Days of Blood and Starlight
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
This is not that world.
Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.
In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.
While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.
But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?
Lovers Lost and Lives Found
Days of Blood and Starlight picks up a few weeks after Daughter of Smoke and Bone leaves off and both Karou and Akiva are just as sad and broken as they were when we last saw them. And in the midst of their pain and disillusionment, they are making some seriously bad decisions, isolating themselves more than ever.
But after they’ve dug themselves as deep as they can, and when fate seems to have turned her back on them, hope arrives in unexpected ways.
What Doesn’t Kill You…
This book is definitely darker than the first, but appropriately so. The way things ended, I hadn’t expected this book to be light and sunny, but it went to places I had not expected. The situations that Karou and Akiva find themselves in over the course of this book brought up questions of conscience, what lengths a person could or should go to in the name of self preservation or self-identified justice.
However, as dark as it was, every moment of this book was intensely emotionally real. Karou’s pain and shame and grief leapt off the page and wrenched my heart, as did Akiva’s. I felt as if I came to know these characters so much more in this sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I’m happier for that being so!
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
Get your own Audiobook at audible: Days of Blood and Starlight (unabridged, 15hrs 25min)
Khristine Hvam brings these characters vividly to your ears in this amazing rendition of this book. Her ability to infuse the voice and tone of characters like Zuzana and Mic or Laraz and Haziel into every moment is profound and wonderful. I adored every moment of listening to this story and if you’re so inclined, I highly recommend it.
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So good to hear that there’s no sophomore slump with this book; that it’s just as awesome as the first! It’s sitting on my shelf, begging me to read faster so I can get to it. Karou! Hold on! I’m comin’!
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It’s phenominal, Mary!!! You will definitely enjoy it!
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I totally agree, it’s a dark book but completely brilliant!
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And aren’t you just DYING to know what happens next?????
Pushy recently posted..xMas Gift idea’s for Book Lovers!
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I miss reading for fun….but this is on my list!
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Oh, hon!!! I know what you mean!!!!! You should really think about audiobooks! They’re pretty much the only way I read books these days! *hugs*
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