Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor - Re-read - 5 stars

I read this book first as a buddy read with a couple of friends back in 2014. So I decided to do a reread of this now that I have all of the books and I felt like I need to refresh my memory with the plot and characters of the story. Wow so much I had forgotten or maybe never even absorbed in the first place. I do find that I enjoyed this reread more than when I first read the book.

In this story we have Karou who is a part of the Chimerae race, having been raised by Brimstone. Karou uses wishes freely without considering what makes them work. Brimstone continually tells her that she is foolish. She runs 'errands' for Brimstone of transporting teeth because they are essential for their survival even though Karou does not really know the use for them. She finds that she has to hide her life from her best friend, Zuzana. Soon burned handprints are found on doors(portals) everywhere and it becomes a threat to Karou and her world as she knows it. Wars rage between the Chimerae and the Seraphim. And the story goes on...

The first time I read this, the book felt like it started off a little slow and even considered putting it down. Now with this reread I did not feel that way at all. This book is chock full of great imagery and great world building, if felt as though the world just came to life. The story was very visual so I could picture myself there in Karou's shoes. The story flowed very well, it had great pacing. I can't even imagine feeling like it was too slow. I also love how poetic the author is. Plenty of passages to enjoy in this book. I also love how significant the title is to this story.

I love the characters in this story so well developed. There are quite a few characters introduced right from the beginning. And then you will meet other characters throughout the book. So there are plenty to both love and hate. My favorite of course would have to be Karou. She is such a strong character and I feel like she is pretty relatable as well. She does seem to be a little spoiled at the beginning, but she does grow well. I also really enjoyed her best friend Zuzana. She helps keep Karou grounded and focused. One other character that I found quite enjoyable is Akiva who is of the Seraphim race. I like how he is written into the story and you learn more about him as the story goes on. The character growth in the story is just amazing.

I found this book to be both character and plot driven which is always enjoyable. I look forward to the rest of this series now that I have been refreshed on this story. I recommend this to anyone really, especially those who likes YA fantasy. Beautifully written and very engaging.