Review: 'Days of Blood and Starlight' by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time,

an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.

And its snap split the world in two.

With the snap of a bone Karou remembers her former life as a the chimera, Madrigal, and the forbidden love that condemned her people.  Karou returns to Eretz only to discover that the chimeran city of Loramendi has been reduced to ashes, its citizens dead.  Grieving and heart-sick, she joins forces with the surviving band of rebels even though that means working hand-in-claw with the White Wolf.

Laini Taylor casts a spell with her novels, easily drawing readers into a world of angels and demons where the demons are sometimes heroes and the angels are sometimes monsters.  Nothing is Eretz is black and white and the moral dilemmas facing Taylor's characters make them real in a way not often found in YA Literature.  Taylor's writing is sensual, hypnotic and original while her characters are wonderfully flawed.  Karou is a passionate female lead who's strength comes from her deep and abiding love of the people around her, while Akiva is a warrior seeking redemption for his bloody past. Secondary characters are just as complex as main characters and their existence is integral to the story, providing the reader with interesting alternative perspectives.

This is a dense, rich text dealing with issues of love, hate, redemption and morality.  These issues make this Days of Blood and Starlight a perfect choice for classroom or book club discussion.  Somehow, Taylor manages to keep a sprinting pace throughout the book, so be prepared to try and read this 500+ page epic in one sitting.  Fair warning, this is only the second installment in a planned trilogy, so be prepared to finish Days of Blood and Starlight wanting more.

WARNING: Read Daughter of Smoke and Bone before starting this novel!

RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2012

Book Source: VOYA via Little, Brown & Company

Reviewed by: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 16+ Mature themes, attempted rape, war violence

Recommended for Readers of:

Review: 'Ironskin' by Tina Connolly

The frothy structures were still perfect on the south end of the building, on the carriage house

On the north the house had war damage. It had been bombed, and now only the skeleton

remained, the scraggly black structure sharp and jagged, mocking its former grace and charm.

Just like me, Jane thought. Just like me.

The Great War is over, the Fey defeated.  Jane Eliot is a teacher without a position due to her status as Ironskin, scarred by fey magic which is only contained by the iron mask she wears.  When a governess position opens on a lonely country estate for the odd daughter of an eccentric artist, Jane hopes that this time things will be different - that her mask will not lead to an untimely dismissal.  But her new employer has some very dark secrets that endanger not just Jane and her charge, but all of England.

Connolly's novel is a wonderfully dark and compelling YA title written in the style of Jane Eyre.  While to nod to Bronte is apparent, Ironskin is an original work of Gothic fiction sure to be a hit with teens looking for a darker read.  The plot has some interesting twists and, like many Gothic novels, there are unanswered questions at the novel's conclusion.  The world of Ironskin mixes the elements of the early 20th century with fantasy to create a unique world.  Jane is an interesting mix of the typical Gothic heroine and a more modern YA heroine; unsure of herself yet strong and independent.  Edward, the Rochester figure, is wonderfully damaged by his life experiences but somehow remains a good, if flawed, man who is worthy of Jane's affection.  The only criticism I have regarding this novel is Jane's remoteness.  She has been hurt so often in her life that she keeps her emotions very tightly wrapped, which can make relating to her somewhat difficult.  However, this element of Jane's character also makes her more real, so I can't really complain.

Ironskin would be perfect for classroom instruction (teaching the Gothic novel) or book clubs as there are many elements of style and story to generate discussion.

Visit Tina Connolly's website here.

Book Source: Tor Books (Thank you!)
Reviewer: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 15+ Adult themes, Gothic horror

Recommended for Readers of:

Review: 'The Peculiars' by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Lena lives in a Britain run on steam power and wrestling with the issue of the less-than-civilized territory of Scree to the north.  Scree is an almost-mythical place where "peculiars", those who are not quite like the rest of humanity, originate.  Born with abnormally long hands and feet, a characteristic her grandmother says was handed down from her goblin father, Lena yearns to discover her true place in society.  In an effort to discover the truth about her mysterious father, Lena travels to the northernmost outpost of Britain on the border of Scree where she discovers that truth can be fluid and being true to oneself is more important than discovering the past.

McQuerry has created a fascinating world that seamlessly blends aspects of steampunk and fantasy fiction into a melting-pot world of people, steam engines and creatures from legend.  People with wings, goblin-human hybrids and Scree cats leap from the pages to grab readers' imagination.  Lena is a character teens will relate to who's journey will keep readers pinned to the pages (though some of her choices will have readers gritting their teeth).  Her mistakes make her even more believable.  Secondary characters are given a depth not often found in YA fiction, which just adds to the development of the world.  Motivations for all the characters are multi-layered and very human.  There is a bit of a learning curve for readers as the novel starts, but the story and characters are enough to keep teen interested.  Highly recommended.

Book Source: Local Library
Reviewer: Rebecca

Recommended for Ages: 12+

Recommended for Readers of: