Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I love fantasy that is lyrical and well-written and haunting. Laini Taylor's latest book was all those things.

I take a while to read anything that has too much hype. I remember hesitating with Harry Potter in high school because so many people recommended it. Then I read the first book--and bought books four to seven at midnight sales. Twilight I heard about from my students while I was pregnant with my firstborn. I read the first book in Barnes and Noble--and liked it enough to buy the second as well. I'm omnivorous with my reading: I love Middlemarch and Edmund Spenser and Sandman graphic novels and, of course, young adult fantasy. I can see problems with books (like Twilight) and still enjoy them. I'm excited when I find a new author I like.

So I've decided that maybe I should listen to hype.

I like The Hunger Games. I love Discworld. I've read everything by Neil Gaiman. And now, with Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I've realized that if I hear a book is wonderful and magical and stunningly well-written, I should check it out.It's possible I won't enjoy it (the House of Night novels come to mind), but I always learn something about myself as a reader (and a writer).

So yay. Read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, if you can. And tell me if you want to hype any book. Because I'll believe you now, and I'll find it, and I'll read it, and maybe, just maybe, I'll fall in love again.