Days of Blood and Starlight: The Sunday Times Bestseller. Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy Book 2

The world, once glimpsed through the vibrant hues of Prague and the whispered magic of hidden doorways, has now fractured, revealing its brutal, war-torn core. Karou, the blue-haired art student, has shed her human guise and embraced her true identity as Madrigal, a chimera, but the truth of her past love and its devastating consequences weigh heavily. The angel Akiva, once her forbidden lover, now stands as the architect of her people's near-annihilation, a betrayal that has scorched her heart. She finds herself in the desolate lands of Eretz, among the scattered remnants of the chimera, where the air itself tastes of dust and the bitter tang of vengeance.

With Brimstone gone, Karou becomes the sole resurrectionist, wielding the macabre art of bringing the dead back to life. It is a grim task, reassembling bodies from teeth and souls, each act a desperate defiance against extinction. She works under the watchful, possessive eye of Thiago, the White Wolf, a former suitor and a cruel leader who demands an army of winged, stronger, faster chimera. Karou's creations are born for war, each new life a testament to a conflict she desperately wants to end, yet is forced to perpetuate. The cost of these resurrections is immense, both for her soul and for the very fabric of hope.

Meanwhile, Akiva, haunted by his role in the massacre of Loramendi and believing Karou dead, grapples with an unbearable grief and a desperate need for redemption. He and his half-siblings, Hazael and Liraz, find themselves caught in the machinations of the seraphim empire, battling not just the chimera but also the ruthless politics within their own ranks. Akiva yearns for a different path, a way to forge peace in a world that has known nothing but centuries of bloodshed. He begins to secretly aid chimera, a dangerous act of treason against his own kind, all while a flicker of hope remains that Karou might somehow still live.

As Karou toils, her human friends, Zuzana and Mik, refuse to let her vanish. Their love and unwavering loyalty drive them to follow her across worlds, decoding her cryptic messages, and eventually finding their way to the hidden chimera stronghold. Their presence brings a fragile light into the encroaching darkness, a reminder of the life Karou left behind and the possibility of something beyond the endless war. Yet, even their arrival cannot fully alleviate the burden of Karou's choices, as she navigates Thiago's increasing possessiveness and the constant threat of seraphim raids.

The war escalates, a maelstrom of blood and fire. Akiva, in his quest for a different future, commits the ultimate act of defiance, assassinating his own father, Emperor Joram, in a desperate bid to dismantle the seraphim's war machine and open a path to peace. But his uncle, the ruthless Jael, seizes power, twisting the narrative to portray the chimera as unholy devils and preparing to unleash a new, more insidious form of war upon the human world.

In the brutal climax, loyalties are tested, and devastating sacrifices are made. Hazael, Akiva's beloved brother, falls in battle, a crushing blow that shatters Akiva's world. Karou, pushed to her breaking point by Thiago's cruelty and tyranny, finally confronts him, ending his reign in a violent, desperate act. As the dust settles, a fragile, unexpected reunion occurs between Karou and Akiva, born from shared loss and an enduring, impossible love. But the war is far from over, and with Jael's ominous plans for the human world, the path to peace remains shrouded in uncertainty, demanding even greater courage and unforeseen alliances.