Audiobook Review: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

Title: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor (author's site)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Purchased from Audible.com
Fav Quote(s): Pretty much any advice Brimstone gives Karou. But seriously, there are sooooo many good lines from this book!
Goodreads info here

I loved this selection. The story, the characters, and narration; combined makes DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE one of my favorite reads/listens of year so far! Laini Taylor's storytelling was flawless and Khristine Hvam's narration really genius. 

There is really so much good to say about DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, I'm having a hard time beginning my review. As much as I adore audiobooks, they are harder for me to review because I can't flip back in the page easily to look up what I want to reference. So just hang in there with me while I try to explain my immense infatuation with this book. 

1. There is a heart-breakingly beautiful forbidden love affair. Before I picked up this book I had mentioned to the hubs I was interested in reading a good love story. I like a love story that makes me want to (and most likely) cry and ache in anguish with the characters. Check and check. Laini Taylor made me deliciously miserable in the best possible way.
   
   
2. Even though DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE succeed in ripping my heart out, I did laugh out loud more than once. A book that can take me from emotional high to emotional low, L.O.V.E.
   
   
3. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE made me want to travel the world. Well, I already want to do that but the book is set in Prague. I've never been to Prague but I've kind of been secretly obsessed with Prague for ages now. All the photos I've seen of Prague just make me fall in love the city. It's old and beautiful and a perfect backdrop for this magical story. Also, there is mention of many other fabulous places across the world (and beyond) in this book. I want to see it all!
   
   
4. Akiva. Really that's all I feel I need to say. (Boys in books make for the best crushes. And Akiva isn't just a boy, he's an angel! Literally.)
   
   
5. Karou has blue hair. My day job prohibits any "un-natural hair color" so naturally I want to dye my hair any and all un-natural colors. I lived vicariously through Karou on this one (as well as the globe trotting).
   

In my world, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE earns 5 out of 5 stars. Y'all. Please, if you are remotely a fan of YA Fantasy (audio) books, get this book now! Once you've read or listened to it or if you already have, please let me know what you thought. I know I can't be the only one in love with DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.

(*Also, funny side note: I can be such a goofball sometimes. I actually accidentally downloaded the second book in this series (DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT) first. And listened to like 2 plus hours before I realized something was amiss. I told the hubs I was having a hard time getting into and blah, blah, blah. Well yeah, duh. You will have a hard time if you start in the middle! Anyhoo, that's when I went back and downloaded DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and listened to the first book first. I'm telling you this as a cautionary tale. Don't start in the middle of the story. This is a tale you'll want to hear from the beginning! :)

Lastly, since I can't dye my hair and I can't just jet half way around the world right now, this was my inspiration from reading DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.

 

Karou and her bff, Zuzana, love going to this place called Poison Kitchen in the book. They go there there to hang out and eat bowls of goulash. Now there is no where as cool as Poison Kitchen anywhere near me and I don't think I've ever actually had goulash before. So I Googled around, looked at several recipes and came up with what you see above. I used this recipe as my base line and added a little more veggies to it. It was actually pretty good! And I guess it'll have to do in place of a trip to Poison Kitchen!