Fiery handprints, mythical beasts, magical tattoos, wishes and teeth -- all these things have a major part to play in Laini Taylor's otherworldly, bittersweet "Daughter of Smoke and Bone." Her third full-length novel reads like a punky collaboration between Holly Black and Charles De Lint, sprinkling mysterious items and haunted characters across the world. 
 Blue-haired, tattooed art student Karou studying in Prague. But as if that didn't make her odd enough, she was raised by a pair of monstrous "chimeras" named Issa and Brimstone, who run a shop that buys teeth. And Karou is regularly sent (via magic portal) to various parts of the world to retrieve various kinds of teeth, from elephant tusks to human children's baby teeth. 
 But then winged strangers appear across the world, leaving scorched handprints on every doorway to Brimstone's shop -- and causing destruction for the chimeras. Soon Karou finds herself adrift in the world, being stalked by the mysterious Akiva -- but when she fights back, she learns of an ancient war that is still going on to this day. 
 While the book talks about "angels" and "demons," Laini Taylor really doesn't base her book on any kind of Judeo-Christian beliefs. She came up with her own fantastical mythology for this book -- we have beast-human chimeras, winged seraphim from some kind of celestial empire, beads made of wishes, and a girl whose origins are a mystery even to her. 
 And her prose is absolutely luscious, filled with sensual gestures and vivid imagery. Fire, feathers, eerie old buildings and otherworldly creatures, all of whom are dangerous and sad. Her descriptions of Prague alone (a city of puppets, alchemists and beautiful heartbreakers) are enough to sway you in, and while the first part of the book is shrouded in mystery, Taylor unfurls a velvety tapestry of bloody history as well. 
 The only problem is that the story ends way too abruptly -- the last chapter left me thinking, "Huh? What? That's where it ends? What NOW? WHAT?" 
 And she created a very unique pair of protagonists in Akiva and Karou. These are the anti-Bella Swan and anti-Edward Cullen -- she's a fierce, mysterious girl with loads of inner strength, while he is a lonely, powerful figure haunted by lost love. Issi and Brimstone are also fascinating characters, and it's a shame we do not see more of them. 
 "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" is a lush, tragic urban fantasy that crafts its own mythos, and has a solidly interesting heroine as well. Definitely a must-read for those tired of bad teen-girl/vampire romances.