CBR3 Book 86: "Daugther of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor (Read-a-thon 2011)

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Page count: 422 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Date begun: October 23rd, 2011
Date finished: October 23rd, 2011

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well."

These are the opening words of A Daughter of Smoke and Bone and from the various rave reviews I'd read from the book, I thought I had some idea what to expect from the book. I didn't. Yes, this book is paranormal fantasy, and it's certainly partly geared towards a young adult audience, but it absolutely isn't Twilight or The Vampire Diaries or Vampire Academy or Wicked Lovely or any number of other successful romantic fantasy novels for teens. It's so much more, and I'm not even sure I can do it justice in a review - but I'll try.

17-year-old Karou is an orphan, living in Prague and attending an art college. Her friends know that she's secretive, and exotic, with her bright blue hair and tattoos, and they enjoy the wonderful creatures she draws on her ever-present sketchpad and the fanciful stories she tells about the places she supposedly visits in her spare time. They don't know that all her stories are true. When not being an art student, Karou runs errands for Brimstone, the seemingly monstrous creature who raised her, together with a host of other chimaera, half humanoid, half beast beings who have always been there for her, but refuse to tell her where she's actually from. Brimstone trades teeth from humans and every sort of animal known to man for wishes that can grant pretty much anything if they're big enough, and Karou has been all over the globe (the magic door in Brimstone's shop can take her anywhere) fetching everything from elephant tusks to snake fangs for him.

Lately, when she's off on her errands, she's noticed burned handprints over the doorways she uses to get back to Brimstone. She also has an encounter with a beautiful, but terrible angel, who tries to kill her when he realizes that she works for Brimstone. Desperate to figure out what is going on, Karou tries to spy on Brimstone when he walks through another door in his chambers, and she discovers a whole other world, but before she really gets a chance to explore, Brimstone catches her and throws her out. Before she has time to go back and beg his forgiveness, one of the tiny creatures who works for him, ends up at her window, dying of burns. The doorway to Brimstone's is on fire, and Karou is cut off from the only family she has ever known. When she encounters Akiva, the vengeful angel again, she no longer knows what to think, but it seems he might hold the answers to who she really is, and what has happened to her loved ones.

There is a love story in A Daughter of Smoke and Bone, where mortal enemies are inexplicably drawn to one another, and the romance was enough to take my breath away. There is also masterful storytelling and Laini Taylor does an amazing job with the world building. It helps that Prague, the initial location for the book, is a magical place even before you introduce paranormal elements. This was the last book I read during my Read-a-thon, and you'd think I'd be tired after reading for most of a weekend, but I couldn't put the book down.

Karou is a wonderful protagonist, mysterious, independent, inquisitive, strong and brave, yet also clearly a 17-year-old, who's not always nice, but can use the small wishes she gets in Brimstone's shop for petty things, like giving a girl she's jealous of a constant mono-brow, or giving her ex-boyfriend an itch in a really inconvenient place while he's nude modelling. She also uses her wishes for silly, frivolous things like turning her hair permanently blue, or removing tattoos she got on impulse. She's searching for the truth about her origins, not really happy when Brimstone and his associates keep them from her. However, when she finally does discover the truth about who she is, and where she came from, she understands why they kept the truth from her.

I don't want to say much more about the plot, because there are several twists and turns that should be not be spoiled. Readers should be aware that the story is by no means complete, and it ends on a big and emotionally gutting cliff hanger, which when I first put the book down made me like parts of it less. However, nearly a month after finishing the book, I'm still thinking about it all the time, and wanting desperately to find out what happens next. So I'm just going to recommend the book to as many people as I know, making sure they also read the book, and can share the painful wait for the next installment with me.

CBR3 Book 85: "Unclaimed" by Courtney Milan (Read-a-thon 2011)

Publisher: HQN Books
Page count: 432 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Date begun: October 22nd, 2011
Date finished: October 22nd, 2011

Unclaimed is the second book in the series of the Turner brothers, the first brother's story was told in Unveiled. While this book can be read completely independently, there is back story about the hero, Mark in the previous book, and his story has more resonance if you start the series at the beginning.

