Review: DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT

TITLE: DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT
BY: LAINI TAYLOR
SYNOPSIS:
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
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...
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 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?

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

REVIEW:
Since finishing this book, I've been wanting to write a review for it. Only, every time I thought about doing so, I would become overwhelmed and blow it off. The problem was, I wanted my review to do this book justice.

Phffft! Like that'll ever happen. Taylor's prose are woven from interstellar diamond dust, and I'm pretty sure her plot is the offspring of a unicorn and the feeling of hearing the first fairytale ever told.

So, here's the gist of it. After DoSaB, I went into DoBaS with certain...expectations and ideas of how the story would further unfold. What occurred was not what I had anticipated, and nowhere near what I had hoped for. I don't mean this in a bad way. Sure, at first I was like...



But, as the story progressed, the clouds parted and reason descended upon me. I came to realize that I'd been poisoned by the majority of books out there that sprinkle in just enough conflict to keep things interesting, meanwhile satisfying the readers with an onslaught of moments they've hoped for and envisioned. It's not that these previously mentioned books are "predictable", per say, but rather, instead of the readers correctly anticipating what will happen, the author has predicted what it is their readers want. And boom, just like that, the story is all cupcakes and happiness.

Laini Taylor does not give us what we want, for the sake of keeping us content. She doesn't want us to be comfortable. She wants us to feel every horror, every loss, every doubt...every single shattered hope as her characters. Because that's what makes a story real. So, bring on the feels, Laini Taylor!

So, if you're going into this story, thinking there's going to be some of this...



You should know right now, it's actually more of this...



While there are things I wish could be different, I can appreciate Taylor's creative prerogative. I wouldn't change a thing. And, by gawd, did I love it. Just sheer brilliance.