Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing in doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth has grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

The book I'm most anticipating in 2011 is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Ever since I read her book, Lips Touch Three Times, a collection of three stories about three different girls and the supernatural consequences of their first kiss, she easily became my favorite author. She spins pure magic with her words, and her "voice" reaches in to my very soul, speaking to the part of me that still believes in wishes and dreams and magic in a world where absolutely anything can happen.

Her blog has become a daily read for me because it's just as creative and fun as her stories. Some time ago she revealed the cover of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It was underwhelming. I know the story that awaits inside is what's really important, so I'll buy the book no matter what. But what of the readers that have never read the author, experienced her world building, read words so tasty you want to devour the entire book in one sitting? Would they pick up this cover?

To me, the overlay of the bird detracts from the girl, and the colors don't blend.

We'll never know the answer because Little Brown decided to create a new cover, and it's awesome and beautiful and mysterious, and matched with the intriguing title, the novel beckons to readers "There's something you must know..."

On Taylor's blog she posted about her experiences while writing Daughter, and vicariously tagging along on her journey has been fun. I love to see nice people succeed, and the author, her hubby artist Jim Di Bartolo, seem to be fun, down to earth, nice, normal folks.

Imagine being Laini Taylor for a moment, and walking into BEA and seeing a huge banner of your book hung over the door?

Amazing.

Check out Reading Rants review of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I've already pre-ordered my copy, but the wait has never seemed so long. I'll be ordering it on my kindle as well so I can get it the instant it's released!

Check out Frankie Writes for your chance to win an ARC for Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Check out Cindy Pon's blog for a chance to win an ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma