This is a list of all the characters in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone novel series by Laini Taylor. Due to the large number of characters that appear over the course of the story, the list is divided by species with the exception of major characters (chimaera, seraphim, or human), along with the respective novel they have appeared in: Daughter of Smoke and Bone or Days of Blood and Starlight.
Major characters Karou: Karou is a seventeen-year-old Prague art student who speaks a variety of languages, has three bullet wounds on her stomach, and has blue hair that grows from her head. In Daughter of Smoke and Bone, she runs tasks for her foster father Brimstone by gathering the teeth of various creatures, including humans, and draws pictures of her chimaera guardians in her sketchbook. When she is in Marrakesh on a task, Akiva, a seraph, is about to kill her when he recognizes that she is truly Madrigal reborn. When Madrigal was killed, Brimstone gleaned her soul and made a new body out of a string of human baby teeth, creating the body of a human infant that he then raised as Karou. In the chimaera language, the word "karou" means "hope". In Days of Blood and Starlight, with Brimstone dead, Karou works for Thiago as the resurrectionist, as she is the only one left who truly knew the task.
Zuzana: Zuzana is described by Karou as being like a rabid, tiny fairy in appearance. She is Karou's best friend in Karou's human form and Mik's girlfriend. She and Mik have a puppet act, but it is failing now as Zuzana lacks the patience to keep it up much longer. Karou often kept her secret errands from Zuzana, but after witnessing the death of Kishmish, Zuzana learned everything. In Days of Blood and Starlight, Karou sends Zuzana an e-mail that the latter takes to mean as a code for rescuing, but it is only when she gets to the chimaera hideout that she learns Karou never wanted to be rescued. First appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Brimstone: Brimstone is a chimaera with a ram's head, lion haunches, raptor feet, and reptilian eyes, with the rest being like a man's. He runs an otherworldly shop in which hunters and graverobbers give him teeth for wishes, although there are certain requirements for the teeth so that they can be used to create a proper body for resurrection. Having raised her from infancy, Brimstone is the closest thing to a father figure that Karou knows. When Madrigal was executed by Thiago, Brimstone gleaned her soul and fashioned her a new body of a human infant so that he could raise her. Joram personally kills Brimstone and so Karou has to take over the resurrection trade. First appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone and appears in flashbacks in Days of Blood and Starlight.
Akiva: Akiva is a seraph and member of the Misbegotten, or the illegitimate sons and daughters of Emperor Joram. He is known among his people as "Beast's Bane" because of the amount of chimaera that he has killed. Madrigal helped him so that he did not die from an injury after a battle, and he came to love her. The two met in the temple of Ellai every night until Thiago found out and had Madrigal executed. When he spies Karou in Marrakesh, Akiva is about to kill her when she turns around and he sees in her eyes that she is truly Madrigal. In Days of Blood and Starlight, he kills his father Joram to help achieve the goal that he and Madrigal strove for. Due to his mother's Stelian ancestry, he has an unusually large amount of magic for a seraph. To stop Jael's army from hatching their evil plot, he plans to burn all portals from Eretz to the human world, but is too late. First appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Thiago: Thiago is a chimaera with wolf haunches and clawed fingernails, although he was originally stag-headed like his father. The son of the Warlord, he took over the chimaera cause when his father was killed. His gonfalon was a wolf's head with the words "Victory and vengeance" underneath. Thiago has just received from Brimstone when Karou first stumbles across the space underneath Brimstone's shop, and Karou accidentally disturbs him. He goes to attack her, but Brimstone saves Karou. Madrigal was originally his suitor, and when he found her with Akiva in the temple of Ellai, he had her executed. In Days of Blood and Starlight, Thiago has appointed Karou as the new resurrectionist and the two act as the Warlord and Brimstone. Thiago makes several advances on her, but she rejects them. He tries to rape her in the pit after killing Amzallag, Tangris, and Bashees, but Karou kills him and moves Ziri's soul to his body to make it look as if nothing had happened.
Ten: Ten is a wolf-type chimaera that works personally for Thiago. In Days of Blood and Starlight, Ten is in charge with looking after Karou to make sure that she doesn't escape. Ten shows enthusiasm in this and wishes to begin resurrection work herself, although Karou denies her this right. When Bast says that Amzallag and the Shadows That Live were killed by Thiago, Karou runs into Ten on the way to the pit and gets attacked. However, Issa manages to overcome Ten and transfers her body to Haxaya's soul so that the fox-type chimaera can keep up a disguise so as not to arouse suspicion.
Ziri: Ziri is described as being Madrigal's "little Kirin shadow", and was madly in love with her. Like Madrigal, he was Kirin (see Madrigal, below) and ended up being the last of his species to occupy his natural flesh. When Madrigal was beheaded, he is said to be the only chimaera who never cheered. After Karou came back and her true identity was discovered, he was forbidden from contact with her. However, when his party (led by Balieros) disobeyed orders and went to the Hintermost to save their people, he was the only survivor and managed to glean the souls of the others. The angels attacked him and he was badly hurt, so Karou healed him so that he could remain pure. After the death of Thiago, Ziri occupied the body of Thiago as Haxaya occupied the body of Ten to carry on the charade. First appears in Days of Blood and Starlight.
