I actually found this book on my nook and the cover caught my eye. A black and white face with the bright blue mask... looks pretty intriguing. Then I read the description:
"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?"
And... BUY. I immediately started reading because, based on that description, I had to know what this story was. And I found out that Laini Taylor can write. She can write so beautifully at times you have to reread a sentence twice... or three times... just so it can linger in your mind a moment longer. This is not your stereotypical YA writing, as a matter of fact, if the main character wasn't a teenager I'm pretty certain this novel would be classified adult science-fiction.
Taylor's novel starts in Prague, journeys through hidden caves, far off countries, and to worlds unbeknownst to humans. The characters that Taylor creates (from angels to demons to the marvelously described Chimaera) are so unique and their stories written with so much heart that you cannot help but feel them as if you know them personally. The magical system that develops throughout the books and the way Taylor explores the concepts of good and evil and how the lines between the two blur and shift is outstanding.
In the first novel, readers meet the main character, Karou, a pretty typical seventeen-year-old girl (well perhaps her bright blue hair makes her a *bit* more noticeable) who is very artistic and reserved, and her very small, but very bold, best friend, Zuzana. Zuzana knows that Karou randomly disappears for periods of time, but Zuzana doesn't know that when Karou is gone, she is hunting down teeth for her guardian Brimstone. Yes, teeth. Are you curious? Good... because I seriously don't want to give any more away.
Perhaps the most beautiful thing for anyone who has not started this trilogy is that all three books are available now. I had to wait a painstakingly long time between each novel... okay so it was only a year and a half between each, but honestly that was torture. The second novel is entitled Days of Blood and Starlight and the finale is Dreams of Gods and Monsters.
And, if you finish these mesmerizing novels and crave more, Laini has a couple other books available including a novella from the series entitled Night of Cake and Puppets.
What are some favorite trilogies you've read (YA or not)?
I hope everyone had time to enjoy a bit of a good book this weekend :)
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