I bought "Daughter Of The Blood" because I'd read and enjoyed a "Black Jewels" short story and because I'm a fan of her "The Others+ series

In audiobook format, "Daughter Of The Blood" runs for a little over sixteen hours. I made it to a little over two hours before setting it aside.

The ideas are original, complex and fascinating. I can see that it has the makings of a strong trilogy but it's not one I'll be reading.

The story was much darker than I expected. There is a sharp edge of sadism  that cuts into the flesh of the story lightly but persistently, leaving thin rills of frustrated eroticism draining into my imagination. If this had been more skillfully done I might have run with it but much of the story in the first couple of hours was tell rather than show and I grew weary of being fed on backstory and foreboding rather than character and action.

The narrator of the story seemed unable to leaven the text but rather fell into a declamatory style that assaulted the ears and added nothing to the atmosphere or characterisation.

The main thing I took away from this book was how much stronger Anne Bishop's storytelling is now than when this novel was published.

Of course, we would never…

Because we’ve always been told not to.  Certainly I would never...

Judge a book by its cover? But it’s not judging if it’s obvious.  Right?  Because just look at these covers.

Obviously The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy is for girls.  It’s nothing but a kissing book.

Sorry, not interested.

Luckily for me I have friends who enjoy shaming me into submission, who swore it wasn’t a kissing book—that it was actually so much more.  My lack of interest evolved into curiosity, and my curiosity cannot be denied.

So, I picked up The Daughter of Smoke and Bone and read it.  Then I read Days of Blood and Starlight.  Then I read Dreams of God and Monsters.  And guess what I found?

I was right. It is totally a kissing book.

But I was wrong too.  There’s a really cool story mixed in with all the brooding, drama, angst and kissing.  War.  Fighting.  Underdogs.  Oppression.  Heroes that rise up.   Bad guys to bring down.  Weak-but-strong good guys.  Strong-but-weak bad guys.  There are characters you want to love and characters you love to hate.

The writing is outstanding, very visual.  I could see everything.  The characters are tangible.  The plot pulls you along.  With out a doubt, there was way more killing than kissing.

That’s how this guy became a fan of these girly kissing books.

And…I suppose the kissing wasn’t so bad.

Content advisory: No language at all, but there is some PG-13 sexual content.  All implied.  Never physical, but lots and Lots and LOTS of gooey, mushy, girly LONGING and WANTING and BROODING and ACHING and PINING and LANGUISHING and…

 ...Barf.

The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained

Vicious thing. I'm grossed out by how easy it was to read. Teen lit easy. It really, really bothers me. I don't think I'd ever recommend it.

And it reads as if I hated it. Yet I didn't, which is part of what disturbs me.

This could have been a five-star read were it not for a slight case of Second Book Syndrome. The first symptom showed up right near the beginning when Akiva overdosed on Stupid Pills and drew a drastic conclusion based on zero real evidence. Because plot! Karou got hold of the Stupid Pill bottle and downed the rest of them before making some key decisions, also because plot. I'm still in love with Laini Taylor's writing, but I guess sometimes she can't resist the pull of writer's convenience. But aside from that, an over-reliance on italics, and my occasional desire to throw a brick at Zuzana's head, there isn't much to complain about here. (Don't worry, they're foam Hollywood bricks. I don't want to kill her, or even hurt her. Maybe just see her flinch.)

This book is brutal.

I'm talking cringing away from the page because what's happening is excruciating and you're not sure you want to see how it plays out but you have to keep reading because you can't not know kind of brutal. It is unrelenting, unforgiving, bleak, and heart-wrenching. War is ugly. The aftermath is even uglier. And oh, there were some sweet plot twists thrown in. Blood and starlight indeed. I can't do much gushing without getting spoilery, but I will say I may never look at angels the same way.

On to book three!

Gruesome. Captivating. Violent. Sexy. Squicky.

Uncomfortable as fuck, that's what it is. Yet I burned through all those pages in one sitting. I reckon I'll finish it as soon as I can get around finishing anything. I'm a mess lately.