Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Genre: YA Paranormal, Fantasy

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Hardcover,  432 pages

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

 Karou has always known that her life was different than others, but she was fine with that. Growing up with what others would considers monsters as family members was normal to her and even though it has been an adventurous life, she still feels as if something is missing. Her sketches bring her comfort when she needs is as does her best friend, Zuzana. Her life begins to change when she goes on an errand for Brimstone and it lands her in the path of the mesmerizing Akiva. She knows that things are different with him, but is she truly ready to find the answers that have been haunting her? Is she ready to have her eyes opened to whom or what she really is? Only time will tell. 

I devoured this book. I am not sure what took me so long to pick it up. My only guess is that it was just waiting on the perfect time to land in my lap... and boy did it! The creativity of Laini Taylor simply astounds me. Creative writing is a passion of mine (personally and within my teaching career) and this has to be one of the greatest examples of just that... letting the creative juices flow. One of the things I really don't like about adult fiction is that it seems like the same plot is recycled. As a constant reader, I have started to see this happen with YA and it has started to stress me just a tad. This novel, however, is just what I needed to show that there are some uber creative authors out there continuing to break the mold! There were times when I was convinced I had it all figured out, and then I would turn the page and it was almost as if I could hear Laini laughing saying, "Haha... you just THOUGHT you knew what I was going to do, huh?" But that is what I loved most. The edge of my couch is worn out because I was sitting on it while reading this and my finger nails are chewed down. 

Now I am trying to figure out how I can get to her or the publisher before November when the second book comes out. I simply cannot wait that long! 

Happy reading everyone :)

 

 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

Thanks to my pals Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts for hosting this meme! I had a very productive week last week and am looking forward to picking it back up this week where I left off. I think I finally have my mojo back! 

Last Weeks Book Adventures:

 

Legend by Marie Lu (reviewed here)

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (reviewed here)

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (reviewed here)

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Leverage by Joshua C Cohen

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones 

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord

 

The reviews for some of these are posted and the others will be coming soon. My brain is swimming with so many great reads and possibilities of what to read next. If you haven't read Daughter of Smoke and Bone.... goodness gracious you need to! It is definitely my new favorite!! 

 

Upcoming Book Adventures:

 

 This needs to start with a disclaimer... I never know what I am going to pick off of my shelf to read, so these are subject to change! LOL! These are the ones that are currently piled up around me, so they are top contenders: 

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

The Everlasting Now by Sara Harrell Banks

The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind by Meg Medina

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane 

Truce by Jim Murphy

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

So what's on the menu for you this week? Make sure to head over to Jen and Kellee's blog to sign up and let me know in the comments! 

Happy reading everyone :)

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Genre: YA Science Fiction, Dystopia

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Hardcover, 323 pages

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. (www.goodreads.com)

Charlie lives in Ludania where her life has been decided for her simply because of the social class she was born into. The problem is, though, she knows that she is different than others. She can understand languages she is not supposed to and has to keep this a secret from all of those around her. When she meets the mysterious Max, her life is thrown into a new direction and what she thought she would never face. She quickly finds out that her life is going to change and that she is in for a bigger ride than she could have ever imagined. 

 

It is no secret that I love Kimberly Derting! She is an amazing author and super great pal (especially if you send her books she wants!!). This novel does exactly what her others have done to me... sucked me in and left me absolutely dying for more. I would love to get into her head and find just a little bit of her creativity and see where it could take me because based on this book... the possibilities are endless!  This novel leaves me drooling for more and with more questions than I started with even though some were answered along the way. Maybe I will get lucky and get the second book tomorrow in the mail... wishful thinking, right? 

Happy reading!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Genre: YA Fantasy, Horror

Publisher: Candlewick

Hardcover, 215 pages

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments.

The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined. (www.goodreads.com)

Conor is a boy who is struggling with the fact that his mother is dying. At thirteen, that is not something you are ready do deal with and as if that isn't enough, a monster has started visiting him nightly. Conor is forced to face not only an emotional monster but a physical one as well. 

One word comes to mind with this novel... genius! There is no way that five starts, stickers, lollipops or anything else could be enough for it. I was taken on a journey through every emotion possible while reading this and still get torn up after having read it three times. My good friend Kellee told me to read it and I had put it off for so long, but when I did pick it up for the first time, I knew there was a reason I hadn't read it yet. I wasn't ready. I still don't know that I am ready for it now! Maybe as an adult I have taken much more from the book than Patrick Ness anticipated, but I can see the same happening with my students. This amazing novel is one that I will be reading again and again... but only when I am ready.

Legend by Marie Lu

Genre: YA Science Fiction, Dystopia

Publisher: Putnam Jubenile

Hardcover, 305 pages

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills. (www.goodreads.com)

There is a great war going on between the Colonies and the Republic and though fifteen year old June thinks she knows where her loyalties lie, a series of events make her question everything she has ever known. Meanwhile, Day has lived his entire fifteen years on the opposite side of the tracks from June and knows more than anyone else what life against the Republic is like. When their paths cross, however, both are left questioning what they think they know and how they thought life would pan out.

This is one of those books I wish I had picked up earlier because I was missing out. I love that the genre of Science Fiction with the dystopian focus has blossomed and this is yet another great example of what has come from this literary trend. The characters, plot and setting that Marie Lu created in this novel are very well written and there is so much suspense at the end of this first in the series to leave you dying for more. There are so many things to love about the debut novel including the creative genius of having the flip flopping points of view throughout the novel and having those written in different fonts and colors. I loved that! Marie Lu definitely made her presence known with her debut novel and I can't wait to see where she takes us with the rest of this series!