Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2
Published by Little Brown on November 6, 2012
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 528
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Daughter of Smoke & Bone was my favorite book of 2011 and I was actually really scared to read Days of Blood & Starlight. So many sequels end up disappointing me and I was terrified that that was going to be the case with Days of Blood & Starlight. However, that so was not the case. I ended up loving Days of Blood & Starlight just as much as Daughter of Smoke & Bone!

Days of Blood & Starlight immediately grabs your attention. It picks up shortly after the ending of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and it takes no time to get back into the story. Also, I was a little worried that I might not remember some of the events of the first book but there is enough flashback in the book that it all came back to me as I read. At some points it was like everything was happening all over again and I couldn’t help but tear up. I give you guys fair warning that this is not a happy book. Things have gotten even worse since the end of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and my heart broke many times for Karou, Akiva, and all they had to go through. However you will never want to put this book down. Daughter of Smoke & Bone spent a lot of time setting things up but that is not the case with the sequel. This book is all action and it will have you on the edge of your seat!

As for Karou, Akiva, Zuzana, and Mik, they are all back and better than ever. Karou has changed a lot because of everything she has had to go through. It’s made her kind of cynical and hard-hearted but it’s understandable and I felt for her. Akiva was even better in this book than he was in the first. He took charge and he knew what he wanted and he was willing to do anything for it. Zuzana and Mik are by far the best though. Zuzana cracks me up so much. Her sense of humor in all situations is amazing. And Mik just brings out the best in her. They are so adorable together!

There are new characters introduced in Days of Blood & Starlight and not all of them are good ones. There are new villains and new friendships and maybe even some hints of new romance. The villains don’t seem quite so bad in the beginning but it doesn’t take long to see their scary sides. Both villains are amazingly well written and I never knew what they were going to do next. The new friendships were the best though. Karou and Akiva both start to carve out new relationships (not of the romantic variety) and while I wasn’t sure about their new friends at first, they quickly grew on me and I loved them by the end.

The writing is beyond phenomenal. I can’t even put into words how awesome Laini Taylor’s writing is. She is one of the best authors I have ever read. Her writing alone brings tears to my eyes. Even if I hated the story I would continue reading her books just for her writing. It’s that good.

Overall, Days of Blood & Starlight is a must-read for everyone. My review does not do it justice. I can’t wait to see how things are going to end in the final book next year. The wait is going to be terrible but I know it will be worth it!

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