The third and final installment in Laini Taylor’s critically acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone series is out, and it is stunning. I didn’t really expect anything else from Taylor.
An angel and a demon fell in love. It ended badly. That’s the tagline for the series, and it’s true to how the series plays out. Karou is a free and artistic spirit with an unusual homelife. She collects teeth for a demon, Chimera, who grants wishes. Then she meets an angel, Akiva, and her real past starts to unravel just as the war between the Chimera and the Angels hits a critical turning point.
The third book in the series, Dreams of Gods and Monsters takes off right where Days of Blood and Starlight left us, and it is an intense story. It’s almost as if Taylor collects our tears for her charms or something. Which is ridiculous, of course…
Taylor’s gift is her ability to infuses every page with magic and emotion. I admire her writing even when my critical self finds fault with the story itself. Somehow, Dreams of Gods and Monsters is both far superior and somewhat inferior to Days of Blood and Starlight. Though neither can compare to the perfection of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Anyway, the hope and the sense of energy missing in Days of Blood and Starlight is back in force for Dreams of Gods and Monsters. Things are dire, but Karou is in a much better place emotionally. But it’s also somewhat jumbled as far as plot and pacing goes. With the introduction of new characters, there’s a sense that Taylor has bitten off a little more than the story can chew. For a long time, regularly cutting to these new characters simply didn’t feel organic. Though their inclusion eventually makes sense, it feels somewhat patchy in the storytelling department early on.
However, Taylor does come to rescue the story with her stunning writing ability. Honestly, this woman is magic.
Complete magic. And it’s that gorgeous writing that saves this novel. The ending will have people either crowing in happiness or stewing in fury, but isn’t that the fun of ending a series like this?
If you haven’t yet read this series, you are missing out, my friend. Also, we can’t be friends unless you have, so get on that, okay?
Dreams of Gods and Monsters is available now from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Kat Kennedy is one of the bloggers behind Cuddlebuggery, the Young Adult book blog dedicated to corrupting the reading community with sinister shenanigans.
