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 was pretty excited when this book was announced. I love both The Iron Fey series and Blood of Eden. And it's about dragons - freaking dragons. Come on, I had a really good time with Seraphina. So Talon possibly can't get wrong, right? It didn't get wrong, of course. But I don't like this book as much as other books written by Julie Kagawa.
For one thing, I didn't get as much excitement from Talon as I did with Blood of Eden. Sure, Talon is not as dark and blood-soaked by definition. But I'm actually pretty slow to enjoy the book. Thankfully, once I got into the book, it's actually quite fun - all the action and righteous hatred and teen spirit. It's not easy to be sucked into the book, but once that happens, it's harder to detach from the story.
If I was to sum the characters' relationship up in one sentence, I would say it's like a combination of The Iron Fey and Blood of Eden. If you have read the two series before reading this book, you would probably know why. It's not a bad relationship. But certainly a somewhat predictable one. I was wearing the "oh you are so screwed" face the entire time I read the book. Because I pretty much knew the sequence of events. Predictable, yes. Fun? Still a big, fat yes. Despite being able to predict the story, I'm still having fun with this book. I guess that's because of the nice writing of the book. It's a mix of seriousness and wit. A perfect mix. I often found myself burst into laughter in some really random moments. Julie Kagawa's writing is what I always like best about her books.
I hope the next book will get better (and more intense). But for now, even though this book is not perfect, it's an interesting opening.
Rating: 7.5/10
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