The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - ESSENTIAL

Taylor, Laini The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, 432 pgs.  Little, Brown & Company, 2011. $10

Language – PG (9 swears, 0 "f"); Mature Content – PG13; Violence: PG-13

Karou, a blue-haired art student, lives in Prague. She doesn't remember her parents but was raised by Brimstone, a chimaera (a person who is part animal and part human), who is a wish maker. He strings teeth, all kinds of teeth, into necklaces. Karou runs errands for Brimstone going to exotic places. She learns to defend herself in times of danger. Brimstone has portals where he can send her to these far-flung places to pick up teeth for the necklaces. Black hand prints, burnt into the portal doors, start to appear all over the world. The seraphim, angels who are the enemies of the chimaera, are closing the portals.

On one of her errands Karou meets Akiva a warrior angel sent to fight the chimaera and the source of the hand prints. As the story unfolds Karou finds out about her past and the relationship blossoms between Karou and Akiva. The story is fast-paced and entertaining. The first part of the story the author develops Karou's history and there is some talk of a sexual nature. It is implied more than detailed. Karou regrets that she has lost something to her one-time boyfriend but knows there is nothing she can do to get it back. A very entertaining story with an ending leading into a sequel.

HS – ESSENTIAL.

Reviewer: W. Child - Cyprus High Library Media Specialist