{ARC Review } Talon by Julie Kagawa
Labels:
4 Stars,
ARC,
Book Review,
Fantasy,
Julie Kagawa,
Paranormal Romance
·
Series: Talon #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Published: 1st November 2014
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Source: eARC provided by HarlequinTeen for fair & honest review
Rating: 4/5
BLURB:
Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.
Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.
An Exciting New Series With Vibrant Characters & Intriguing Storyline!
REVIEW:
The story:
Talon is an exciting new series set in a world where Dragons are real. Ember and her twin brother Dante arrive in the small beach town for their final training mission before they are given their work placement by Talon. They must blend in and become part of the human world, which they do well at first. They both make friends and Ember starts to build a close relationship with the intense and quiet Garret. Little does she know he belongs to a group of Dragon Hunters, The Order of St George.
Things start to get even more complicated, when Ember meets a rogue dragon, Riley, who has shunned Talon's system to go on the run. At first Ember doesn't trust him, but as he reveals more secrets about the inner workings and corruption of Talon, Ember starts to question her future. With so many people out for Ember's blood, knowing who she can trust gets very complicated.
The characters:
Ember, is sweet and a little naive to the world she lives in. She wants freedom and a carefree Summer at the beach. It's not until later in the book, that she really starts to grow up and see the dangers around her. Her narrative voice was actually very realistic for a teenage girl. And I loved that when it came down to it, she knew how to defend and stand up for herself - very empowering.
Garret, is a quite and gentle guy of the surface, but underneath that, he's a dragon slayer. He's has always believed everything The Order of St George has told him about dragons…until he met Ember. While all his training tells him she must be a dragon who can't be trusted, he can't deny that she seems like a kind a caring girl, and his attraction towards her causes him to start questioning his beliefs.
Riley is a very confident character. He know what he wants and how to get it. For the first half of the book he is quite a mystery, but we do get to know him a bit better in the second half, and he is a very loyal person, and dedicated to protecting those around him. I can't wait to see more of him.
Dante, Ember's twin brother, is a confusing character. It's obvious he cares for Ember and wants to protect her. But he's also very dedicated to Talon. Sometimes I felt like he was completely blinded by that devotion, that he couldn't see what was right in front of him. I'm excited by the possibly of seeing more of him in the next book and hopefully watching him grow.
The romance:
Ember & Garret's relationship is really quite adorable. Neither have any experience with dating and they are both very hesitant to make the first move. Garret's doesn't understand his attraction to Ember, especially since she might be a dragon. And Ember is confused by her feeling for Garret, because she's always been taught that dragons don't feel human emotions. The big question, is there a love triangle? Well…sort of. While nothing really happens with Ember & Riley, it's clear that there is something between them. I'm guessing the next book is the series will explore their relationship further.
The writing:
While this book took a little while to get going for me, once it did it was excellent. It's told in dual 1st person POV of Ember & Garret. But about half way through, we start to get some chapters told from Riley's POV, which I really enjoyed. It gave the story a lot more depth to be able to hear the thoughts of all three main characters.
FINAL WORD:
Talon is an exciting new series with vibrant characters and intriguing storyline. The fantastic epilogue raises a lot of questions for the next instalment, and I simply can't wait! I'm curious if the next cover will be blue??
CONTENT:
Sexuality: mild / some kissing, minor passing references to sex
Violence: medium / some fight scenes, guns, shootings & references to murder
Language: medium / occasional f words
Drugs & alcohol: mild
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Can't wait to read Talon! I'll probably love the dragon aspects of the book. Also, Ember and Garret seem so cute and their characters sounds so interesting since they are basically opposites and shouldn't be together. I also heard that the book jacket of Talon feels like dragon scales. So cool and I can't wait to read my first book by Julie Kagawa!
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