Lainey Taylor is one of the best writers of this generation. Days of Blood & Starlight (and the entirety of her work) is an incredible work of fiction.

YA novel involving a teenager who you discover is a little more than human. Follow a tale of betrayal and romance involving angels and devil. This story of redemption and hope is sure to draw you in. This is the second book of a series.

I LOVED book one, and book two did not disappoint. There were parts where it dragged only slightly, but that is a common problem for second books (readers who did not read the first book have to be kept up to speed, so there can be lengthy descriptions or conversations where long-time fans don't feel the need). I love young people saving the world stories, I love young people finding love stories, and I love monsters, especially when there are a few humans scattered in who have to make do. This was a great read!

I did like this but this fell victim to the sequel/middle book problem: if you started the book not having read the first one, you were lost for a while, and this so clearly sets up Book Three and thus has unnecessary padding. And an unnecessary love triangle.

Having said that, Karou's dilemma (saving her people vs the dream of peace she/Madrigal and Akiva had) is nicely drawn. Taking over for Brimstone gives her some status, but then there's the whole "being in love with Akiva" issue for her to have to overcome. Akiva's role as Beast's Bane and his relationships with his siblings and Jael are also well written. There were a few plot twists that I didn't anticipate, but overall this was definitely a middle novel.