In the Works (Edition One)

In the Works is one of the new features I'll be posting up on a bi-weekly basis. I'll have a graphic made for it at some point - my graphics skills are weak at best so for the time being, we'll soldier on with just a title, okay?

This week's In the Works kicks off my read of Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. 

My plan is that if you want to read along with me, just post in the comments below with a link to a blog post (or tweet or whatever) announcing your intention to participate.  In two weeks, on Feb 10th, I'll post my thoughts and a reading log of on the fly notes made while reading the first half of the book - up to the end of chapter 29.  Then two weeks later, on Feb 24th, I'll post my log for the second half of the book, and wrap-up with a review of the entire experience. 

Hopefully there'll be a lot of good material in the book to discuss. I'm looking forward to reading this one - I know lots of people loved it!

First Look

My impressions from the cover are that I like the font and the emphasis on Smoke & Bone. I like the dash of colour emphasizing the mask. It makes me think masquerade, of course, which makes me wonder if people not being what they seem or hiding themselves from others is a theme in the story. The way the eyes look through the mask creeps me out a little....

Book Blurb:

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 otherworldly 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?

The blurb signals a few things that appeal to me - urban fantasy because we've got the Marrakesh and Prague references (also bonus for what I consider exotic locales!) alongside talk of monsters and otherworldliness. The last paragraph signals a problematic romance which I'm always on board for. 

The big question presented is one of identity - very popular in young adult/new adult fiction. I'm interested in finding out what/who Karou is, and what role she may be thrust into in this otherworldly war. 

Let me know if you loved this book or if you hated it (and why!). 

If you're re-reading it again in anticipation of the release of the third one Dreams of Gods and Monsters on April 8th, or like me, are reading it for the first time - join in my read along with a link to your blog/tweet/review/etc. in the comments below!