Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

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Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hairactually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

"You were true to her, even if she was not to you. Never repent of your own goodness, child. To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength."

Holy smokes - I suddenly understand why everyone seems to like this series so much. I must start off by saying that the writing in this novel is absolutely fantastic! Every page is filled with gorgeous imagery and beautiful language. I even picked up a few new words that I really love the sound of (i.e. concrescence, which is the coalescence or growing together of parts originally separate).

At first I was worried about this novel containing insta-love, but it played out well enough over the course of the plot that I'll let it pass (though I admit there were a few moments when I felt myself cringing). The characters in this book were so imaginatively written that I found myself completely absorbed in their story. I also liked that the character names were creative without being too far "out there." Sometimes it seems like authors are obviously trying too hard when it comes to character names, but in this instance I felt that their names just "fit".

The story itself was paced evenly, with flashbacks that really added a lot to the main plot. I don't like to give spoilers in my reviews, so I'll just say that you'll be in for a few surprises in this novel - so much of what I read was very different from your average YA Paranormal Romance novel that made this a unique reading experience. The fact that there was so much travel and culture in this book (it mainly takes place in the Czech Republic, but there are also scenes in places like Paris and Marrakesh - Marrakesh, in a YA Novel!) also stood out to me, and was a big part of why I enjoyed this novel so much.

I'm already looking forward to continuing this series! Luckily, book two is already out, along with an eBook novella, so if I pace myself right, then I won't have too long of a wait until book three is out in April. Recommended - 4.5 stars!