Review: Talon (Talon #1) by Julie Kagawa

Title: Talon

Author: Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: October 28th 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

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. (synopsis from Goodreads)

My thoughts: This book was good. But it was a bit of a disappointment. I enjoyed reading it, don’t get me wrong, but I had hoped for more. I liked the characters, the plot was good, and the concept was really interesting, with Talon and the Order of St. George and everything. I just didn’t love it. It was hard to get into it at first, and it took too long for something more than teenage drama to happen.

Ember is a very fun character

   She’s adventurous, impulsive and she loves doing things. In most ways, she was my opposite, which is why it was so fun to read about her. I love reading, which requires sitting down for long periods. She can’t be still for very long. I’m one of those people who always plan everything. She basically does what she wants when she wants to do it. But, as fun as it was to read about her, it made it hard to relate to her, because most of the things she did, I wouldn’t dream of doing.

   Garret was easier to relate to. He is more controlled, loves careful planning and isn’t really a social butterfly, so to speak. He’s been taught all his life to hate dragons, because they’re all monsters.

   Both Ember and Garret go through some big character development through the book. They learn new things about themselves and their lives, and it changes the way they think a lot. I really liked reading about their development.

I love Riley

   As much as I like Garret, I loved Riley. Especially later in the book, when we got some of his perspective. It was interesting to read more about him, and I loved it.

   I liked the whole concept about Talon, and it was fun to read about dragons. It was something I haven’t read a lot about, which made it interesting.

   Overall, it was a good read. It took a while to get into it, but once I did, it was hard to put it away. I can’t wait to read the next book!