‘Days of Blood and Starlight’ Book Review
Offering a quick look at the sequel to ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor.
‘Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them. And its snap split the world in two.’
My review of Taylor’s first book in the series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone finished with — A wonderful sentiment in a story about hope within times of conflict and the perils suffered through blind righteousness — and to say book two was verrrrry different to where things were left in book one would be an understatement.
It was certainly a typical book two of a trilogy or multi-series. The main character, Karou, is tested in more ways than one and hits some pretty low points.
Not having read the third book yet, I’m going to take a stab at a seraphim (a name for an angel) in the dark and assume that these well-curated low points by the author are all leading somewhere, and for the purpose of Karou’s character arc.
I said in the previous book one review:
The world building, character layering, the tension, all point to one undeniable fact, Laini Taylor has an amazing imagination with some unique story ideas, taking on existing tropes within this genre and making them her own.
And Taylor does not disappoint with DOBAS in the imagination and world building department.
There are new characters we’d not met before, previous ones who get more of the spotlight, and supportive sidekicks who make a lengthy but fashionably late appearance into the main premise of this story.
For this one, Karou is left deciding where her loyalties lie as she explores more of her old self. As a reader you wonder what she’s going to do next to survive. Will she continue to suffer and help the chimaera rebuild an army? Or make amends with Akiva and run away like they were supposed to?
Or will she decide to just live out her life in the human realm?
My lips are sealed so as to not give away spoilers. But I will say there were a few moments of not knowing what was going to happen next. Just when you think a character might be a goner, they live. And when you least expect it, a growing favourite might fall victim to the perils of war and politics.
I had a couple of issues with the development of the story toward the end; I just didn’t believe a character’s reactions and interactions.
There is also a sexual assault scene and I was questioning its necessity. I think the plot point here could still have been achieved without it. I’m not saying to sweep safe, open and direct discussions of sexual assault under the rug, but I wondered about the scene’s overall purpose to propel the story forward.
If the point was to abruptly and graphically disgust the reader, than that was achieved. If it was to show the would-be victim’s inner strength and courage, determination and wit, I think it was overshadowed by the horror of that scene.
I sometimes wonder if novels need a “viewer guidance” legend on the backs of their covers, like different symbols for different sensitive topics where people with lived experience might appreciate a heads-up.
That aside, I still thoroughly enjoyed Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor.
With its unique story, a writing style that switches comfortably between comical to serious, and a burning love story as the sub-plot, this one’s a must for fantasy fiction readers or writers of this genre.
If you like fantasy genres popularised by authors like Sarah J. Maas or Cassandra Clare you might want to give this book a try.
The storytelling stylings of Patrick Rothfuss or Joe Abercrombie come to mind also, and if you enjoy their work then you’ll like this one.
You can find me on Instagram — pop over to say hi. Be sure to also check out Short.B.Read publication for short stories and articles on writing tips. I co-curate SBR with writer and editor (and sister) Melissa-Jane Nguyen.
