Review: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor.

What You Need to Know:  This urban fantasy is is an amazing, trope- twisting read, and one of my Best Books of 2011.

Summary:  Karou, a blue haired art student living in Prague, lives a double life. Most of the time, she lives like any other college kid, hanging with friends, dating and learning.  What her friends don't know is that Karou's family is a race of half-human/half-animal chimera, lead by Brimstone, a powerful wizard.  Brimstone grants wishes to humans who visit him, and receives payment in teeth.    She illustrates her family  in her sketchbook, capturing her strangely beautiful family in near lifelike detail.  Karou mostly keeps her two worlds separate, except when she is called to do errands by Brimstone. However, when strange hand-shaped burn marks appear on the portals to Brimstone's world, and angelic creatures appear all over the globe, Karou's life changes forever.

What Worked:  This book is amazing.  Beautiful descriptions of Prague, descriptions of a reasonably normal teenage life, and fantastic creatures and happenings work together beautifully to create a seamless, engaging narrative.

What amazed me most about this book is that it managed to surprise me.  Using familiar ideas -- a human raised by monsters, angels, star crossed lovers, a mystical war -- Taylor spun an unexpected and engrossing tale.  It's not my first time at the rodeo, so a fantasy book that brings something new, that keeps me guessing, gets high marks.  Also, this is one book where the romance felt organic and necessary.

Karou is a wonderful character:  funny, tough, talented.   However, she is not inhumanly perfect -- she makes mistakes, takes stupid risks, acts selfishly.   She's a refreshing change from the doormats and Mary Sues that populate teen fantasy romances.

What Didn't:  Honestly, not much.  Some of the supporting characters may be a little thin, but this book is about Karou, and that's where the focus stays.

However -- that cover is terrible -- yes, it makes sense in context, but it's generic and bland.

Who Would I Give this Book To?  Everybody.  Seriously.  There's enough rich world building here to keep fantasy fans interested, enough romance to captivate a Twihard, and the writing quality is strong enough to win over the most dedicated literary fiction fan.

My Foray into Paranormal Romance

I am not a romance reader, and double that for paranormal romance.

But, The Iron Duke.  Damn, I love that book.  Really, if you're over 18 and O.K. with thrusting and heaving, you should totally read it.

So, I thought, maybe, possibly, that I haven't been fair to the genre.  That I had dismissed it out of hand.  And, I wanted to read more of Meljean Brook's work.

Enter Hot Spell and Burning Up -- two novella compilations that include Brook and some other authors.
I read both of them, and I have come to a conclusion.

I am still not a paranormal romance reader.  But, I tried to evaluate these stories on their merits.

The Countess's Pleasure by Emma Holly. Of the stories that I read, this was the best written.  A widowed countess engages a "demon" as a consort and the two fall in love.  I liked the steam-punky Indo-British setting, I liked that Georgiana (the countess) was seeking to become her own person.   The clash of cultures and philosophies was interesting.

Would I read more by this author in this series: Maybe.  A quick Google tells me that the others in the series have more of that retro-Victorian sci-fi vibe, and l find that interesting. 

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh.  A genetically engineered feline-man hybrid moves in next door to a "spitfire." The two discover they are genetically destined to be mates and have lots and lots of sex.  There's something in here about bounty hunters, but it's an afterthought.  This novella is all about the banging.  However, the way the sex was described was really unappealing and sexist.

Would I read more by this author in this series: No.  This sucked. 

Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brook.  Demons, and Nosferatu, and vampires and guardians.  Who are not angels.  But act like them.  Wha?  This was a confusing mess of ideas.  One thing I will say is that this story was one of the few that had a sexually experienced woman in it.

Would I read more by this author in this series: No.  I love Brook's Iron Seas books, but this... is not for me.  

The Blood Kiss by Shiloh Walker.  Evil Vampires. Who fight heroic werewolves.  Any story that attempts to frame kidnapping as a romantic act has an uphill battle with me.

Would I read more by this author in this series: No.  There wasn't enough new here that I want to know more about. 

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh. Surprisingly enjoyable.  I am not a were/shapeshifter fan, but this read more like a sci-fi/crime mash-up than a paranormal romance.  The heroine, Ria, was spunky, and educated and willing to seek out what she wanted.  

Would I read more by this author in this series: Maybe.  These had more of a sci-fi vibe, and I liked that.  I liked that there were women in powerful positions in the Changling universe.  


Blood and Roses by Angela Knight.   Heroic vampires.  And the courtesans who love them.  While Knight writes fairly well, this story had the most predictable arc imaginable.  And it had a child in danger, which is just cheap.

Would I read more by this author in this series: No.  Predictable and bland.

Shifting Sea by Virginia Kantra.  Surprisingly, I liked this story more than I was expecting, because...mermaids.  However, this is more of a historical fiction story, and I could totally see Major John Harris being played by Colin Firth. Would I want to read a whole novel set in this world, with these characters -- no.  But it was a pleasant novella.

Would I read more by this author in this series: No.  As I said above, it was pleasant, but the novella was enough.

Here Be Monsters by Meljean Brook.  I loved this one.  The setting of the Iron Seas has me hooked.   Steampunk nanotech.  I loved that Ivy was making choices and not letting things happen to her.  Would I love it without reading The Iron Duke first?  I'm not sure.

Would I read more by this author in this series: Been there, done that.

White Cat (The Curse Workers) by Holly Black

The Curse Workers by Holly Black

What You Need to Know:  A supernatural/crime mash-up, this is the rare "teen paranormal" from a male POV with guy appeal.

Summary:  Cassel is a normal kid with an abnormal family.  His mother, grandfather and both his brothers are curse workers -- individuals able to do magic with touch.  Curse workers are criminals by nature, as curse work is illegal.  Most curse workers are tied to major crime families, and Cassel's are no exception.  Mom's in jail, both brothers are enforcers.  But family sticks together, even when Cassel is at a boarding school, trying to live down his dark past..  However, Cassel loves the con too much to go completely straight.  When a white cat keeps appearing in his dreams, it leads Cassel down a dangerous path.

What Worked:  Holly Black doesn't back away from the dark stuff.   Something I've always liked about her work is that she doesn't sugar-coat things.  Here, she shows exactly what a life of organized crime is like.  Cassel's family may love him, may even think they're protecting him, but they are not good guys.   

Black also does a lot of really nice, really subtle world building here.  Everybody wears gloves, as touch is dangerous.  There are different types of curse workers, some good, some bad.  Stones can be spelled against the curses.  Black doesn't feel the need to tell you this upfront, but organically weaves the details through the story.  In my opinion, this is what separates a great fantasy book from a good fantasy book.

What also works well is the voice here.  Cassel isn't a terribly reliable narrator (for various spoilery reasons) and he knows he's not one of the good guys.   He tries, but he just loves the con too much.   Also,  Cassel is a guy and sounds like one, which is a nice change in a paranormal focused series.  

Finally, there's the plot.  Like all good con jobs, shows you its cards then pulls a fast one.  I can't say to much for fear of being spoileriffic, but does a fantastic job of ducking and feinting, and ending with a sucker punch.

What Didn't:  There is a lot of plot and world building here, so some of the characters get shoved to the sides.  Particularly Cassel's brother Phillip, who can harm with touch, isn't as fleshed out as he could be.

However:  I honestly didn't care.  I tore through this in one sitting, and am now desperate for the sequel.

Who would I give this book too:  Teens looking for a paranormal with more bite than the crop of Twilight clones; guys who are secret paranormal readers, fans of twisty plots.