. Also, the involvement of Zuzana just shows how truly important friendship is to this story. Zuzana was friends with Karou long before any of this craziness started happening. And they’re friends despite that. And I like that. I like that despite the madness and war and betrayal and torment, friendship is remembered and the small, secondary characters aren’t just forgotten. This was my only quip with the first, that I didn’t see Zuzana more, so I’m so glad she had a more important role in the sequel.
Along with Zuzana, Taylor also uses small characters to personalize the war. It’s literally a war of terror between the chimaera and the seraphim. Children and farmers are being slaughtered. And Taylor gives these small, brief moments from their perspective and it’s beautiful. Hauntingly beautiful, but beautiful nonetheless. I think this really helped me connect with the story. It also shows that there isn’t really good or evil. There’s good people on both sides, innocent people on both sides. But there’s also malicious and evil people on both sides. These moments of changing-perspective really give the reader that glimpse into the innocence of both chimaera and seraphim. If it was just a story about a war, I don’t know how much I would have liked it, connected with it. But I read from the perspectives of these small characters being affected by the war. And that affected me.
I think I mentioned this in my review of DoSaB too, but, oh well. Taylor’s pacing is perfection. Literally she knows just how long each chapter should be. Right when to switch perspectives. The very moment she should end a chapter or part of the book. She knows all how to do all of these things to make the reader want to keep reading…which is a good thing because these books are getting longer and longer.
I don’t even have anything bad to say about it. I just really, really liked it. And I’m already reading the third so prepare yourself for that review!
yulie's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book and the direction that Laini Taylor has taken the series in! The worlds are so rich and beautifully described, and the story is also absolutely mesmerizing.
It's a really great book, and I wish I didn't have to wait for the next book! I read the book non-stop for four hours, devouring it just like the first book. With how great the second book is I would definitely go back and adjust my rating for the first book to 5 stars. I had initially thought this series would take a much different route which didn't include such thorough world-building and such compelling characters.
The only thing I didn't care about for in this book was
All the other characters were wonderful, though, especially
I also enjoyed the potrayal of Thiago and how cunning he was, since I expected him to be a let-down that Karou could easily overcome (since she had such a great secret to reveal and she was the main character, and that's how it's been going in books such as City of Immortals, Divergent, blah blah blah). I really did not see the end coming where both Akiva and Karou failed in their coup, so to speak. What happened with Kiri was also heartbreaking, and I can't believe it, but I really want Karou to love Kiri and Akiva at the same time! :( And not in a Bella/Edward/Jacob angsty way, but in a way that... well, both characters deserve her love differently, and under different circumstances, either pair would've been perfect. It's not that they both actively vie for her attention, it's simply that they both deserve it, I think. I can't quite put it into words.
You should definitely read this book if you are looking for a beautifully-crafted world, vibrant characters and a very epic overarching story. Don't read this book if you are expecting a simple romance with a lot of angsty drivel and no common sense or logic in the female or male's actions within the romance! Everything Karou and Akiva undertake has real thought and calculation and sacrifice within them, and they place their own well-being as secondary for greater causes. As such, their romance becomes secondary to the plot... which is a very, very great thing. I am so glad that Laini Taylor decided to do this, rather than depict two characters so hopelessly in love that they make the stupidest decisions ever. If you're going to be upset at the lack of romance between the pair, maybe don't read on. The universe that Laini Taylor has created is greater than just one simple romance, and that's the way more books should be!
Spoiler
The despair Karou and Akiva feel is absolutely palpable throughout the books, and despite the fact that they aren't always the main focus of the story, the book is very much the better for it. The other characters and their motivations are depicted incredibly well, and you really understand both sides of the war and what's at stake for everybody. You can feel the weariness of all the characters, and how fed up they become with bloodshed and what moments make them doubt their choices and their moralities.It's a really great book, and I wish I didn't have to wait for the next book! I read the book non-stop for four hours, devouring it just like the first book. With how great the second book is I would definitely go back and adjust my rating for the first book to 5 stars. I had initially thought this series would take a much different route which didn't include such thorough world-building and such compelling characters.
The only thing I didn't care about for in this book was
Spoiler
Zuzana and Mik, to be totally honest. I found it wildly absurd when they were in the kasbah alongside the rebellion and their presence really took me out of the story, and I actually rushed over all their lovey-dovey scenes, reading inbetween them for glimpses of the chimaera interactions and Karou's thoughts. I understand that they were a plot point for bringing out the lighter side of some chimaera, but it was just too much for me. I suppose that means I won't be reading the extra "2.5" novel of this trilogy!All the other characters were wonderful, though, especially
Spoiler
Kiri, Rath, Liraz, Hazael, the two deer-girls... pretty much everyone else! The building of the relationship between the Misbegotton was incredible, though, since I hadn't expected to see it fleshed out and had only expected Hazael and Liraz to be portrayed as two-dimensional chimaera-killers with no development. Boy, was I wrong, and I am so glad I was wrong. I cried when Hazael died.I also enjoyed the potrayal of Thiago and how cunning he was, since I expected him to be a let-down that Karou could easily overcome (since she had such a great secret to reveal and she was the main character, and that's how it's been going in books such as City of Immortals, Divergent, blah blah blah). I really did not see the end coming where both Akiva and Karou failed in their coup, so to speak. What happened with Kiri was also heartbreaking, and I can't believe it, but I really want Karou to love Kiri and Akiva at the same time! :( And not in a Bella/Edward/Jacob angsty way, but in a way that... well, both characters deserve her love differently, and under different circumstances, either pair would've been perfect. It's not that they both actively vie for her attention, it's simply that they both deserve it, I think. I can't quite put it into words.
You should definitely read this book if you are looking for a beautifully-crafted world, vibrant characters and a very epic overarching story. Don't read this book if you are expecting a simple romance with a lot of angsty drivel and no common sense or logic in the female or male's actions within the romance! Everything Karou and Akiva undertake has real thought and calculation and sacrifice within them, and they place their own well-being as secondary for greater causes. As such, their romance becomes secondary to the plot... which is a very, very great thing. I am so glad that Laini Taylor decided to do this, rather than depict two characters so hopelessly in love that they make the stupidest decisions ever. If you're going to be upset at the lack of romance between the pair, maybe don't read on. The universe that Laini Taylor has created is greater than just one simple romance, and that's the way more books should be!
hmtayem's review against another edition
4.0
If I had to summarize this book it would be “the world ends because two people who actually loved each other couldn’t figure out how to communicate effectively”. That’s not to say the book wasn’t great. I have very strong emotions for all the characters in this series. They all have such depth and each one shines. Again I listened to this one on audio. I would have liked the his and her POV’s to be done by different readers. Only because there was no clear indication of where or with whom you were visiting from one chapter to the next. Beautifully read by Kristine Hvam though.
robynnehood's review against another edition
4.0
Much better than the second, once the overwhelming romance was out of the way to focus on the world!