Why I Lost Interest In The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone Trilogy | Book Chat
*waves dramatically*
It’s only been a week but I missed this so much! So I bet
you are all wondering why the heck I went from a consistent blogging schedule
to completely AWOL and that is because school just started this Wednesday and I
was instantly swamped with work and I didn’t have any pre-written posts ready
so it was a mess.
But I am working on having a few pre-written posts ready so I
(hopefully!) will not be stuck in a position where I go a week or two without
posting because I want to aim to post at least once or twice a week!
Today I am bringing to you a review of the Daughter Of Smoke
And Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor which consists of Daughter Of Smoke And Bone,
Days Of Blood And Starlight and Dreams Of Gods And Monsters.
I hadn’t heard a HUGE amount about this book but I knew it
was popular and loved by many people so I wanted to try it! I also wanted to
read it before Taylor’s next book Strange The Dreamer came out in March!
This review is going to be set out a little differently
where I am going to chat about each book separately rather than the usual
structured review I do because I feel it’ll work MUCH better for what I want to
say about this trilogy!
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND
BONE: BOOK 1
I felt the idea of this book was so fantastic. AND THE SETTING!
I mean how many books do you read that are set in Prague? It just added that
super mystical and mysterious element to it!
I don’t read a lot of magic realism but the way Taylor combined
aspects of the real world with concepts from mythology and fiction was so intricate
yet at the same time so easy to keep up with and enjoy! Same goes to the plot.
I liked how Taylor just threw us into the book and didn’t have
a lot of explanation at the beginning. Rather she got ahead with the story and
the explanations came after. The mystery elements of this story were also
amazing because it was impossible to guess what was going to happen next
because you were just always on your toes!
Aha, the characters! I have never loved characters more in a
book. From the main characters (which I don’t always end up loving) to the side
characters, everyone was loveable. Even though I am NOTHING like Karou, I still
connected with her because it was easy to love her and even easier to feel for
her. Akiva, my precious cinnamon roll! How can I put into words how much I love
Akiva?
I don’t tend to read books with angels and demons because I have
been burnt very badly by some of them before *cough* Fallen *cough* Hush Hush
*cough* Unearthed *cough* where while I didn’t
hate them (and might have even enjoyed some) they just leave me super confused
with all the technical terms and all that mumbo-jumbo but this book explained
everything so simply and easily and it was literally a breeze.
It’s safe to say I very, very much loved this book.
OVERALL RATING:
★★★★★
DAYS OF BLOOD AND
STARLIGHT: BOOK 2
So getting into this, I had heard from friends that after
the first book the rest just kinda go downhill but I was very reluctant to
believe them because I wanted it to be good after the amazingness that was the
first book.
But sadly, I was disappointed.
This just fell flat for me for a number of reasons.
It was draggy. Not much happened in a 500 page book and the
fact that it was so long made me want to pull my hair out in frustration
because WHYYYYY??? Why would you write a 500 page book in which nothing
happens?
It didn’t capture my attention at all. There was none of
that magic that was present in the first book for me. Akiva is barely in the
book and it just felt so disjointed and boring for me. The chemistry that was
present between Akiva and Karou just dissipated and I didn’t feel anything for
them anymore.
The multiple POVs didn’t work really well for me at least
because it just created so much waiting (not even angst – it was waiting) until
I could find out what happened. I was introduced to new characters that I wasn’t
able to form connections with and instead of being something I loved, they came
a hindrance to me as I had to get through their chapter before getting back to
characters I did care (sort of!) about.
The good thing is Zuze though! Zuzana is Karou’s best friend
and she is literally a ball of sunshine! She brought in so much light
heartedness and fun to the book and became one of my fav characters. But even
with her, I was unable to connect sadly. And there is a really good plot twist
in here that I was NOT expecting.
Also did I mention this book is pretty huge? It took me 3
days to read, which is slow for me especially during the holidays and I felt
absolutely no satisfaction by the end of it.
But I continued to the third book in the hopes that at least
something would happen.
OVERALL RATING:
★★★
DREAMS OF GODS AND
MONSTERS: BOOK 3
What the heck even happened in this book? <<<< basically the one sentence needed to sum up my thoughts on this.
This book started off strongly and was much more interesting
than the second one but it’s even longer being 700 pages which is practically a
brick (also probably the size of Empire Of Storms by Sarah J Maas).
I was getting more into it, especially during the middle and
I was beginning to form (some) attachments to the characters again. There were
some action-packed scenes which I LOVED and Mik and Zuze made everything so
much fun with their relentless enthusiasm and positivity!
