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?
Lovely review. I totally agree with all your thoughts, and felt pretty flaily when I finished reading the book too. I’m so glad that it didn’t end with disappointment, because I love these books so much.
I JUST started this, this morning. I didn’t love the second but everyone seems very enthusiastic about D&M so I have high expectations!
I’m going to get myself red carded for this but, it’s a solid 3-star for me. I won’t be writing that 3-star review because I adore Laini Taylor so. I think she aimed high with this series but missed by a significant margin. And yes – I know I’m in the minority with this opinion.
Everything you and Malin wrote is 100% correct – she creates robust and unexpected worlds filled with beauty and anguish. Her writing is fluid, romantic, evocative, but never overblown. She writes romantic ache so vividly that it lingers with you. All great stuff.
But…there are serious issues with pacing and repetition here. This is also an issue with Blood and Starlight where the “war is hell and there are no winners” drum is pounded again and again. Easily the first third of Gods & Monsters continues to linger on this point. Eventually the action does pick up building to big third act finale, which never emerges in a satisfying way. Certain villains that have been creeping about since book #1 fail to do anything fabulously villainous. And the resolution to the primary conflict that drives most of this book is fairly ludicrous.
Characters were created (I’m talking about you Eliza) that were entirely unnecessary. The book would have worked just as well if she didn’t exist and her entire convoluted backstory was left out. Meanwhile Esther was entirely wasted. Razgut had such potential but was underused. And I would argue that the story actually ended a solid 100 pages before the book wrapped up.
Laini is an incredible creative talent but the character arcs and pacing need work. I’ll definitely buy whatever she comes out with next. But with a bit of aggressive editing this could have been a magnificent 2-book series instead of a redundant overstuffed trilogy.