A World of Reviews

I have no idea how to do this book justice with a review. It was so perfect, and I really loved it. It was such an enchanting book that held my attention, and by the time I finished it I needed more. It’s one of those books that quietly creeps up on you so that you end completely in love with it.

I really love the cover of this book. The US one is nice (and I now understand how it fits into the story), but I think this one really portrays the book. A mysterious half-open door and an intriguing hand print really set the atmosphere for this book. I really love the swirly title, as well as the colour scheme.

The plot in this book was so gripping, although I wasn't sure where it was going to start with. I felt a little lost at the beginning, but the story slowly and subtly begins to reveal itself. It starts to enchant you and draw you into this fantastic world, and it’s so clever how the story begins to unwind. It appears bit by bit, and I loved being able to try and figure out what might happen from the little hints in the book.

The characters totally blew me away. There’s such a variety, and they’re all so unique. To start with, Karou is such an interesting character. She isn’t a girl who hasn’t had life experiences – she’s traveled a lot, she’s had a boyfriend, and she also has a mysterious past. I loved the sense of mystery that surrounded her because she didn’t really know who she was and so her journey to discover the truth was amazing to read. I also fell in love with Akiva as I discovered more about his character and his past. The growing relationship between him and Karou was wonderful, and it was such a nice development which definitely wasn’t insta-love.

The secondary characters were great too. Zazume and Mik were so adorable and perfect. I loved seeing them being happy together, and Zazume herself was such a lovely character. I love that she sticks by Karous through everything, and that the events in Karou’s life don’t effect their friendship too much. The chimera were also brilliant additions to the story – I loved Brimstone and Issa, and the way they impacted on Karou’s life.

Every time a description appeared in this book, I devoured it. The way the world is described is so enchanting, and the style used in the book is so reminiscent of a fairy tale. I fell in love with the world that Laini Taylor created, and I also fell in love with the Karou’s Prague. I also thought that the style in the book was so haunting, especially by the end of the book.

There were lots of little details that I really liked too. The wishing beads were a nice addition to the story, and I really liked how magic worked in the book. I also loved the whole aspect of the doors that Karou used to travel the world, and the descriptions that came from this really worked. To start with, I wasn’t sure if I liked the time jumps from section to section. It was a little confusing the first couple of times because I really wasn’t expecting it. However, I loved the little “mini-story-things” at the beginning of each chapter and how it related to that part of the story. I also loved the parts where the story went back into the past, and those parts were so magical to read.

I adored this book. It was beautifully written and I fell in love with the characters, the story and the world. I’d recommend this to pretty much anyone, especially if you like fantasy, angels, magic and Europe.

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