Review: Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

Title: Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) By Laini Taylor
Page count: 528 pages (hardcover edition)
Goodreads rating: 4.50
Published on: November 6th, 2012
Buy it via: Amazon|B&N|Book Dep
Rating: 5/5 crystal balls
Summary: 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?

There’s so much I want to say about this book,  I don’t know where to even start! This series is very special to me and it’s one of my all time favorites, so I will be gushing way more here than what’s typical for my reviews. 

I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone on a whim earlier this year, and I was utterly blown away by its sheer brilliance. So, I have been in agony waiting for this book. It definitely goes down as one my most anticipated books of all time, and I think Days of Blood and Starlight will always be my favorite book title. I can't explain it, but there's something beautifully tragic about it that just resonates with me. 

To be honest, I'm not sure what I expected from Days of Blood and Starlight. Of all the ways possible ways I envisioned the sequel, this wasn't exactly it. But what I got – what this is - is more than I ever could have imagined and could have hoped for. I got everything I wanted out of this sequel and more in a way that I could never have anticipated. Which is exactly why I don't want to give away spoilers or much about the plot in this review, because I think it should be up to the reader to discover the story. 

But I will say this:

Days of Blood and Starlight is – and I don’t use this word lightly – epic. I would give this book six stars if I could. This is storytelling at its finest, writing as its most masterful.

Let me say that Days of Blood and Starlight is not exactly an ‘easy’ read. What I mean is that it’s not something you can just open up, skim through the pages, and expect to fully grasp the story. It’s one that needs time and patience for the story to build and unfold. There are many points of view, and it reads very much like a high fantasy book, with lots of people, places, and things to remember. However, all of this is what makes this book what it is – phenomenal. Every line, every scene is of importance. Every page in this book are all pieces of a puzzle that fit together in this perfect cohesive beautiful grand puzzle. By the end of the book, all you can do is sit there breathless at the end result.  

There’s nothing about Days of Blood and Starlight that’s light and fluffy. This is a deeply gritty tale, and doesn't hold anything back when it comes to war, betrayal, guilt, hatred, pain and suffering.  It will make you feel all the emotions a human being is capable of feeling, and then when you think you can feel no more, and you have used all your emotions up, you will feel some more. Tears will be shed, and hearts will be broken. Days of Blood and Starlight is: darkness, blood and battle, and death. However, as with life, where this is dark, there is light. Where there is an end, there is a beginning. If you can just hang on, there’s starlight, pockets full of hope, and the promise of a better future. New beginnings.

Ultimately, Laini Taylor has done it again. Her writing and ability to weave a story together is truly like a work of art, and her skill is beyond admirable. I don’t know how she did it, but Days of Blood and Starlight is just as awe-worthy as Daughter of Smoke and Bone, if not more, because the way this book expands the world and sets up the third novel, just put this series on an even grander level. 

I'm just thankful there’s talent like this in the world. This series is unlike anything I've ever read. It’s completely unique, breathtaking, and couldn't possibly fit under any label. If you haven’t read the first book in this series, I suggest starting with that before you read Days of Blood and Starlight, as it’s impossible to understand this series without starting from the beginning, but I couldn't recommend these books more.  If you are looking for stunning writing, complex characters, and mind-blowing plot twists, than this is the series for you.

Days of Blood and Starlight is beautiful in every, way, shape and from. From its jaw-dropping cover, to its magical and unforgettable name, to the pages on the inside - that are like a treasure chest waiting to be open, this is what reading is, and books like this, are why I always and forever want to be a reader, and to be the best possible writer I can be.