But it wasn’t enough to counteract the negatives such as the
pacing which was WAYYYYYY off. There were some extremely dry, ‘I wanna bang my
head against the wall’ moments and it really, really diverted from the first
book.
You’ll know by now that I ADORED the first book so it diverting
from there made me miss the first book a lot. Where was the ‘Karou, the art
student in Prague’ narrative? It went so off topic that by the end of the third
book I couldn’t even believe they were part of the same series!
And you know how I said the first book was super easy to
understand and la de dah. Yeah…nope.
I wasn’t able to keep up with what was happening, the
technical terms were just flying off the top of my head, I had no idea what was
happening, it was such a mess. I began to skim read parts just so I could get
to the end because none of it was catching my attention, the romance was so
spotty and odd and barely there and almost forced.
Also, can we talk about the Eliza chapters? I still don’t understand
what she was there for! (PS this is not a spoiler it’s literally the first
chapter of the book!). I skim read her parts because there was 0 explanation as
to why she was there and by the time I found out, I no longer cared.
Basically I was left feeling super unsatisfied because I had
to go from DOSAB which I LOVED SO MUCH to DOBAS which was super dry to DOGAM
which I didn’t understand.
OVERALL RATING:
★★★
FINALLY…
There are some very mixed reviews on this trilogy because
some people loved it and others, like me, had no idea what was going on. I’m
not sure why exactly I didn’t understand everything but it got super boring and
draggy and dull for me that I didn’t even have the energy to try.
I know this review went from gushing to ranting and I’m sorry
but this series really frustrated me because I went from loving loving loving
to just not having any idea what was happening.
If you wanna take my advice, read the first book and just leave
it at that because it explains everything and the second two books were really unnecessary.
But, in the end, it is your choice after all.
Have you read this trilogy? What did you think? Did you agree or disagree with me?
Thank you to Hachette Australia for sending me review copies of this trilogy. However all thoughts and opinions are my own and this is an honest review.
Have you read this trilogy? What did you think? Did you agree or disagree with me?
Thank you to Hachette Australia for sending me review copies of this trilogy. However all thoughts and opinions are my own and this is an honest review.
26 happy thoughts
Ahh I'm sorry you didn't like it that much! Personally, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the first book. The setting in Prague, with its cathedral and bridge really gives this sense of old magic, and the chemistry between Karou and Akiva is amazing! I also like how even though she doesn't give explanation at first, we could still connect with the characters and stories :D
ReplyDeleteTbh I also felt dissapointed with the second book. Like you said, it was draggy, but for my the biggest problem were how off was the pacing and how dense the prose! It's really tiring to read.
I haven't decided about the third book because I haven't read it yet, but now I know that I have to lower my expectations hehe. Thanks for sharing!
Tasya // The Literary Huntress
YES TASYA I 100% AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAY! The first book was so magical and the fact that it went downhill was so disappointing!
DeleteSorry to hear you didn't like the series all that much! I didn't realize the books were so long...I have the trilogy on my Kindle, but I haven't read them yet. I rarely find myself enjoying the second books in a series quite like the first, and I've lost interest in a lot of book series because of it, too. I'm still going to pick this one up (eventually, I kind of keep forgetting about it), but I'll probably have the same opinion - why write such a long book if nothing big is going to happen? Great review of these three!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading and commenting Kelly <3 and yes I totally agree!!
DeleteI SO SO AGREE WITH YOU!! I actually basically hide my ignorance when it comes to this series because I loved the first book but I haven't the faintest clue what was even going on in the sequels.😂 They were so confusing??? Nothing happened??? I'm just pretending DOSAB is a standalone and then I'll be right, haha.
ReplyDeleteUGH SAME RIGHT! I told all my friends to read the first book and forget about the rest #oops
DeleteSorry to hear you were disappointed in the sequels! I loved this series, but I do completely understand your points. It's so true that the first book is definitely the best. It's also been a while since I read this series and while I still remember the first book clearly, book two and three are pretty hazy which I guess is also because, as you said, it gets a bit confusing and slow there. I also was not a fan of the ending at all. But I did love the writing style a lot which is why I still love the series as a whole, despite the flaws of book 2 and 3. Also: Zuzanna :)
ReplyDeleteYAAAS LINDSEY! I 100% agree! It's only been two weeks and I don't even remember what happened!
