ARC Review--Talon by Julie Kagawa

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.

I received this ARC from a fellow blogger who attended BEA, I was in no way compensated for this review.


Here there be dragons! Julie Kagawa's Talon is the first in her epic new series featuring, you guessed it, dragons! (and the Order of St. George, aka dragon killers).

This promises to be a truly amazing series, Hollywood has already optioned it for film and if they're smart, they'll make it happen because this book was really, truly freaking incredible! I have loved pretty much everything Julie has written and Talon proves no different.

Ember and her twin brother, Dante, are rare in the Talon society because twins are basically an anomaly. They are being let out of their "keep" to come and study human society and basically learn to assimilate.

All too soon we meet Garret, a member of the Order of St. George, dedicated to hunt and eradicate dragons. No one really knows how all this animosity started, it's just the way of things. At first, Garret isn't sure if Ember is a dragon or not, the fact that she has a twin throws him off. In order to learn the truth he has to get closer to her.

Then there's Riley, a rogue dragon who's basically wanted for leaving the Talon. But Ember soon learns that the Talon are keeping secrets from her and her brother. That they have their own agenda.

I'm not really surprised that I loved this one! Julie is just an incredibly talented author who only continues to amaze and entertain me (and sometimes torture me with evil cliffhangers!). Talon was a truly exciting and enjoyable read. I loved every minute of it! The pacing was good. Granted, we don't really know where the story is headed right away, but there is a kind of mystery or intrigue that builds up, so it makes it quite the thrilling read.

I'm sure you noticed we have two guys and a girl. But surprisingly, for now, it doesn't really ring as a love triangle. Ember has a clear choice in mind even though we readers see the folly in it. And the other "choice" hasn't really any ground for the moment. He didn't make much of an effort for the first half of the book basically. There's definitely tension and connections going on, but Ember's heart has clearly made a choice and she doesn't want to be the kind of girl with two guys after her. Of course things are bound to get complicated as we move along in the series and her choice may not be as final as we think.

I also liked that we got Ember and Garret's point of view. It definitely gives you more insight to Garret when we believe him to be the enemy. And we get to see some major character growth with both these people. And add in Riley in part two and we definitely learn a lot more about him. He's still got a bit of mystery going on about him but I am eager to see what we learn in the next one!

Talon was quite action-packed towards the end, leaving you kind of breathless with anticipation. The ending itself definitely leaves you craving for more, but I can at least happily say that you won't be screaming in agony *coughsTheIronTraitorcoughs*. But who's to say what Julie will do to use in book 2! I definitely can't wait for more in this series because it's bound to be amazing! Julie Kagawa has done it again, first with the Fey, then vampires and now dragons! There's nothing this author can't do that won't be incredibly epic!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


Talon releases October 28, 2014