Review of The Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

by: Sarah
Release Date: November 6th, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
Pages: 517 pages
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2

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?

Would you believe it's taken me this long to suss out my feelings for this book? Surprisingly enough I've decided to up the rating to a full 5 stars because when all is said and done this book truly was amazing. If the story telling was colorful and vibrant in The Daughter of Smoke and Bone then in Days of Blood and Starlight it was a double freaking rainbow. This was the first time in a long time I actually had to pry myself away from reading a book and actually found myself itching to pick it up again as soon as I could. And the character development, my goodness, I can't even. It was stunning. I didn't really realized it at first it took some flipping through the first book to see how much Karou has grown. Also, there's nothing more I hate than a sequel that brings in a bunch of new throwaway secondary characters rather than spending time developing the pre-existing ones. At first I was a little worried that's what was happening here, but thankfully I was wrong. I don't know how Laini Taylor did it but she managed to make every character interesting to me. Everything was just so perfectly crafted; the action, the romance, the arching tension of imminent doom. The choice to take the love spotlight off Karou and Akiva and shine it on Zusana and Mik was amazing. The ever changing POVs wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but sometimes it's necessary and brings a book to life in a really beautiful way, it was a little reminiscent of the way Battle Royale was written, which is quite alright with me. The only thing that I have a real problem with, as I said after finishing the first book, is Akiva. If Akiva were to have kept a diary throughout this book it probably would have read something like this:

Dear Diary,
My life is a black abyss. I am so very very very very sad. Like, the saddest person that has ever felt sadness. Karou is so pretty when she sleeps. I'm not creepy though because. I think she likes someone else I WANT TO KILL MYSELF. UGH. But I want her to be happy actually I don't. I'm also really noble and stuff because. I wish Karou would love me again but also no I don't want her to love me I want her to hate me because I'm the worst. But I'm also the best.

P.S. I'm sad.

I'm exaggerating (a little). At the end of the day I do feel for him and he impressed me multiple times. I want Akiva and Karou to be together sometimes he just really needs to check himself because he already wrecked himself. 

Overall I'm just really damn pleased. Lately whenever I read a sequel it's just like filler bullshit and I'm like great I waited all this time for this book to come out and nothing even happened so now I'm waiting another year for the next book. This was absolutely not the case with Days of Blood and Starlight. This book is packed tight with everything I wanted it to be and more. A solid, gorgeous, heart-wrenching novel that let me wholly satisfied as much as it left me craving for more. I can't imagine what's in store for the next book but I'm insanely excited, though I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to make me wish I was dead. I have this crazy feeling someone in particular is going to be killed off. And if that happens that's it for me I'll be 7000% done with this world. But, I digress. If you haven't gotten into the DOSAB series yet and you've been on the fence about starting it, or you have but you're on the fence about continuing with the series, PLEASE slap yourself with the nearest fish and correct this error of judgement. This book will not disappoint! 

Side note: I just want to briefly mention how much I loved some of the characters this time around, like Ziri oh my God oh my GOD he was so incredible where has he been all my life lord help me I think I'm going to puke or die. And Jael what a FLAWLESS RUTHLESS DISGUSTING PERFECT VILLAIN. People sometimes tend to overlook the importance of a well written villain so when I see a good one it just sends me over the edge. Every time he was on the page it literally made my skin crawl. SA:KFHASKJFHADKJF. And Liraz oh man can she be my girlfriend please I'm so in love with her okay that's it I'm done.

5 out of 5 coffee cups!