DeleteSo, do you think that the first book could be read as a standalone? I mean, are things sort of wrapped up or are there cliffhangers? I've been considering starting this series for a long time, but ... I hate to invest if I'm just going to be disappointed after book one.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I defs feel the first book can be read as a standalone. While they do end on a bit of a cliff hanger, you can either a) not read the last few pages b) just assume they are going to live happily ever after. I highly recommend this because what a waste of my time it was reading the next two books and it just destroyed the magic of the first one
DeleteI really enjoyed this series - but I do remember vague moments of confusion - especially since I read them as they were released and spend good portions of each sequel trying to remember who everyone was lol. Still I think it was the world building that I loved the most, and I think Laini Taylors writing is beautiful. Still I can understand how people would give up on them - after the first books things really fall into a dream like state.
ReplyDeleteYES WORLD BUILDING AND WRITING ARE SUCH STRONG ASPECTS OF THE BOOK! THOSE ARE WHAT MADE ME LOVE THE FIRST BOOK SO MUCH!
DeleteI'm sorry this series as a whole was disappointing for you, with the exception of the first book. I've actually read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE but have yet to finish the series. I'm going to still give it a go but set aside time for it when I can savor it. Thanks for the honest and lovely review. :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem! Thank you so much for reading and commenting!!
DeleteMy thoughts exactly! I've only read the first book and really liked it (despite not having a clue what was going on), but for some reason I never felt compelled to finish the series. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! <3
ReplyDelete~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage
Thank you so much for reading and commenting Zoe!
DeleteI actually loved this entire trilogy! I'm so sorry book 2 & 3 weren't as enjoyable for you. There is a dramatic shift after book one, but I think it's understandable; Karou has just had the truth about her past revealed to her, her family is dead, and the guy she is in love with is responsible. And now, knowing about her past, and angry about what Akiva did, she desperately wants to help the other Chimeara, and she's the only one who can do Brimstone's job. There's a war happening, and her people are in danger. I just sympathised with her so much, she had so much to deal with all at once, and was trying to do right by her people. I was completely blown away by the scope of this story, and Taylor's imagination. But I guess not everyone can like everything! Do you think it likely you'll read Strange the Dreamer?
ReplyDeleteAha so good to hear you liked it Jo! And yes I will be reading Strange The Dreamer and hopefully soon because I have an ARC of it I need to review!
DeleteSo after hearing endlessly amazing things about this series I decided to buy them all and read the first one. And ... I didn't love it. I didn't fall in love with the writing and the characters the way so many people had. I enjoyed it, sure. But that was it. It was a solid three star book for me. And for some reason I don't have a lot of desire to continue with the series, and this post makes that even lower, haha!
ReplyDeleteAlthough someone did think that because of the reasons I wasn't a big fan of the first one I would enjoy the second one more (I'm not sure if that sentence makes sense but whatever!). I think if I DO decide to finish the series I will have to re-read the first one and then binge the rest of it.
I'm so sorry that you loved the first one so much and didn't end up loving the sequels. It's always such a shame when that happens because you want them all to be amazing!
Aha, sorry to hear you didn't even love the first book! When books are super overhyped, I find myself losing interest in them too so I can see where you are coming from!
DeleteOh no! I haven't read this series yet, but it has been incredibly hyped up! It's so terrible when the first book in a series is amazing and then the books get worse... it's much better when it's the other way around XD haha. Lovely post!
ReplyDeleteBrittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles
Thank you so much for reading and commenting Brittany! <3
DeleteI'm sorry you didn't enjoy it, but I get what you mean! Haha DOSAM was absolutely amazing for me too, I love Karou, Zuze, and Akiva and the settings and everything else you said in your review. It was enchanting and the writing was so eloquent <3 I don't remember much about the 2nd book but I guess I still enjoyed it, mostly because we got to know more about angel and chimaera... I guess? Again, I don't remember much hahaha BUT BOY THE THIRD BOOK WAS A MESS. Like you said, it started off great and we got more Karou & Akiva (I ship them so hard if you can't tell already) but the ending. was. weird. Like suddenly we were exposed to more characters who play vital roles and suddenly it's not about Karou and Akiva anymore :( however, I'm still incredibly excited for Strange the Dreamer. Great review! <3
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHHA I SHIP THEM SO HARD TOO! And yes so excited for StD! Thanks for reading and commenting Puput!
DeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that you didn't enjoy the last two books. I definitely agree about Dreams of Gods and Monsters! The ending confused me so much, it was so weird and the whole 'godstars' plot line could've been edited out. And Eliza was so boring. I honestly mostly read that book for the main characters and Akiva! Great review!
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