Sir Mark Turner was knighted by Queen Victoria because of the book he wrote encouraging chastity. He is London's most sought after bachelor, and followed by misty eyed young maidens and eager reporters everywhere he goes. Sick of the attention, and the impression everyone has of him, Mark seeks refuge in the village where he grew up.

Jessica Farleigh is a courtesan, and desperately wants enough money to free herself from ever having to charm another patron. When a former lover offers to pay her to tarnish Sir Mark's reputation, she's happy to oblige, but she's on a strict time limit. What she thought was going to be simple, as all the men she's ever encountered were huge hypocrites, turns out to be quite the challenge. Sir Mark doesn't just preach chastity for gentlemen, he believes his own teachings. Yet he is instantly smitten with Jessica, believing her to be a widow fallen on hard times, and enjoys how vastly different from the prim, young virgins who normally get paraded in front of him.

While a virgin, and believing a man should control his desires, Mark doesn't deny the attraction he feels towards Jessica. He freely admits that he lusts for her, he just doesn't intend to act on any of the desires he feels. He's a good and honest and principled man and a very interesting hero in a romance. Jessica starts out detesting Mark, who seems to have everything handed to him on a platter, yet as she gets to know him, she realizes the reasons for his principles, and having to seduce him and discredit him in order to gain her own freedom and happiness gets harder and harder.

While not quite as engrossing as Unveiled, Unclaimed is still a very enjoyable read, and I like that Milan takes the time to really flesh out her characters. They're not just stock characters, they are complex and multi-faceted and all her characters TALK to each other. So many romances are hampered by situations that seem easily resolved if the main characters just communicated more, and that's never the case here. Milan's next book is about the third Turner brother, intriguingly named Smite, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

CBR3 Book 84: "Snuff" by Terry Pratchett (Read-a-thon 2011)

Publisher: Harper
Page count: 416 pages
Rating: 3.5 stars
Date begun: October 22nd, 2011
Date finished: October 22nd, 2011

Sam Vimes has been dragged away from the job he loves as the Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch by his well-meaning wife, Lady Sybil, who feels he should get some air and familiarise himself with the estates they own. It doesn't take long before Vimes discovers a dead body and that all manner of foul play and injustice can take place in the idyllic country side, just as much as in the city. Determined to find the killer and set right those things that are wrong, he also needs to see if he can get his hands on a decent bacon sandwich, and possibly find some elephant dung for his precocious son to examine.

While always enjoyable, some Discworld novels are better than others. This is not one of Pratchett's best, and while he takes familiar characters out of their normal haunts, so that they can discover new things about themselves and others, too much of the plot of Snuff felt like a retread of previous novels in the series. In this book we learn that goblins are people too, Sam Jr is obsessed with poo because he is a small boy, and we are Vimes is and always will be a driven police man, and strongly dislikes being a Duke. His manservant is all sorts of awesome, too. Glad he got more to do in this one. Sadly, Pratchett has Alzheimer's, and while I hope he still has excellent and brilliant and original books in him, I'm not sure how many more he is capable of creating.

CBR3 Book 83: "Chime" by Franny Billingsley (Read-a-thon 2011)

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Page count: 368 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Date begun: October 22nd, 2011
Date finished: October 22nd, 2011

This is the first book I read during this year's Read-a-thon, and I first heard about it and discovered Franny Billingsley's books through Raych, a fellow Cannonballer (whose reviews and blog I now follow slavishly).

Briony Larkin has a big secret. Briony is a witch. It's her fault that her stepmother died three months ago, and it's her fault that her twin sister Rose isn't quite right. Briony can see and talk to the Old Ones (spirits in the swamp around the village), and she mustn't let anyone know that she's a witch, or the town council will try her and hang her. She must above all, remember to hate herself, and not let anyone close, and she must always take extra good care of Rose, or her secret may be revealed.

