Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou has literally been raised by monsters, she knows nothing about her heritage and is torn between two worlds and two warring groups. The seraphim and the chimaera, the angels and the monsters.

Her heritage is a mystery and yet already she knows that somehow she is caught in the middle. Her loyalty to Brimstone & Co. is set in stone, because they are her family, despite them being her natural enemy.

I loved the little magical eccentricities and the idea of the Wishmonger, although that disappeared a little in the second half of the book.

It is certainly firmly in the YA world, despite the fact I thought the character of Karou and the story would have done just as well being more NA or adult. The way Karou interacts with the monsters and angels is bold, creative and intriguing.

The interaction between Karou and her uni friends is teenagey, very YA and predictably cheesy. Quite a contradiction, despite the well-written story. On the one hand you have the fearless fighting ninja and on the other the giggly immature teen.

I thought the story got off to a great start and was hoping to learn more about the secrets of Brimstone, unfortunately the second half meandered into a forbidden romance instead of sticking with the already half-opened doors of the underworld.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.