Well. I finished the book. The entire book had me on my toes. The thing with Ziri broke my heart and seeing him trying to make peace with being the Wolf, Ah! Anyways. This is definitely a great book and filled with so many amazing characters. I don't want to spoil anyone but I have to say, READ IT!
Let's start with the new character, Eliza. I completely understand her importance in this book and as the book progressed, I understood her importance and came to enjoy reading her chapters but initially, it just felt like she providing a damper on our favorite characters. I felt awful for what she went through as a child. Can you imagine the kind of situation where everyone you know thinks of you as a prophetic child and not treat you as a person? I wasn't surprised when she turned out to be an angel. I liked that her story gradually weaved into the story we knew and how it unveiled and connected to Razgut's story. We learned about the Faerers and their purpose. It was an interesting tale and brought a new depth to the story.
One of my absolute favorite characters was Ziri. You could see how he suffered in Thiago's body but he had to do so for Karou. Poor Ziri. He loved Karou and she couldn't even look at him in Thiago's body, even though she did it for him! His presence throughout the book was appreciated and I loved reading every scene that involved him and I loved him and Liraz! To be honest, when he died in the end, I was relieved. I was even more relieved when Liraz saved his body.
Initially, Liraz obviously hates him, considering he is the Wolf but you can see their relationship develop as they get to know each other. I was glad when she found out Ziri was Ziri and not Thiago. I was elated when she saved his life like he saved hers. Hazael's death is a major factor in Liraz's development and I found myself missing him throughout the book.
Finally, the main event. Karou and Akiva. We see the heartbreak in Akiva's eyes as he bears witness to Karou being civil towards Thiago, or as we know Ziri. It took some time for him to find out the truth and the story between them progresses at a steady pace. We learn more about Akiva's past and about his mother. We learn about her heritage. Finding out Akiva was a Magus wasn't surprising after seeing what he could do but I felt like the ending was kind of rushed. He somehow managed to tip the balance that kept the world safe and the Stelians came after him. Just as he and Karou finally found peace together, they had to be separated because of earth shattering reason.
I love that Karou took charge to save her people and I found that the way her character developed was phenomenal. She finally took up Brimstone's mantel and worked on saving the souls she could.
I was glad we got the epilogue because it offered us some closure to the story but I still feel there can be more because quite a few of these storylines can still be continued.
Either way, I loved this book and this story and Laini Taylor's work is phenomenal!
Daughter of Smoke and Bones
Dreams of Gods and Monsters