Staying aloof and lonely proves more difficult when Elric Claybourne, and his father, a city engineer come to town. Elric has been thrown out of university, and will stay in the house of Briony's father. He's charming and handsome and oh so friendly, and doesn't seem to understand that Briony can't and doesn't want to have any friends. Rose has a terrible cough, and Boggy Mun (the leader of the Old Ones) say that she could die from the swamp cough, like so many of the town's children before her, unless Briony manages to successfully stop Mr Claybourne and the other engineers from draining the swamp and building a train line through it. How can she explain to the town council what the Boggy Mun has said, without revealing her secrets and risking her life?

Chime is the second Franny Billingsley book I've read this month, and I'm so glad I discovered her. The cover of the book is awful, and makes it look like some sort of turn of the century Gossip Girl rip off, which it so isn't! Like The Folk Keeper, Chime has a strong yet lonely heroine, who needs to learn to accept help and friendship from others to discover how awesome she is, and that she deserves happiness, joy and affection. While with a slight supernatural twist, Chime is mostly a historical novel, where the heroine has to go discover her true worth, and is rewarded with love as well. The budding relationship between Briony and Elric is very sweet, but I especially loved the depiction of Briony's relationship with her twin sister (who clearly has Asperger's syndrome), and both her deep affection for her and need to protect her and wanting her troublesome sibling to just drop dead. This is a wonderful book, who everyone should read, and I plan to buy any other book by Billingsley immediately upon release.

End of event meme

Which hour was most daunting for you?


Probably between 1 and 2pm, when I was getting really tired, and nearly fell asleep. 

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Chime, Snuff and Daughter of Smoke and Bone are all excellent. 

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?


I only really noticed all the stuff going on on the main website after the fact, as I am a newbie, so I haven't really had time to see all the stuff that's there. So no real suggestions. 

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?


Again, didn't really do much but read, but will absolutely check out the hourly updates next year.


How many books did you read?


Three and a quarter


What were the names of the books you read?


Chime by Franny Billingsley
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Unclaimed by Courtney Milan
A quarter of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor


Which book did you enjoy most?


Of the ones I completed - Chime, but Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the one that's gripped me the most.




Which did you enjoy least?
I enjoyed all of them, but if I had to rate them, I enjoyed Unclaimed the least.


If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Didn't cheer, but the people who left comments on my blog were all nice and very supportive. I'll turn off comments moderation next year, so the comments appear right away, as well. 


How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? 


As long as my schedule permits it, I will totally be doing it again. I'm sorry I haven't before. 


What role would you be likely to take next time?

No doubt about it, I'd be a Reader. like this time. 

Finishing the Read-a-thon: Hour fifteen/twenty four

So, in total I've read for fifteen out of the last twenty four hours. I completed three whole books, and little over a quarter of the fourth one. It felt really wonderful to dedicate so much of my time to reading, and if time permits, I will absolutely be doing this again next year. Now I just need to knuckle down and review the books I read, as well as the other three I have back logged. I may wait until I've finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone though, which is hella compelling. I must admit, discovering Raych's blog has certainly enriched my life in terms of reading. Two of the books I read in this challenge, I picked up because she reviewed them and loved them. Through her blog I also found out about the Read-a-thon, so it's all good.

You should all check out her blog, she's funny and writes in a wonderful stream of consciousness way (which you'd think I'd hate, since I can't stand Modernist writing) and I'm in awe of her ability to stay up and read, especially considering she's pregnant.

Books read in the last hour and a half of Read-a-thon: 129
Pages read in total in the last 24 hours: 1332 (Wow, I'm impressed with myself)
Books completed: 3, all of them good!
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

Books partially completed: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (possibly the best of the lot)

Hours twelve, thirteen and thirteen and a half

Off to bed now, I think, having just finished Unclaimed. That's three for three I've read today that I enjoyed. Reviews to follow tomorrow.

If all goes according to my plan, I'll be getting up in time to read for at least another hour and a half tomorrow, as the Read-a-thon won't officially end until 2pm.

Pages read in the last 2,5 hours: 273
Pages read in total: 1203
Books completed so far:
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

The Eleventh Hour (See what I did there)

People who know my husband (or fans of Doctor Who) will get the double meaning of the title. At this stage of the Read-a-thon, I'm feeling a bit silly. Still, reading along at a cracking pace. 

