SOPHIE LI

Hello everyone!

Days of Blood & Starlight was a book that I buddy read with Beth @ Reading Every Night! You know the thing with me and long books* (as in, I am terrified of them.) Thank you Beth for motivating me to pick up and finish this one- It was definitely worth it!

*I consider anything more than 400 pages to be a long book (yes- low threshold LOL)

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?

What I Liked

• Imaginative world building and storytelling! Love the world of Eretz and the concept of chimera and angels.
• The plot keeps you guessing (I did not see the plot twists coming!)
• No middle book syndrome here! There is build up to a conflict, and there is a real danger and threat.
• The characters! Although Karou and Akiva draw my sympathy, for me, the shining personalities are the minor characters. My favourites are Zuzanna, Liraz, and Hazael.

What I Disliked

• Abrupt ending. As I turned the final page, I swear I was expecting 100 more pages LOL. (This could be the format of the eBook: You know how some books include a few chapters of the next book in the series at the end? I thought that that was part of this book, so I totally underestimated my progress.) However, this makes me look forward to the next book in the series.
• [Unpopular opinion alert] I’m feeling ambivalent about Laini Taylor’s writing style. There are long sentences and words I didn’t know existed. I love that I am pushing the boundaries of my vocabulary… but I wonder if simpler is better. Is anyone else feeling this way??

The Bottom Line: 3.5/5 stars!

Filled with amazing world-building and endless plot-twists, this is a brilliant sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

How do you feel about long books? How long is considered a long book for you? What writing style do you prefer? Do you come across the ‘middle book syndrome’ often?

Last but not least, be sure to join my giveaway (if you haven’t done so already!) Click here for more details!