OMG

Sometimes I start a book happily, but midway something crops up - a character that jars, or an event that feels off-kilter, or a change of mood - that disappoints me.  This year I decided to just put those books down.  I don't have time to read books that bother me.  There are too many books, so the t-shirt says, and increasingly, too little time.

Well, I am VERY happy that I did NOT put down Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.  Honestly, when the angel showed up I almost chucked it in.  This book has shown up on several "Best of 2011" lists and I felt duty-bound to as least skim through to the end.  So happy I did because OMG!!!

Taylor creates such an appealing teen character in Karou, and her family of misshapen beings is so loving that when that angel shows up, all angry and forbidding, the reader just knows he's wrong!!! Beautiful, yes!  Stunning, of course!  Sexy and irresistible?  That goes without saying - but very very wrong.

The book's setting is Prague, the IT city for 2011, I think.  The plot revolves around a centuries-old battle between magical peoples.  The protagonist, a teen art student, is so much more than just a teen.  Her "family" appears to be made up of genetic experiments or demons.  Her guardian's business is collecting teeth, animal and human.  When the sexy tortured angel shows up, all the questions about her past and her strange life are answered.  OR are they??  The story is to be continued.  And, sigh, as much as I hate to admit it, I have been drawn into this maelstrom of paranormal adventure and romance and I WILL want to find out what happens next.  Thanks, Laini Taylor, for adding yet another series to my ever growing list of  Books-I-Want-To-Read!