Dreams of Gods & Monsters

April 7, 2014 ARC, Book Review, Giveaway 12

I received this for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dreams of Gods & MonstersDreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book three
Published by Little Brown & Company on 2014-04-08
Pages: 528
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In this thrilling conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Karou is still not ready to forgive Akiva for killing the only family she's ever known.When a brutal angel army trespasses into the human world, Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat--and against larger dangers that loom on the horizon. They begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves--maybe even toward love.From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera, and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

My Thoughts:

If you’re a regular reader of this blog or you follow me on Twitter you know that this has been one of my most anticipated books this year. Laini Taylor crafts such incredibly beautiful stories. I was captivated by Daughter of Smoke & BoneDays of Blood & Starlight drew me deeper into the story. I’m happy to say that, after finishing Dreams of Gods & Monsters, I am so incredibly in love with each book in this series.  Like, I  don’t think I can speak intelligently about them!

I’m going to try and keep things general here because I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t read the books! I do want to point out a few aspects I adored about Dreams of Gods & Monsters specifically and then some things about the series as a whole:

Dreams of Gods & Monsters:
*Story: Often times the final book in a series doesn’t stand on it’s own. You know what I mean? It can feel like it’s sole purpose is to wrap up the events in the previous books. This is not the case here! Don’t get me wrong… the reader gets satisfaction in regards to prior events. But what made it so wonderful for me was the way Taylor enriched the overall story through certain aspects of the book. That’s all I’ll say about that 🙂 #nospoilers

*Narration: Of course DoG&M is told with the beautiful lyrical style of the previous books (more on that later!). What I’m really talking about here is the multiple view points. I love hearing from a variety of characters… when it’s done well! And, godstars, is it ever done well here. Not only are the voices distinct, but the way the different characters stories weave together and  fill in the blanks for the story overall was incredible.

*Character Development: This kind of goes with the above aspect but I found myself connecting with characters that I hadn’t previously connected with. Getting to see the story from there perspective and seeing the ways they changed was a gift. One of my very favorite characters was in the first two books as well but I didn’t really come to appreciate her until this one.

 Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy:
*Style: Oy. I cannot even. Laini Taylor is brilliant. The writing is so beautiful and lyrical. At times hilarious, at times heartbreaking, at times hopeful… it just gets to me. There were times in each book where I would stop and simply re-read passages over and over because of how wonderfully crafted they were. I’m awestruck.

*Characters: I can’t even begin to list all the characters I love and the reasons I love them. I could dedicate a week of posts to it and still have more to say. Laini Taylor has given readers a dynamic and engaging cast of characters. It’s not often that I can recall characters months after reading a book with such vivid detail. I’m forever forgetting character names and such. Not so here. From Karou to Twiga to Rath… they all leave an impression.

*Evocative: Reading these books is such an immersive experience. They make me feel so many different things! I’ll be laughing so hard I tear up one chapter and then, a few chapters later, I’ll have tears running down my face for an entirely different reason! And the questions they bring up… ways of looking at good and evil and what makes a “monster,” how looking at the past through a variety of lenses changes what you thought you knew, the idea of hope and it’s power, and so, so much more. I think that last one is my favorite. The overpowering sense of hope these books leave me with. I feel new when I finish them… like I’ve gone through the wringer with the characters and come out stronger for it.

Well done, Laini Taylor. Well done.

NOTE: I highly recommend you read the novella Night of Cake & Puppets as it is wonderfully delightful! More Zuzana and Mik!!!

Giveaway:

I love these books so much I desperately want you to read them! Use the rafflecopter below to enter to win your choice of paperback copies of books 1 &2 OR a hardcover of Dreams of Gods & Monsters! US only. Must be 13 or older to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Responses to “Dreams of Gods & Monsters”

  1. Kaniesha @ Deux Lectrices

    I’ve read both of them and I can not wait for Dreams of Gods & Monsters to be released. The ending of the second book BLEW MY MIND! I’m so excited and sad the trilogy is ending 🙁

  2. Cassie H

    I love these books! The story is wonderful and the writing is lovely. Laini Taylor makes every sentence sound like a miracle!

  3. Morgan

    I’ve been meaning to read this series for a long time! I love fantasy books and especially the kind of fantasy with interesting world building and twists. It sounds dark and strange and kind of wonderful. Plus almost every book blogger I follow raves about Daughter of Smoke and Bone! Even if I don’t win your awesome giveaway, I think it’s finally time to check them out of the library 🙂

  4. Jer B

    I really have wanted to pick this book up. I will have to check it out. It sounds amazing.

  5. Stephanie T.

    I’m currently re-reading the series before the third one comes out! I want to keep the story fresh in my mind before I finish off the series. I love it so much!

  6. Veronica

    I read the first two books as well as the novella and I loved all of them. I’m so excited to find out what happens in the third book but I’ll be sad when it’s over.

  7. Alysia

    Read the first one, decided to wait the third one out before finishing! On it now though.

  8. Perla M

    I’ve read the first one and I loved it!!! Sadly my library doesn’t have the Days of Blood and Starlight

  9. Ann S

    I haven’t read them but I plan to. It sounds intriguing and I’ve heard such fabulous things about the series.

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