Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

[[Laini_Taylor]]The problem with books like these is that they end. At some point you must come to the end of the book and be kept on tenterhooks until the next instalment. If you’ve read the first book in this series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, then you know exactly what I’m taking about. If you haven’t, you are missing out – this is an addictive series that is sure to become a staple of fantasy literature. Although aimed at the lucrative young adult market, this is a book that can be appreciated by anyone who loves a well written story.

It follows the trials of Karou – a girl you’d think like any other, except for her bright blue hair. Growing up in Prague, studying as an artist and collecting teeth, her life is normal and yet unusual all at the same time. We start this second book some time after the previous book finished and you even if you think you know what will happen, just wait and see. Every character is engaging and the world Taylor has created is fascinating. I can’t say much more about it without giving everything away from book one.

For me, one of the most wonderful things about reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone was watching the story unfold with no idea where it was going and being surprised and delighted by each turn of events. Days of Blood and Starlight not only equals its predecessor but, I think, surpasses it.