In Which I Attempt Coherent Thoughts on Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight

During my Reading Renaissance at the beginning of sixth grade, aka what really got me into discussing and just loving books in a way I hadn't before, I read a lot of fantasy series (more or less). Some were middle grade and some were YA, although the YA was obscure, different from popular series nowadays, and I don't remember much about them. Some have stayed on my favorites list, some haven't.

Regardless, I am kind of nostalgic for fantasy series I can get lost in. But unfortunately, since my Second Reading Renaissance (aka This Year), most of the popular fantasy series in these age groups haven't interested me, which didn't help to fuel the nostalgic reason for rediscovering reading. There wasn't really any new middle grade, and after checking out the YA options I was constantly disappointed with how many were described as "fantasy-lite" with a heavy dose of romance. I mean, I don't need hardcore fantasy, but I'm personally interested in childlike wonder and fun characters and how they respond to the world. (Also, as I've said many times, I've never been into romance.)

What I was most interested in out of the options, though, was Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. It seemed really complex and unique, though I admit I was a bit disappointed when I did learn the first book was mostly about romance, but...I had hope. And while it may not be my favorite (though I highly doubt something like this will make my favorites list nowadays), it was worth it.

The first thing typically said about Laini Taylor is that her writing is gorgeous. This is absolutely true. It's magical and enchanting and so easy to get lost in, and then there would be some references to present-day events or colloquial talk that reminded me these books do take place in the present day most of the time. Reading it is like falling into a haze, and that's probably why I've been stalling so much writing this. It's really hard to compare to anything else. It's one of those things that sort of feels real, but also feels like it's a sweeping fairy tale.

This series doesn't just take place in modern-day, though, but modern-day Prague and Morocco, as well as some otherworldly realms. And Karou, our heroine, isn't your plain and ordinary heroine who needs a guy to make her feel special. She has blue hair and "tattoos" of eyes on her palms; she goes to an art school in Prague; she dated and lost her virginity to a guy she spends much of the beginning of the first book turning down; she has a family of half-human, half-animal chimerae who she can't tell anyone about; she goes on errands all over the world for teeth; she collects languages for presents.

Because you know what this trilogy does that other YA authors have been afraid to do? Tell a story about some people that doesn't fell the need to make the main character a "relatable everygirl" so the reader can fulfill the fantasies they apparently have through her. Not to mention that these characters don't feel like teenagers, but people who just happen to be 17 or 18. That's how you write a YA novel. Certainly that trope has its uses--most notably in the portal fantasies like Harry Potter and Narnia--but there also exist many books just about the stories of others. This is one of them. (It's also written in third person omniscient past tense.)

Another fantastic thing about these books is that Karou's relationship to her best friend is more prominent than the romance. Zuzana is absolutely delightful, and though there is an initial bump in their relationship when Karou begins to be involved in strange events, their love oozes through the pages. Best friend female relationships are something not seen too often in YA, especially when the main plot contains a romance, so this was refreshing. Zuzana and her boyfriend, Mik, provide a more human element to the story and general adorableness.

As for the romance, I really didn't feel like it took to much prominence in the storyline. Book 1 is, perhaps, primarily a romance, but there is a twist, and even before that I did not feel like it fell into the usual problematic tropes. Book 2, however, deals with the consequences of the characters's situations and has very little romance. It's a very different book as a consequence, although both do not have much melodrama or angst, and I'm really glad the "drama added to relationship because they need a storyline for the rest of the trilogy" (like Divergent, for example) was not a part of this.

Still, I liked both of them. With Daughter of Smoke and Bone I fell under the spell easily, but the second half of the book consists mostly of  a backstory and was not as engaging for me, even though I found the exploration of the demon and angel worlds interesting. With Days of Blood and Starlight, however, I had trouble getting into it (partially due to a Ray Bradbury hangover) but ultimately I was more engaged in the second half. There is one plot point I'm not completely sure was handled right, but I feel like that might be a case of me missing something.

I doubt this trilogy will become my favorite, but it's the best take on YA fantasy I've seen so far. And it's made of magic. No, it's not the easiest thing to get through, but if you're expecting all YA to be easy and quick, that isn't helping the genre.

Also, bonus points to Days of Blood and Starlight for Zuzana's boyfriend body positivity:

"It was true that being surrounded by bronze-hard pectorals and biceps bigger than her head cast Mik's physique in a new light, but really, who needed biceps bigger than her head?"