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Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Genre: Urbanish fantasy
Thingummies: 3
Synopsis: An art student in Prague, raised by demons, is stalked by an angel.
Thoughts: While distinctly Mary Sue-ish in a way I would have found deeply compelling as a teenager, I was fairly won over by the first three quarters of this book. Karou is a super special snowflake, with naturally blue hair, amazing art skills, and a mastery of dozens of languages. She's also got a petty ex-boyfriend and a host of very minor problems, until an angelic soldier becomes obsessed with her. But I enjoyed the surrounding minor characters, the hints of demonic society, and the vivid, globe-trotting descriptions.
The problem is that the last quarter of the book is an extended flashback that reveals the answers to most of the mysteries set up. But this means that the the climax of the book effectively happens to someone other than the protagonist. We only cut back to Karou for the denouement. If given an entire book to play out, I might have found Madrigal's story engaging. But we know the ending when it begins, and it doesn't contain any real surprises; it just feels like we're prolonging the inevitable.
Author: Laini Taylor
Genre: Urbanish fantasy
Thingummies: 3
Synopsis: An art student in Prague, raised by demons, is stalked by an angel.
Thoughts: While distinctly Mary Sue-ish in a way I would have found deeply compelling as a teenager, I was fairly won over by the first three quarters of this book. Karou is a super special snowflake, with naturally blue hair, amazing art skills, and a mastery of dozens of languages. She's also got a petty ex-boyfriend and a host of very minor problems, until an angelic soldier becomes obsessed with her. But I enjoyed the surrounding minor characters, the hints of demonic society, and the vivid, globe-trotting descriptions.
The problem is that the last quarter of the book is an extended flashback that reveals the answers to most of the mysteries set up. But this means that the the climax of the book effectively happens to someone other than the protagonist. We only cut back to Karou for the denouement. If given an entire book to play out, I might have found Madrigal's story engaging. But we know the ending when it begins, and it doesn't contain any real surprises; it just feels like we're prolonging the inevitable.
