Dreams of Gods & Monsters

So I finished the Laini Taylor Trilogy. And, thankfully, the last book was better than the second. Unfortunately, it still did not compete at all with the first book. I found myself skimming through this, especially at the end. I thought the ending was fairly disappointing and awkward. It just sort of ends, rather abruptly.

Overall, I liked the legends that were woven into the series. I think Laini definitely did some research into the angels and demons, and the lore associated with those aspects through out history. Especially within the Chimera, there were so many intricate details that made the different clans interesting. And the relationships between the characters were well done, when the story focused on them. However, the battles and war portions were confusing to me, and I just wasn’t that interested in those sections. That’s what I tended to skim over.

I also got really confused about Eliza and Esther. I didn’t really understand the whole Fake Grandma thing. It seemed like a distraction from what was going on back at the war, unnecessary.

Would I read Daughters of Smoke & Bone again? Maybe. The other two? Definitely not. And none of the three will make it onto my shelves.

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Angels

This was an obvious choice for me this week, since I am in the middle of reading Laini Taylor’s trilogy. It is all about the war between Chimera and Seraphs.

And check these Seraphs out. I mean come on. These are better than any feathery angels I could have pictured in bible school, that’s for sure! War Angels have some serious power behind them.

(Source:  Unknown)

You can check out my review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight. I just started Dreams of Gods & Monsters, so I’ll have that review up next week sometime.

Days of Blood & Starlight

Oh the dreaded Second Book Fever. I loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and I was so looking forward to continuing the trilogy.

But what is it about the middle books in trilogies that are just so awful? The first book lays out the story, draws you in, usually has the basis for the romance if there is one. It has the cliffhanger at the end.

And then the third book has the climax. The action. The big finale.

But the poor second book. It’s usually just so boring. Most of the traveling, the battles, the wheeling and dealing–that all happens here. But it’s nothing really exciting. It’s just day to day, getting from point A to point B.

Unfortunately Days of Blood & Starlight  is no exception to the rule. When it comes to war books, I tend to like the stores surrounding it all. The people involved, their lives, and everything leading up to and after the actual battles themselves. But I just don’t care to read about the nitty gritty battle descriptions. That holds no excitement for me at all. And that’s what this book was built on. This is all about the war between the Chimera and Seraphs. I get it, it’s needed, and crucial to the trilogy…just not really my thing.

I got through it, and I’m hoping the last book, Dreams of Gods & Monsters, wraps it up more interestingly. I so loved Daughter of Smoke & Bone that I would hate to see to see it be a trilogy that should have stopped after the first. We’ll see. I already have G&M from the library, so I’ll be starting that right away. I’ll let you know what I think.

Has anyone else read this series? Did you struggle with the second book too?

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

When I think of Paranormal YA, I think of vampires. And when I first tried to read Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone, the first chapter opens as if it is about vampires. So I instantly put it away, because that is just not my thing.

But everyone is talking about this series, about how amaaaaaazing it is. Booktown has it as part of her bookclub. And because of that, it’s listed as part of the Trees of Reverie Readathon challenge. So fine. I’ll give it another shot.

And then, after that first chapter, I realized this book isn’t about vampires AT ALLLLLL. It’s about supernatural powers at war with each other–chimera and seraphs. Taylor has built a totally intense world that you can’t wait to delve into. It’s fantastic. I’ve already put the other two books on hold because I need more of it.

There’s a point in the middle of the book, where everything just STOPS. And I don’t mean it gets boring. I mean, the world around you slows down, and time stops, and the anticipation is so enormous that I felt two things simultaneously:

1. I needed to keep reading IMMEDIATELY

2. I had to take a break and check Tumblr and breathe for a minute because the anticipation was SO intense that I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest.

When an author can make a chapter one sentence on one page, and make you feel like you’re going to have a heart attack and stand up and scream, you know this is a breathtaking book.

WWW Wednesday 6/18/2014

 

What are you currently reading?

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Aimless Love by Billy Collins

 

What did you just finish reading?

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein

Brooklyn by Colm Tobin