Liking Unclaimed so far, and I'm especially intrigued as to why the heroine is so reluctant to be touched by anyone. An unusual quality in a romance heroine. The book still isn't grabbing me as much as Unveiled by the same author did, but I like it.

Pages read in the last hour: 85

Pages read in total: 930

Total books read so far: 2

Hour the tenth

Just finished chapter four of Unclaimed by Courtney Milan, which looks to be an interesting read. Took a little break to browse the internets, and make myself a snack of carrots and dip. It's amazing how much faster certain genres are to read, though.

Pages in the last hour: 75
Pages read in total: 845
Books finished: 2

Hours eight and nine

My, I have been doing a lot of reading. It feels wonderful, especially after not having had a lot of time to read in the last few months. Finally finished Snuff, with a few minutes to spare before the new hour.

Pages read in the last two hours: 159
Pages read in total: 774
Books finished: 2
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Just starting: Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

Hours six and seven

Still reading Snuff, enjoying it. Vimes books are nearly always ace, this is no exception. Seems Pratchett has decided to explore the lives of goblins in this one.

Had my dinner, should be able to press on with reading more quickly now, as I have fewer interruptions.

Pages read in the last two hours: 106
Pages read in total: 615
Books completed: 1
Chime by Franny Billingsley

Hour the fifth

Still reading Snuff. Still a bit distracted by husband being Batman. He's going to a friend's for the evening, though, leaving me alone in the flat with the E-reader. So I should get more reading done in the next hour.

Pages read in the last hour: 80
Total pages read: 509
Books read in total: 1

Now I'm going to go make my dinner, and read while the pasta boils.

Fourth hour

Reading Snuff, trying not to get distracted by my husband playing Arkham City. Book is good so far.

Pages read this hour: 61
Pages read in total: 429
Books read: 1

Read-a-thon: First three hours

So the third hour of Read-a-thon is almost over. I must, in all honesty confess, that I did my first three hours of reading from 10am to 1pm (or 10 to 13, for those who understand that sort of thing), because I had to go to the gym today and do my zumba class. Yeah, if you'd told Malin of a year ago that she'd actually schedule reading around EXERCISE she would have laughed disbelievingly at you. But Malin of this year is a new and healthier person. Besides, my Saturday zumba class is the only exercise I've ever found that I actually find fun, so I wasn't going to give up on it, but I also didn't want to miss out on 3 hours of reading. The three hours, obviously, to get to the gym, do an hour of exercise, shower, run to the shops to stock up on snacks, and make dip.

I've finished my first book, the delightful Chime by Franny Billingsley. I absolutely loved it. Full review of all the books I read today will follow, along with a few books I've read in the weeks previously. Yes, I'm behind on my blogging. That's nothing new.

I'm just about to start Snuff by Terry Pratchett.

Pages read so far: 368 pages
Books completed so far: 1

Coming next Saturday: Participating in Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-thon

While I know I still read a lot more than the average person (at least I'm frequently told that I do), I generally feel that since I started work again in August, I've had less time and energy to read, and this time last year, I'd read so much more. As my husband keeps pointing out that I should challenge myself more, I have decided to participate in a reading challenge - inspired by Raych on Books I Done Read (whose blog I love). Next Saturday, the 22nd of October, starting at 2pm (or 14:00, for those who use a 24 hour clock) I will take part in a 24 hour Read-a-thon, and devote as much of those 24 hours to reading as I can, while still not falling too far behind on sleep, as I do have work the following week, and can't really do all-nighters anymore without feeling seriously bad afterwards.

I'm in the process of compiling a list of books to read, and hoping to get through at least two or three in the assigned time, and still get some sleep in. I'm sure it comes as a surprise to no one that there will be fantasy and romance, we'll see what else catches my fancy.

Edited to add:

So far, I'm forcing myself to save these books until Saturday:
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Unclaimed by Courtney Milan
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (if I've been able to get it by then)

I doubt I'll be able to read more than five books, but if I do, it's not like I don't have a huge shelf full of books I've yet to read.

So watch this space, I will update as the challenge goes on.