Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Hodder & Stoughton, 2011. ISBN 9781444722635. (Age: 15+)Thoroughly recommended. It is not often that I can say that I have read a truly original concept. This book is full of amazing ideas and thoughts I have never seen from any other author. The whimsical style of writing, coupled with the third person telling of the story really sets up a cool beginning to an undoubtedly amazing trilogy. With just the right amount of human stupidity and freaky introductions to lovable characters, this book sets the mood perfectly. Karou with blue hair and a killer sense of 'otherworld-ness' enjoys messing around with both her appearance and her pesky ex-boyfriend with wishes that she receives from doing errands for her monster of a foster-father. These wishes tend to come in handy at times when Karou needs them, and provide just the right amount of comedy to a somewhat sad story. The names of the chapters in this book are perfection. They give subtle hints to the story while being short and concise. The thing I love the most about this book is that the story is told in two ways, the first through the detailed third person thoughts of our two main characters (Karou and Akiva). The second through little nursery rhyme like paragraphs at the beginning of different sections of the book. This creates a well-rounded story told from a unique point of view. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read the occasional book about the war between Seraphs (angels) and Chimaerae (demons) with humans stuck a little less than halfway in-between. Azriel P. (Student)