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Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

| Daughter of Smoke and Bone - 5 Stars |

| Days of Blood and Starlight - 5 Stars |

| Dreams of Gods and Monsters - 5 stars

Genre: YA, Scifi / Fantasy, 5 Stars, Series 

People who should read this: EVERYONE!

See…. I need chocolate now… and I need a lot of it. I also need another trilogy. I need to know what happens next because that was not the end. There was nothing “ending” about it. If anything, I have a lot more questions. And, with the amount of pain and agony I had to slog through, I need something happier to carry me through my days. 

I’m really sorry book world, but it’s going to take a lot to dethrone Taylor from the top of my favorite authors list. Sorry Schwab… the crown must go to someone else. It was a good run while you had it. 

Now to summarize three massive books into a single blog… gah! I don’t even know where to begin. If you’re just starting out with the series, make sure to check out my review for the first book here and then quickly click away. There are bound to be spoilers for book one somewhere in here. 

With that out of the way….

I would like to start with the massive book hangover that I’m attempting to get over. The emotional rollercoaster Taylor forced me to ride was not fair. Not at all. One second, I’ve been given all the hope in the world and then the very next second it’s ripped all away. But that means that it also worked in the opposite direction. When I had no more hope, there was the happy ending waiting in the wings.

Taylor has a magical way of putting in plot twists without the need for foreshadowing. If there is any foreshadowing, it’s doled out seconds before the big reveal so that you’re left gasping for air, trying to hold on to the train that’s barreling away under you. There was one key moment where I put the book down and refused to continue. I was furiously snapping my buddy reading partner in crime. I didn’t want to know the truth. I wanted to stay on the side of not knowing. Taylor’s style of writing allows for these moments. She has a way of combining exposition in third person so that it feels like it’s being written in first - I never knew someone could put that level of emotion into a third person story like this. But it’s that distance that she keeps in third person that lets her hide those god awful plot twists. 

And seriously, the plot was a shock of epic proportions. This is not one of those series you know is going to dole out a happy ending. In fact, it’s a book that lays the foundation for anything can happen. Seriously… anything can and will happen in the plot. Any book that can pull out this level of shock is a prize to me. 

As the books progress the cast grows. The additional characters add so much to the story and the world. Sounding like the broken record that I am, all of the characters were their own stand alone flesh and blood creations. Each one was extremely detailed. I love that they all get a chance in the spotlight in the third book. Yet with that, it felt like Akiva and Karou’s story became a side plot. A hard pill to swallow when their the very thing that hooked me in book one. I don’t want to downplay the other characters. They’re all great and held just as much importance to me. I’m even queuing up A Night of Cake and Cupcakes as we speak. 

My love for this series really comes down to the three basics - characters, plot, and writing.

So writers, you can write a plot driven story with strong character driven plot lines. The holy grail really does exist. Just keep working at it and read this book for reference. 

Taylor is a master writer with an imagination that surpasses so many. I hope that you’ll take my advice and give this series a try. 

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 160/175