I initially experienced Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor through audio. And I thought it was absolutely fantastic. So naturally I wanted to keep up with that tradition and listen to Days of Blood and Starlight- which is no small venture, as the audio book is just under fifteen and half hours long. When I first began listening to Daughter of Smoke and Bone narrated by Khristine Hvam I was completely taken over. Hvam was a fantastic narrator. For those who have read both Daughter of Smoke and Bone as well as Days of Blood and Starlight, you know that they are intense novels with a lot going on- especially in Days of Blood and Starlight. This means that mega concentration is necessary when reading the books so you don't miss anything. That is a lot of pressure for the narrator. She needs to be able to keep your attention and keep you engaged (this is also the responsibility of the author and the story). I loved how both stories came a live for me while listening to Khristine Hvam narrate them. She was theatrical when she needed to be and more subdued when it was called for. One of my favourite things about listening to both these novels was Hvam's talent for accents. The majority of the characters in both books have some kind of European accent and Hvam was able to portray them all perfectly. Brimstone's accent in Daughter of Smoke and Bone had to be one of my favourite. Hvam was able to exude all of what Brimstone was when she was reading his parts. It was brilliant. Another of my favourite characters that Hvam did a fantastic job with was Zuzana. Zuzana had a more critical role in Days of Blood and Starlight than she did in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and she was sassy and whitty. She was also so endearing and caring. Whenever we got to her parts in the story I would often find myself either laughing or smiling. I loved how loyal she was to Karou and how she interacted with Mik and the... I have said it a numerous times that I find sequels incredibly hard to review. I find that for the most part they are just filler novels and don't really contribute to the story. This is completely untrue for Days of Blood and Starlight. Laini Taylor is an absolute literary genius!! I don't know what I was expecting from Days of Blood and Starlight, but I don't think it was what I got. The story spun me around and pulled me here and there. I will admit there were a couple times where I would think to myself, "I don't know if I'm liking this story very much." This is largely due to the war setting that is Days of Blood and Starlight. You see, in this novel, both the angels and the chimera are preparing for war. I am a pacifist, I don't like war. I also find it really boring and avoidable. And there are a lot of battle themes and brutality strewn about this novel. It was hard for me to handle. But at the same time, I loved how different the story was I was dying to see what would happen next and how it all connected. Overall, Days of Blood and Starlight is a brilliant addition to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It introduced new concepts and ideas into the story and developed the characters with more depth than I thought was possible. Definitely a phenomenal read.

I absolutely loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It was one of my favourite reads in 2011. And I felt like I waited for Days of Blood and Starlight forever! Laini Taylor is an amazing writer and therefore it was no surprise when I opened up this book and found it just as captivating as the first. Now just because Days of Blood and Starlight had me hooked as much as Daughter of Smoke and Bone doesn’t mean they were similar is many other ways. I noticed right away that it was going to be much much darker than the previous book. The truth has been revealed (or remembered) by Karou and there’s no denying it or hiding from it. I appreicated that Laini Taylor didn’t give the characters in this novel any excuses. They were forced to face the consequences of their actions – whether fair or not – and sometimes those consequences were ugly and violent. That being said, her writing is still absolutely gorgeous. It’s like poetry. And her world building is some of the best I’ve ever read. At one point while I was reading I looked up from the book and told my boyfriend “she doesn’t write books, she creates worlds.” I felt like I was right there, immersed in Karou’s world. Whereas Daughter of Smoke and Bone spent a lot of time in our own human world, Days of Blood and Starlight really gave the reader more insight into what life is like for the chimera and the seraphin. And because of the shifting perspective throughout the book I also found there was a fair representation of both sides and the people involved in it. This style made the world building feel so complete and detailed but never overly so. Despite the length of the book, I never found myself growing bored, or wishing she would skip ahead to bits with more action. I savored every word. In addition to the world building we also received more information on a wealth of new characters. New enemies and new reasons to despise them. New people to fall in love with. We get to learn more about the White Wolf and Akiva’s “siblings.” The best thing about all these amazing characters was you see how the events unfolding affects each of them. It proves that no experience is the same for everyone involved and at times I felt conflicted over who I should be rooting for. There’s even more character building for those that did make an appearance in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Like Zuzana! She was fabulous and I hope we get more of her still in the next book. I also fell hard for a new character called Ziri. But you’ll have to read the book to find out why As I mentioned before this book is dark. And it touches on some very serious issues. I’m not going to sugar coat it – some scenes were hard to read. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of this, but I think it’s brave and admirable that Laini Taylor doesn’t shy away from writing about the difficult things. Why should she? While Daughter of Smoke and Bone is about love, Days of Blood is Starlight is most definitely about war. War is a horrible and gruesome thing and Laini’s writing is honest about that reality. It would be weird if some of these violent things didn’t happen because history/experience tells us they would (Also check out this post from Stacked about The Chemical Garden trilogy for a similar discussion). Recommendation: Daughter of Smoke and Bone was only a hint of the fabulous writing Laini Taylor is capable of. Days of Blood and Starlight takes the story to a whole new level. An absolute must read for fans of the series. This and other reviews at More Than Just Magic (http://morethanjustmagic.org)

Once again, I am freaking loving this series. Days of Blood and Starlight was absolutely amazing. How can someone come up with such an awesome idea and write it down in a way that keeps the reader craving more? Laini Taylor is absolutely wonderful at accomplishing this. I finished this book with a huge smile on my face because I love it so much. There were some things that happened in it that made me so happy, I can't even say how happy. Why do I love her writing so much? Because it has a way of sucking me in. I can't help but keep reading. As busy as I've been this month, I read this book every chance that I got until it was done. I just had to know what would happen next. And now, here I am, wishing for more, having to wait. It's so bittersweet. And the cover, so pretty! Karou, Karou, Karou. You poor naive girl. Someone cuts off your head and yet you trust them because you are too naive. Yes, you're strong, but you can be really dumb when it comes to guys. You can't seem to figure out why Akiva did what he did. Well, he watched your people cut off your head, what do you expect? I still like you though, in the end you came back to the Karou I love. Akiva, don't be a dumb boy. You are a glorious angel, one of the only that I like.You're better than you think, stop thinking that just because you find something with Karou's name on it that she's dead. You're being silly. You can't be all brawn and no brains. You want change? You know what to do. These two characters drive me insane. They so clearly love each other, but are stubborn. Karou can't love Akiva for destroying her people out of grief, and Akiva won't stop moping because she could never love him again. Plus he is constantly walking around crying about her being dead (when she's not, he just assumes.) Even though they drive me insane, I still love them. There was more Zuzana and Mik in this book as well as a new face Kiri, oh how I love him. He is an awesome character. He doesn't hate Karou, even though she is an "Angel-lover". He was a boy when she dies, and is the last of her people. He makes the ultimate sacrifice for her and I love him for it. He loves Karou, but she doesn't feel the same way, yet any ways. Who knows it could change. But even knowing this, the things he does for her are awesome. As for Zuzana and Mik, who can't help but love them, heck even the chimera army love them. So yes, you could say that I loved Days of Blood and Starlight. I loved it very much. The third book can;t come out soon enough. Unless you are someone who has to wait for all of the books in a series to read it, read this, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone first. You won't regret it. It's an awesome, magical tale of angels and "demons" that is craftily spun. A complete page turner. Just amazing. Read it! Laini Taylor is one of my new favourite authors for sure. A definite recommend, I've already been telling my friend who haven't read it to. I need more!