Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight

Title: Days of Blood and Starlight
Author: Laini Taylor
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Pages: 513
Rating: ★★★

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.

And its snap split the world in two.

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.

My Thoughts:

After giving Daughter of Smoke and Bone two stars on my previous review, I was sure I was done with this series. A few friends encouraged me to give the second book a chance and while I wasn’t ecstatic about it, I’m all for giving second chances.

I’m glad I did.

Days of Blood and Starlight was a lot better in comparison to the first book. I loved reading more of the secondary characters and found many of them engaging. The book also gives us a more detailed history of Eretz, providing the story with layers that added to its complexity.

I’m always a fan of authors questioning ‘black and white’ concepts like good and evil, and I loved how Taylor helped me question what really made a monster. How far was one side willing to go for vengeance? What was the objective of it all? Could all killings be justified to ‘achieve’ peace? These were all good food for thought.

Character development was also more evident in this book and this was an added cherry on top to my reading experience. The main characters became more relatable as they addressed and learned from certain events in the first book.

There were still a few things I didn’t like about the book. There were certain tropes I was not a fan of and the way Taylor dealt with a couple of major characters seemed too easy. Overall it was a better book than the first – there was less romance and more screen time for secondary characters that made the story richer. This time I can gladly say I’m looking forward to seeing how the series ends.