Now, this is what I call a forbidden romance! The hype for this book was nearly unbelievable and after reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I have to say that the hype was good for the most part. :) 
 Laini Taylor has crafted a beautiful world involving angels, demons everything in between and the human world. There are immensely vivid descriptions of both Prague (where the story is set) and the underworld, so to speak. She has created such a beautiful world that readers will be able to really feel that they were there. 
 The characterizations were extremely realistic. I found myself really relating to Karou. As much as she immerses herself into the supernatural world, she is still very much a human in the sense that she just wants to belong somewhere. There were other characters that caught my attention as well, Issa (I think that's her name). She came across as a very motherly figure and I really liked how she was portrayed in the novel as well. 
 Akiva, he's the male lead here, and I like that while there was an instant attraction between him and Karou, it's just that. Their instant attraction seems to be only based on their physical attractiveness, but love doesn't blossomed until much, much later on. Their forbidden romance was well written and when the twist was finally revealed, (view spoiler)[about how Akiva killed all of her friends in retaliation (hide spoiler)], my heart nearly broke. It really shoves a wedge into their budding relationship and I can't wait to see how their relationship progresses, if it does. 
 I didn't see the reveal about Karou's identity coming (view spoiler)[though the part of her being Akiva's lover was really well-written and I really felt their love and I really hope they last (hide spoiler)], which is great, and the reasons for the scorched hand prints and teeth was really good as well - super excited for the sequel.