I loved the first 150ish pages but as soon as that insta love hit I was out. I was slightly invested moving forward, then came the flashback parts. Who allowed that to be in the final version of the book? That was a literal SNOOZE fest, I honestly just skimmed the last 70 pages as I was so done with the book at that point.

A positive surprise, definitely one of my favourite books of the year. I knew the series but didn't pay much attention. After a German publisher announced a special edition of the series, I learned about the books again. After reading the first few lines, I was hooked and ordered the book. From the first page, you are drawn into the humane (but, as it later turns out, magical) world of Karou. Aquamarine hair, tons of tattoos, and a sketchbook full of monsters: that's Karou. Even her best friend Zuzana wouldn't suspect that her characters weren't created from her imagination, but correspond to what she sees every day. Nobody knows about Karou's secret life, which takes her through a magical door in a crooked old shop in Prague to the most exotic places in the world. But as exciting as her life is, Karou feels an emptiness that cannot be filled. Where does she come from? Why was she raised by clearly not human beings? When black, burned handprints suddenly appear on portals around the world and the only family she knows is snatched from her, she gets closer to solving the mystery than ever before. Interesting to know is my personal opinion towards the first sections of the book: I was more interested in them than in the last few pages, even though you get to know Karou's background story there. And don't get fooled: the first volume of the trilogy explains a lot and the reader is introduced to the mysterious world of Karou and Akiva. The boundary between the real world and the other worlds is so fluid that readers feel right at home in this book. You can't reinvent the wheel, but Laini Taylor shows with Daughter of Smoke and Bone that you can also prepare a different and unusually entertaining book and story with familiar ingredients.

I really liked Laini Taylor's writing style although it was quite a struggle for me in the first half of the book but progressively got easier to follow. Karou's story is such a magnificent and unique journey to read and I really liked her as a character. But now I am left with a cliffhanger and don't have the sequel at hand... Awww! 4.5 stars

Solid 5 Stars! I just finished this book yesterday on the plane back home and I loved it! The story-telling, the worldbuilding and the characters- I just love it and can't wait to get my hands on the next two books, because I need more Akiva. And Karou is one of my favorite female characters. She doesn't complain and she is just kick-ass and lovely :)