Daughter of Smoke and Bone/Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor; young adult; 432 pages

I spent about ten minutes trying to come up with a way of describing the plot of this book that won't give away too much, but I can't. In fact, in reading over the publisher's description, I'm going to suggest you skip that too, and just start reading. This is a fantastic book, with a gripping story and a fantastic world. Taylor's writing style is lush and vivid--whether she's describing exotic locales (the book jumps from Prague, to Marrakesh, to Paris and more), or the eerie and beautiful art that the main character creates (if this ever gets made into a film, Dave McKean and Guillermo de Toro should work on it). I LOVED this book, and was disappointed when it ended too soon. However, there will certainly be a sequel, and I'll be eagerly awaiting it!