Latest Read: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Here are the basics ...
Dreams of Gods & Monsters (DoSaB #3) by Laini Taylor
Publication date: Apr. 8, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Young Adult - Paranormal/Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Summary: In this thrilling conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Karou is still not ready to forgive Akiva for killing the only family she's ever known. When a brutal angel army trespasses into the human world, Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat--and against larger dangers that loom on the horizon. They begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves--maybe even toward love. From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera, and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. (Adapted amazon.com) 

[Non-spoilery but this is the third book in the series! Read my reviews of the previous books: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight]

The good

I don't even know where to start with this one. From the moment I began reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I was blown away by Laini Taylor's creativity, imagination and vivid characters. I always feel this way while reading her books and Dreams of Gods and Monsters, the final installment in this trilogy, was no exception. The story is a complicated one and it's been building with each book. Introducing new characters, new worlds. I'm not sure how to review this without spoiling anything so I'm just going to list out specific things that I loved.

Karou. She has come along way from being Brimstone's blue-haired girl, wanting wishes and hanging out with her best friend Zuzana. Then she was falling for Akiva, the seraph soldier who destroyed her family and finding out she was Madrigal, a chimaera in a past life and also in love with Akiva then. Then she became the resurrectionist for the White Wolf, fought back against him and took control of an entire chimera army with a lie. She's weary and burdened and struggling to keep everyone alive. What I love about her character is that she lets herself feel all these things but doesn't let it stop her from fighting and hoping. She still believes that the chimera and seraphs can co-exist. And she still believes there can be a future for her and Akiva.

Zuzana and Mik. I love these two so much. Like I said, because of Karou's many (many!) struggles, the tone of the book is pretty dark and at times, pretty disheartening. But Zu and Mik add so much love and light in every scene they're in. Not even the chimera and seraphs can ignore it. In the middle of all the chaos, Zu is there for Karou as her best friend and making it her mission to make Karou laugh, smile and keep on living.

Akiva and Karou. Obviously if you love these books, then you love these two together and the author certainly dragged out the tension between them. To the point where I started to feel like she was purposely torturing us with their heated looks, stolen touches and lack of kisses. I can't tell you how many times I wished I could reach into the book and shove these at each other! (Luckily, Zu felt the same way and gave them a couple much-needed pushes.)

(Super minor) reservations

Akiva's personal journey took an interesting turn and it's one I didn't expect at all. It provided a lot of necessary answers but it also dragged out the ending and took us away other people and relationships I felt more invested in. In spite of that, it still amazed that Taylor could throw in yet another layer of complexity and make it work.

Do I recommend?

I do! This is an amazing series and one I'll always recommend to fellow fantasy/paranormal lovers to read.

Happy reading!