Re-read 11/06/16

2 years later, my love has only grown AND JUST OHMYGOOOODD.

Okay I'm in the mood to review.

“Karou wished she could be the kind of girl who was complete unto herself, comfortable in solitude, serene. But she wasn't. She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if it might expand and... cancel her.

As a 17-year-old art student living in Prague, Karou leads a satisfactory life- on the outside. On the inside however, she is missing something, an unexplainable absence that makes her lonely and sometimes empty. Her long, blue hair, she claims, is completely natural, and she takes pride in her colourful tattoos that mark her body. Her ex would even claim that she has 3 scars the shape of bullet holes in her stomach and she would not deny it. She even tends to disappear for days on 'errands' as they were.

All Karou has ever known is Brimstone.

Karou thinks nothing of the magic and wishes that involve her work with Brimstone, a creature, a Chimaera of beast aspect. Along with Issa, Twiga, Yasri and Kishmish, they have been her family for as long as she can remember, in their dimension 'Elsewhere' as they thought it as.

There are secrets however, more than Karou would like as she knows so little about her reality.

“With the infinite patience of one who has learned to live broken, he awaited her return.”

Akiva comes from Eretz, a dimension apart from Earth where he comes to end the war that rages in his realm against the Chimaera. He is a Seraph, though not your typical 'bastard' as they came. His amber eyes symbolise a uniqueness that separates him from the rest of his 'brothers and sisters', seraphim bred for battle. They are unmistakable for the way they seem to blaze. Once, it was for hope and love but now there is only death, pain and vengeance.
He happens upon Karou on Earth and is struck with a sense of familiarity.

He knows he shouldn't, but he can't help the pull towards her.

“Was there any fate more bitter than to get what you long for most, when it's too late?”

A touch of destiny comes at a terrible time when all that has been done is irreversible.

Karou and Akiva fall for each other, in a way, that for Karou is inexplicable.

But Akiva knows the truth; and a terrible beauty it is.

He knows who Karou really is.

“Hope is the real magic, child.”

I actually remember reading the first page of this book 2 years ago, struck by the writing style. Immediately you can sense the magic and mystery that lurks in the city of Prague. Laini Taylor's writing style is like being carried away on a soft breeze into a world of dreams. All soft and flowy words with beautiful imagery and descriptions. I got so wonderfully lost, before the story had begun I was enchanted.

“The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century—or the twentieth or nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies.”

The story; like I mentioned as my 16-year-old self, I'm not a fan of novels involving 'angels' and such but for the few exceptions. But wow. This story I found incredible, the imagination of it all seemed to flow and it was just as if this realm existed. We were brought gradually into the workings of Eretz later on in the book but when we first meet Brimstone OH WELL HE IS A BEAST BUT THIS IS NORMAL HERE CAUSE THEY DO EXIST SO YEP.

I suppose with stories like these, fantasy and mythical, when you don't find yourself stopping to question the details, you know that the author has succeeded in drawing you in to their reasonable madness.

“She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair. She wasn't innocent now, but she didn't know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was most certainly missing.”

Karou Karou Karou. What a beautiful name for the central character. I love everything about Karou. I love her wittiness and prettiness, she is exquisite. She also shows strength and defiance, not only on her 'errands' but also when we see her out on her own. She can be dangerous, but not cruel which I really like about her.

Spoiler

“War is all we've been taught, but there are other ways to live. We can find them, Akiva. We can invent them. This is the beginning, here." She touched his chest and felt a rush of love for the heart that moved his blood, for his smooth skin and his scars and his unsoldierly tenderness. She took his hand and pressed it to her breast and said, "We are the beginning.”

MADRIGAL MADRIGAL MADRIGAL. Ohmygodstars. This part of the book was mesmerizing to read as we see the history of Karou's soul in her former life as Madrigal of the Kirin. Brought up in Loramendi, Eretz, Madrgial lived as an orphan. She was happy, she thought, growing up with a family who had taken her in. Though there was sadness in losing her kin, life went on as the ever-constant war continued against the seraphim. She was such a gorgeous character! Sweet and pure, but not just in that way.

Madrigal never knew true happiness. Until she fell in love with the enemy.

I was so in awe of her story with Akiva. Their love was so freaking beautiful and tragic, I fell so hard for them and all that they dreamed for but could not achieve.

“Everything lined up. It has been easy, as if it were meant-"

"Meant!" she said, amazed. She spun to face him, which, in the crush, brought her against his chest as if they were still dancing. She fought backward for space. As if what were meant?"

"You," he said. "And me.”.

“Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.”

Akiva Akiva Akiva, these beautiful names are so perfect. I love Akiva. Strong and brave, yet broken and vulnerable. I think we all have a thing for that, (sadly?). He spoke all the right lines which had me swooning but yet they were true to his character and all that had happened before.

“Oh, Hell. Must. Mate. Immediately.”

Zuzana must be mentioned. A friend of Karou, her only friend really, Zuzana is a feisty character full of charisma and badass charm and she adds a ton of humour. She's a good friend to Karou but she's not a pushover. Her loyalty is admirable as she faces the truth of Karou's hidden life.

“It's not like there's a law against flying."

"Yes there is. The law of gravity.”

Beautiful. This book was beautiful. I love everything about it.

“Love is a luxury."
"No. Love is an element."
An element. Like air to breathe, earth to stand on.”



05/07/14

This book was amazing, ESPECIALLY FOR AN ANGEL SERIES. It is soo beautifully written. I love the author's writing <3 Karou is such an interesting and mysterious character. I love the story because it's mystical and tragic and it's really gorgeous how it all comes together. This book is one of my favourite's in such a unique way. There are some really nice elements and I love the angel part of it because it fits in a practical way to the story.