Book Review | Talon by Julie Kagawa

Title: Talon

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Talon #1

Age: Young Adult

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal

Publication Date: October 28th 2014 

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Source: eBook

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Play Store | iBooks 

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.

My Rating: 

My Thoughts:
This book was incredible! I am a huge fan of dragons (they are my second favorite paranormal/fantasy creatures) but find it hard to find really interesting dragon stories. This book has definitely given me hope to find other great dragon reads. This is my second read from Julie Kagawa and I'm just excited to continue reading more works from her.

This follows clutchmates -- or rather twins Ember and Dante Hill as they have been give the chance to go into the human world to assimilate. If they fail to assimilate they are to be sent back to Talon for reeducation -- or so they've been told. Things to start to unravel for the life that Ember was trained to believe in.

Ember has always a different dragon. She's always yearned for freedom and to experience life as a regular teen without rules and restrictions. She always questions and pushes anything that Talon throws at her. She is witty sarcastic and daring. She takes risks whether they put her in danger or not. She's out of control and dangerous, but at the same time she acts like a human teen even though she's a dragon. I loved Ember because not only did she assimilate so perfectly, she made sure to enjoy her life while she could. Everything seemed perfect until she got her faction assignment and the world crumbled right before her eyes.

Dante, Ember's twin, is the complete opposite of Ember. He is quiet and reserved. He never questions Talon. He believes rogues are dangerous and that humans are inferior. He's the ideal Talon member. His faction assignment suits him really good. At first I enjoyed him, but seeing how far he was under Talon's grasp and seeing what he did to Ember broke my heart. I officially hate him. I have slight hope that he'll see that light and go help Ember -- hopefully.

Garret is a squad leader apart of the Order of St. George. He grew up believing everything the Order told him about dragons. He was the perfect dragon slayer. His views changed when he was sent on a mission to keep an eye on Ember and her friends. As he got closer to Ember he began to see that maybe everything the Order told him was a lie. Garret is absolutely sweet. He may have been a member of the Order, but seeing him have fun and open his eyes to life was amazing. What he risked to save Ember was amazing. I'm team Garret all the way.

Riley in human form, Cobalt in dragon -- he's a rogue said to be dangerous but truthfully he isn't. Cobalt used to be like Dante; doing as told without regard until he was put in a dangerous situation and started questioning Talon. That immediately labeled him as a rogue. I like that he seeks to help other hatchlings to be free from Talon. He puts himself on the line every day in order to help and protect others like him. His interest in Ember seems genuine, but I still feel something wrong about his character. Hopefully he isn't bad at all.

The love triangle was pretty darn cool. I like that it wasn't intense and how natural it was. Ember fell for Garret, but her dragon had feelings for Cobalt at the same time. I'm glad that she always knew who she wanted. She never wavered too much in regards to which guy she cared for the most. I'm all for team Ember and Garret. Cobalt is cool, but he seems to have another agenda.

Talon and the Order seem to be harboring some serious issues and dark lies on both end. Too many secrets that have still yet to be revealed. I'm interested in seeing it all unfold. That ending and epilogue just has me on edge. My main question is why is Ember so important to Elder Wyrm? Why train her to be Viper?

I really hope that things get more action packed when Ember and Cobalt help out Garret because that will make this an epic, intense fantasy series. I'm excited to read the sequel, Rogue.

Have you read this book?