YA Urban Fantasy Review: Talon by Julie Kagawa

Talon by Julie Kagawa (Talon #1) 


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Synopsis from Goodreads

THE DRAGONS OF TALON: Once hunted nearly to extinction, they are now poised to take over the world. 

THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE: The legendary dragonslayers will stop at nothing to wipe dragons from the face of the earth. 

These mortal enemies are locked in secret and deadly combat, with humanity none the wiser. 

To take her rightful place in the Talon organization, young dragon Ember Hill must prove she can hide her true nature and blend in with humans. Her delight at the prospect of a summer of "normal" teen experiences is short-lived, however, once she discovers that she's also expected to train for her destined career in Talon. But a chance meeting with a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. 

As Ember struggles to accept her future, St. George soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian is tasked with hunting her down. But when faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything the Order has ingrained in him—and what he might be willing to give up to uncover the truth about dragons.

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7.5/10

It's been a while since I read Julie Kagawa, and frankly, I forgot how much I liked her writing style. Thank you, Audible membership which included this whole series in its Plus catalog. Listening to it has been a treat.

This is a perfect light YA urban fantasy with the right amount of action versus angst and with a dash of interesting world-building. Don't expect anything complex, the world-building is pretty simplistic, but it does not detract from the enjoyment as this is a fairly dynamic plot.

Ember and Dante are two dragon siblings from the same hatch taken to California for a test to see how well they can blend in with people. Their behavior will affect where they will be placed in Talon as there are a variety of positions and they are strictly adhered to.

However, Talon Is not what they think it is, and Ember who chafes at its restrictions and the training which she is going through starts questioning her future and rebelling against the rules.

Two people affect her behavior and choices: one is the mysterious Rogue dragon who promises her to reveal the truth about Talon and to whom her own dragon feels a strong pull. Another is a human boy, Garett, for whom her human shape also feels strongly. Each male has his own agenda, and the human might be more dangerous for her, than the dragon.

This book was fun, peeps. I was down with Ember, she was free-spirited and willful, and fiery. But surprisingly, I also liked both male characters. 

Talon was a book preparing the stage for the main action, and its ending delivered enough for me to want to jump into the second book straight away.

There was a couple of things I did not enjoy, though. First of all, both Ember and Dante are teens, and they hardly use social media. That was not very believable for someone who wanted to blend in. Another thing is that secondary characters are just there as props, there are no personalities in them, even in Dante. I hope this will improve in later books. Overall, this is a fun romp. Recommended for the teen in you.

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Я так давно читала Кагаву, что уже забыла как она мне нравится, ребята. Талон - отличное, лёгкое подростковое городское фэнтези с хорошим балансом экшна и ангста и рудиментарным построением мира, поэтому оно слушается динамично и не напрягает.

Эмбер и Данте - подростки драконы, которых организация Талон посылает на лето в Калифорнию, чтобы они прошли тест  ассимиляции с людьми и показали,  на какие должности их потом можно поставить и какую тренировку начать в жестокой иерархии Талона.

Если у Данте все нормально, то Эмбер все неймется. Характер у неё очень волевой и бунтующий против правил, и она постоянно задаёт вопросы и влезает в неприятности. На её поведение ещё влияют два парня, которых она встречает во время своей ассимиляции. Один - таинственный Мятежник дракон, Райли, который обещает ей рассказать, что на самом деле происходит в Талоне, и на которого очень сильно реагирует её драконья сторона. Второй - человеческий парень, Гаретт,  в которого влюбляется её человеческая натура, и который вполне возможно, опаснее для неё, чем Райли.

Как ни странно, понравилась мне и Эмбер и оба парня. Вся книга в принципе готовила сцену для последнего акта, где все развилось так интересно, что я сразу пошла слушать книгу вторую.

 Хочется указать две погрешности сюжета, которые я надеюсь, исправятся в книгах следующих. Первая - это то, что оба Эмбер и Данте совершенно не пользуются социальными сетями, что как-то сильно выделяется учитывая, что они подростки. Вторая - это то, что второстепенные персонажи совершенно картонные, даже Данте, и хотелось бы, чтобы они были поярче. А так, читается весело и быстро. Советую, для подростковой души в вас.



Comments

  1. It's been so long since I haven't read one of her books

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  2. I became aware of this author when I got the chance to read Iron Raven. I need to pick up her earlier books. Great review. Will definitely look into this series.

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    Replies
    1. I hope you give it a try. It's free with Audible right now ❤

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    2. I cant remember if i have read it or seen it at the libarary, must see

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    3. It's old enough to be in the library, that's for sure 😁

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