Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)

We all have our favorite books, but Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) by Laini Taylor was one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read.  When you read the description of this book (Angels, Demons, Magic, etc) it might seem unbelievable, but once you dive into the pages Taylor really transports the reader to a new world and for some reason it all just works!  

Let me see if I can give a short description of this book that does it justice, without sounding too silly...We've all heard the story of star crossed lovers or even of angels and demons, but this goes beyond what we have all thought true of the underworld and the heavens.  We meet Karou, a 17-year old art student in Prague.  She is an orphan girl, who cannot remember her past, who is raised by demon creatures that live in the shadows but that are all the "family" Karou has ever known and loves.  She is your typical teenage girl, besides the fact that she runs strange errands and knows magic.  On one of her errands she encounters Akiva, a beautiful angelic creature who is out to kill her but something stops him and that changes everything...

Laini Taylor builds the story and the worlds these two live in so vividly that for the first time you see "angels" and "demons" in a new light, understand why they do the things they do and realize that even within their own kind there can be discord and free-will. Her ability to beautifully tell the story of an angel and a devil in a hopeless love story is breathtaking.  She does this, however, in a way that does not seem cliche or tired.  I highly recommend this book and series!