This is going to be one of those reviews that will be useless to you, because I will basically be giving you no information because SPOILERS (but also because trying to sum up my reaction to this book would explode my brain). So here’s my “review” of Dreams of Gods & Monsters, the third and final book in Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone series:
It was unexpected, but satisfying.
It was romantic, yet slightly cynical, but also fuck you, cynical, here’s some hopeful.
It was sexy, but also gross.
It had cool flying monster things that I want to adopt as pets, and it also had scary ass monster things that threaten to eat the entire universe.
It had people who were enemies becoming friends and people were friends becoming enemies. (That first thing is my favorite ever.)
Science! Religion! Fantasy! Magic! All intersecting!
The scope and possible ramifications of the story are postively ginormous, but the intimacy of the character’s experiences and emotions are intense and palpable.
It is written in beautiful (but not overblown) prose, but it also has a scary, interesting, and original plot. (I use that dreaded word ‘original’ because I honestly had no idea where the story was going half the time . . . and that never happens to me.)
It is technically young adult, but the only thing we would need to make it ‘adult’ is a little more sexual content and maybe some more swearing. But honestly, that is SO STUPID because ACTUAL CONTENT is a much better indicator than some stupid semantically trivial thing like number of swears.
Look, it’s just a good story.
And you should read it.
Not least because it’s a third book in a trilogy that is actually good. And not just good, but great. And not that I mean it’s great literature that will transcend the ages or anything (although, it might, you never know). But that it’s a true and satisfying ending to this series. And I honestly thought I’d sort of come to the conclusion those didn’t exist anymore.
I love you, Laini Taylor. Can we be best friends now?