Book Review: Talon

Title - Talon 

Author - Julie Kagawa

Series - Talon #1

Genre - YA Fantasy

Format - Hardcover

Published - October 28th 2014

Publisher - Harlequin Teen

(Goodreads)(Amazon)

Synopsis

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.

Review

Ember and her brother are dragons but unlike your typical dragons they have a human form. After sixteen years of training they at last have the chance to live among the humans they will spend the rest of their lives living with. That is if they can spend the next three months on the beach to work on assimilating in with the locals. If they are a success they will move on to training if they fail it’s back to training for reintroduction. The pair quickly fits in with the locals Ember falling in love with surfing it’s almost like flying which is against the rules. Ember and Dante aren’t the only ones going under cover Garret and Tristin are also on a mission to find and kill Talons sleeper dragon.

While each duo is on a mission it’s Ember and Garret who find in each other that special spark that their lives have been missing. Soldiers of St George and dragons are similar, they don’t form emotional attachments they don’t have fun, but and certainly don’t fall in love least of all with the enemy. However both Garret and Ember are different they found love while each keeping a secret that will everything if it gets out. Ember has a lot to deal with working hard to fit in with her human friends, training for Talon, and she’s even attracted the attention of a rogue dragon. What happens when the truth comes out? Will Garret still hunt Ember? Will Ember run off with the rogue?

I wasn’t sure about Ember but as the book progressed her fiery personality sparked and I was hooked. I really enjoyed reading Embers story as she grows from the unsure hatch ling into the might dragon who risks it all. I also liked how Garret went with his instincts following his heart giving into the chance to have fun and fall for Ember. We are also given a little insight into her brother Dante I have some love hate for. I’m a little nervous a love triangle might be developing but it’s kind of weird in a way but will have to see how it plays out.

I’ve had Talon sitting on the shelf for several months just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet but I needed too it’s been calling my name. I honestly had some pretty high expectations based on the reviews and everyone who’s read it and it doesn’t disappoint. This isn’t my first dragon vs slayer concept and I enjoyed the author’s unique spin on it. I love the idea of dragons being able to shift into humans and hide among them. The characters are well developed, I found it easy to connect with and for them to steal my heart. Talon is an action packed novel filled with romance, mystery, suspense and action right from the start I was drawn into the novel. I was captivated by Talon it’s an interesting story that I had a hard time putting down. This is my first novel by Julie Kagawa but I’ve become a quick fan of her work. Her writing style is smooth it flows from start to finish easily getting lost in the book. I honestly loved Ember she might be my favorite character of the year.