Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At first, I was worried that this book might be a 418-pg cliche. The inside jacket and back cover do not do it justice. Daughter of Smoke & Bone surpassed my expectations with endless surprises. There is everything in this book: art, magic, family, love, war, mystery. From cover to cover, it’s a completely fun and thought-provoking adventure. I loved every second of it.

Karou is inspirational, just as an artistic young woman living in Prague. And even if that’s all she was, she’d be a great, dynamic character. But she’s so much more than that. And as she begins to uncover the truth of her past and her identity, readers uncover other truths- not just about her world, but about ours, and about how the black and white preconceptions we’ve always believed in have the preeminent potential to be false; a blurred line of grays and hidden truths that exist in place of the ideology we’ve been taught. And amid all of that, simple concepts prevail, like peace and hope.

Laini Taylor is a master storyteller. Her insights, peppered deftly throughout Daughter of Smoke & Bone, could change more than Karou’s world of fictional seraphim and chimaera, but our own world as well. And like Taylor comments, our world is a “wild and inspiring place,” which is all the more apparent after reading her awe-inspiring tale.

View all my reviews

Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Fiction, Goodreads, Laini Taylor, Series, YA fiction

Practice Cake by Dalya Moon

Practice Cake by Dalya Moon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It was realistic, upbeat, and honest. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes bittersweet, Practice Cake is the story of an average girl trying to find herself in a world that doesn’t seem to give her a second look.

Most YA that I read involves teenagers in supernatural worlds, or in abnormal circumstances in dystopian worlds. I’ve never read a book about a teenager in our world, doing normal teenager things. Admittedly, it always sounded a little boring to me, but Practice Cake made me reconsider my hesitation.

In fact, I decided to read this book because my darker selections were giving me odd dreams at night. I opted for some Practice Cake before bed in hopes of some relief, and I was rewarded with more than I expected.

I should warn readers, however, that this book is likely to cause them to make spontaneous trips to their local bakeries. The artistry and detail of the cupcakes, cakes, and cookies sold at Angelo’s Bakery almost made me consider a career change.

Dalya Moon writes with refreshing honesty. This is an essential read for women of all ages.

Note: I received this book from the author, but at no point did she request a review or attempt to influence my opinions.

View all my reviews

Tags: Dalya Moon, eBooks, Practice Cake, YA fiction

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a beautiful book about zombies, something which I didn’t think was possible to achieve, and although its unique presentation impressed me, it did not come without sacrifice.

To me, a zombie apocalypse book, even a YA one, should be full of horrific details. This book read like poetry. There was so much emotion, so much elicited empathy, that it was almost distracting from the story. Sometimes I had to stop and wonder, do these characters realize that horror that surrounds them? Granted, I think the intention was to create a world where the characters knew nothing else (since the apocalypse happened before they were born) and that was certainly communicated. But the reader receives so little detail of the Unconsecrated- so much is left up to the imagination- that I wondered if some would assume they were green-fleshed, moaning monsters: the classic. Which I know was not the intention.

The story was creepy, but for odd reasons. The town was creepy in a cult-like way, the Guardians and the Sisterhood were creepy with their secrets, and the courting and marriage rituals were creepy in their primitiveness. The Unconsecrated, the zombies, were actually not very creepy at all. Just sad. There were scenes where the characters were inches from them, protected only by a simple fence, and yet I knew I wasn’t getting the full effect; there wasn’t enough description.

One minor complaint, and this is a small spoiler- but not really- there is an infant zombie. An infant! I’m a zombie apocalypse fan, but I can’t wrap my head around that. It’s seriously disturbing, and seemed out of place in the story. Especially because, instead of a mercy killing, it got thrown out of a window, which is only a potential mercy killing. Not good enough, in my motherly opinion.

But overall, I liked the story because it focused on rebellion, challenge, change, and hope. The only problem was that the romance and friendships of the main character were insubstantial, easily overshadowed by her dreams of seeing the ocean. Fortunately, there are two more books in this trilogy to make up for that.

View all my reviews

Tags: Books, Carrie Ryan, Fiction, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, YA fiction, Zombie apocalypse

Scarlet: Book 1 by Brian Michael Bendis (Issues 1-5)

Scarlet, Book 1 by Brian Michael Bendis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was undoubtedly five star material. An impressive comic debut.

Scarlet is a young, strong-willed heroine who rebels against corruption after surviving trauma and loss caused by a dirty cop. She becomes a symbol for change, a beacon of hope against malevolent authorities. Bendis brings down the fourth wall, allowing Scarlet to speak directly to the reader. This style makes her message that much more potent.

The artwork is beautiful and real. The story is brutal and demanding.

I cannot wait for issue 6.

View all my reviews

Tags: Brian Michael Bendis, Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel Comics, Scarlet