Dreams of Gods & Monsters

From Goodreads:    Two worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera's rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her.

When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited - not in love, but in a tentative alliance against their common enemy. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves.

But with even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Akiva strong enough to stand among the gods and monsters?

The New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion as - from the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond - humans, chimaera, and seraphim strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

My Thoughts:

-    I'm not a fan of this series. I was really excited after the first book, but I just didn't like the other two books. 

-    The chapters on Eliza were so pointless. What was her purpose? The Stelians were not needed. We didn't need another enemy. It just made the book WAY too long and slow and boring. I would have been happy with the book ending at chapter 74, but because of the Stelians, the book went on and on and on.

-    I got so tired of Akiva and Karou admiring each other and drooling over each other. Ugh! They are gorgeous! I get it! Move on! How about they get to know each other a bit? Their relationship is stupid, and I was never a fan.

-    The descriptions get really repetitive. They got all wordy, and then the same passage was repeated with more wordy descriptions, and I just got frustrated. So much of this book could have been chopped.

-    I felt like this series would never end, and I was so relieved once I finished. I wanted to quit several times, but I pushed through. 

Previous Books

(covers are linked)

 

Days of Blood & Starlight

From Goodreads:    Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

My Thoughts:

-    I have mixed feelings about this one, but they are mostly negative. 

-    I loved the world building. The Angels and Chimaera are awesome.

-    The writing is good and kept me interested, but the story is pretty slow. It wasn't too bad, but it still felt slow.

-    I would say this book is for older teens and adults. There are some graphic and brutal scenes, and there are a lot of dark themes. 

-    There are too many characters, and a lot of them aren't needed. The two deer girls were really useless. Why do we care about these characters? Do they have a future role to play? Do we really need Zuzana and Nick?

-    I'm still not on board with Akiva and Karou's relationship. I've grown more against it. Akiva is a boob. He needs to man up. I'm so sick of him crying. Karou needs a swift kick in the butt.

-    When I finished the book, I felt sad and depressed, and not in a good way. I'm not super excited for the last book. I felt awful, and I needed something happy and fluffy after this read.

Previous Book

(covers are linked)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Goodreads Synopsis:    Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My Thoughts:

-    I feel like I'm the last person to read this series, but I'm finally doing it!

-    The whole book was setting up the last 100 pages. It was worth all the build up. Wow!

-    I loved the Gothic world that was created. I want to live in that town.

-    I didn't connect with the characters until the last little bit. Karou grew on me, and I felt so sad for her and her situation. Akiva bugs me a little. I was weirded out when he fell to his knees and cried like a baby. It really ruined his image. I feel really bad for the characters. They endured a lot, and it sucked. My heart cries for Brimstone! He is my favorite. 

-    The ending is killer! What happened? What is going to happen? AH!

-    I'm not completely on board with Karou and Akiva's relationship. I didn't like the insta-love. I feel like their whole relationship is more lust than love. I'm hoping their relationship deepens more in next book.