Karou, known for her incredible creativity in her artwork and her wry smile that never reveals the truth has had an unusual upbringing. The characters in her sketchbooks– chimeras and angels– are at war, and have been for centuries, in a supernatural world parallel to planet earth. And the most important factor? They’re real.

As exciting as the plot itself is, the way that author Lainie Taylor is able to craft her words is the real treasure here.  Her way with words makes the story both unique and extravagant. Readers with a full vocabulary will find words even they don’t recognize. The writing is so profound that people will find themselves pausing in their reading simply to admire the syntax. It is so full of eloquent phrases and interesting quotes– it’s unlike anything readers have ever read. Taylor avoids cliches like the plague, choosing instead to craft phrases into masterful demonstrations of the English language.

On the other hand though the storyline dragged. At least 75% of the book is spent building up to the last 25%, making the last quarter of the story seem rushed and undeveloped. Taylor has really fantastic ideas, but it just seems like she spent so long writing the first three quarters of the book that she forgot she had to write an ending.

But what readers will find most fascinating is the story line. Taylor presents worlds outside of our own that are at war. These two civilizations have been feuding for so long that neither even recall the reasons for starting in the first place. Taylor touches on several issues that are predominant in today’s society, including underlying themes of life in a warzone, the afterlife, death and several references to mythology.

The characters were perhaps a bit more distant and untouchable, but they were still enjoyable to read about.The main character, Karou, should be the most relatable character, as she is the narrator. However, she was just so fantastical, that her struggles with her love life and family become foreign and unfamiliar. The other characters, like Akiva and Brimstone are not anymore relatable than her. This book is definitely more focused on plot than on characters and their development.

Readers will enjoy this book if they also enjoyed The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare, or Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Recommended?: Sure.