Chimaera Issa: Issa is one of the Naja chimaera, meaning that she has a snake tail, the hood and fangs of a cobra, and clothes herself with snakes. She raised Karou, sharing the job with Yasri, and was believed to be killed with Brimstone and the others. However, Brimstone and Twiga killed her and Yasri and gleaned their souls, hiding them in different places. Issa's thurible went with Akiva, who gave it to Karou so as to resurrect the Naja. At first, Thiago is hesitant to allow Issa to remain there, as Naja do not have the wings that are needed by the chimaera army, but Karou talks him into keeping her, as she has resurrection experience. First appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Twiga: Twiga is one of Brimstone's assistants. He has a giraffe neck and spends the majority of his time cleaning teeth and banding the teeth together with silver for Brimstone's work. When Brimstone is to be killed, he requests that Issa, Twiga, and Yasri give up their bodies so that their souls can be gleaned and sent back to Karou. Twiga, however, refuses to leave his master behind and chooses instead to die with him. First appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Yasri: Yasri is Brimstone's cook. She has a parrot beak, but the rest appears to be human. In Days of Blood and Starlight, Issa tells Karou that Yasri raised her as much as the Naja did. She was believed to be killed with Brimstone and the others. However, Brimstone and Twiga killed her and Issa and gleaned their souls, hiding them in different places. Yasri's thurible awaits for Karou to regain in the rubble of the temple of Ellai where Madrigal and Akiva met every night. First appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Kishmish: Kishmish acted as Brimstone's messenger to Karou, sending her a note every time he wanted her to go on a mission for teeth. He is described as being like a crow with bat wings and a forked tongue. In the middle of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Kishmish comes flying in at top speed on fire with his last note from Brimstone, requesting help. He dies in front of Zuzana as well as in front of Karou, so Karou is required to explain everything about the chimaera to Zuzana.
Madrigal: Madrigal was Karou's original form. She was of the Kirin species, meaning that she has large bat wings on her back, gazelle horns, and gazelle-furred legs with hooves from the knee down. She was sought out by Thiago for being "pure", meaning that she had never been resurrected, although her true love lied with Akiva. Thiago found Madrigal and Akiva in the temple of Ellai and had Madrigal beheaded in a public display. After the event, Brimstone gleaned her soul and made her new body on a string of human baby teeth, meaning that she was reborn as a baby and raised by Brimstone. Karou's memories of Madrigal are in both Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight.
The Warlord: The Warlord appeared briefly in flashbacks in Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight. The father of Thiago, he was established as the leader of the chimaera resistance during the war. He has the head of a stag but is otherwise human, and is still in his natural body. A thousand years ago he ignited the revolution of the chimaera in a brutal slave revolt. His gonfalon was stag antlers with leaves growing from them, symbolizing new growth. After the siege of Loramendi, The Warlord was personally killed by the emperor of the seraphim, Joram, and Thiago took over as the leader of the chimaera.
Chiro: Chiro was Madrigal's foster sister, as her family took in Madrigal when she was orphaned. Chiro is a member of the Sab tribe of chimaera, meaning that they possess a jackal head, caracal haunches, and bat wings. She has a deep envy of her foster sister for being mostly human. When Chiro was killed in battle and Madrigal resurrected her to be exactly the way she was before, Chiro lashed out at Madrigal for keeping the jackal head. She first appears in Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Amzallag: Amzallag was one of Karou's first resurrections, filled with iron filings for strength and size. He is happy with his body and carries on. When Karou reveals the truth of the cathedral where the souls of the women and children are kept, Amzallag begs Thiago to take them there and glean the souls so that he may see his family again. Thiago denies him this and later kills him at the pit. Karou manages to glean his soul, however, before it is too late. He first appears in Days of Blood and Starlight.
Sveva: Sveva is the younger sister of Sarazal. She is of the Dama species of centaurid, based on the fallow deer. She believes herself to be the fastest chimaera alive, as she is the fastest Dama, and they are the fastest species of chimaera. She helps her older sister escape slavery and makes friends with the Dashnag boy Rath. First appears in Days of Blood and Starlight.
Sarazal: Sarazal is the older sister of Sveva and is therefore of the Dama species as well. When she and Sveva are on the run, she gets an infection in her leg from chains being too tight, and Rath carries her while unconscious. When she wakes up in a Caprine village and sees his head, she lets out a scream that gives away their location. Akiva pretends, however, that the scream was just a bird and saves them. First appears in Days of Blood and Starlight.
Rath: Rath is a Dashnag chimaera, meaning that he has the head of a saber-toothed tiger. He is an escaped slave that makes friends with Sveva and Sarazal when they are all slaves. When the three manage to escape, Rath meets up with the two Dama and offers to carry Sarazal so that they can make better progress. When Sarazal wakes up in a Caprine village, the first thing she sees is Rath's face. Terrified, she lets out a piercing scream. First appears in Days of Blood and Starlight.