Talon

Probably more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up.

The first time I saw this cover, I was immediately intrigued but I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it. But when the arcs became available, I couldn't resist requesting and it's almost relieving that I've managed to finish an arc before the release after quite a while.

I'm in the middle of a reading slump, so I was actually glad to have both the digital and audio arcs as I felt it easier to navigate the two based on my mood. I however do have to mention that there was a strange echo throughout the audio production, and I don't know if it'll be present in the final audiobook. The book starts off in a pretty intense manner and I felt like that tone remained all through, with the stakes always being high. The world building is also pretty cool with Korean inspired gods and mythology, a whole new realm of Gyeulcheon where the Dokkaebi live and their powers and motivations. I also liked how the mortal realm is kind of modern with their technology which makes it feel almost like a contemporary fantasy, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but it worked well here. I will agree that it took me a few chapters to get into the groove of things, but once our main character moved to the Dokkaebi realm, things got very cool and intense.

Lina is the reaper, or a highly skilled assassin, working for a gang lord against her will. Her character is defined by the self loathing and guilt she has for the death of her group, Talons, and how much she adores her baby sister Eunbi. She will do anything for her sake, including saving her boss whom she hates by killing the Dokkaebi Emperor, Rui. She is quick thinking and full of anger about her circumstances, and can get impulsive at times, but is also naive and trusting in ways which surprised me.

Rui on the other hand is a trickster, playful and charming and wants to see if Lina will be able to kill him. But he is also fascinated by her and tries to keep interacting with her even when she only tries to kill him or shows disdain. Theirs is a truly crackling enemies to lovers dynamic with pining as well as hatred (from her side) which turns into something more. It was quite delightful to see the progression of their relationship. It's still obvious that Rui is keeping a lot of secrets related to his realm but I was glad to see that they both could come to some understanding despite both of their differing motivations when it comes to mortals.

There are quite a few side characters but frankly I don't think anyone was fleshed out enough that I cared for them deeply. But I did like Rui's friends, who also happen to be his generals and advisors, and how protective they were about him. The more significant side characters are Lina's dead Talons, her found family, who taught her everything she knew, whose values and teachings and words are still embedded in her mind, and whose deaths still haunt her every night. Their story is all told through flashbacks, which worked well in some moments, but also pulled me away from the current storyline at other times.

Overall this was a fun read. Fast paced, intense and emotional, charismatic main characters, and a very fascinating mythology make this an easy book to enjoy, and might also be just what you need if you are in a slump like me. Jaine Ye narrates the book matching the intensity of the main character Lina, and I did enjoy listening to her narration, if only a bit peeved by the strange echo. The climax action sequences and the surprises we get were very enjoyable, which has definitely made me much more interested in the sequel.

14 year old me would've loved this but it was pretty average to read as a 23 year old. I don't care for ‘his smirk and dark hair ruined my life” type of YA books because.. cringe but idk this was kinda fun to read. I hated whenever they were dragons because the audiobook still voiced the characters with high pitched sassy teen voices and idk its kinda silly for a huge badass looking dragon to be sounding like a child

For my move across the country, I decided to download some audiobooks and hope that 1) my fiance would be willing to give them a try and 2) we'd feel up to listening to them. I usually have to push myself into an audiobook and then I'll keep listening, but it is the starting that is difficult.

So, first up, I thought dragons would be super cool to listen/read about and would interest my man, and it did, YAY! In fact, he ended up liking this book much more than I did. Honestly, I think it is because I'm a bit tired of YA tropes. Did I see everything coming? No, but many of the things that did happen made me roll my eyes. After 2 hours, I was ready to call the book quits, but the fiance actually liked it, so I couldn't just say no when he actually found a book he'd listen to.
I will admit, that the book did get better.

There are some funny moments, some ‘OMG how could she be so dense' moments, and ‘ugh really??' moments.

This book is about Ember, not Dante... even though it says it is about him too. He gets one chapter of POV at the very end. I was kinda hoping for siblings against the world, but got a love story... a LOVE TRIANGLE story, which, surprisingly, I don't know how it will work out. I'm pretty sure I know which way it will go, but I don't know how it would work, which is why I think I might be surprised. In fact, both love interests get POV chapters, BUT NOT DANTE. So... bummer there.

I really thought this would be about the dragons more and that lifestyle and about the siblings, but Dante kind of disappears??? We are told they always hang out together, yet once they get different instructors they pretty much stop hanging out. Girls hang with girls, the guys hang with the guys. Also, all the dragon stuff is hush hush and never told to Ember because she doesn't need to know, which is both frustrating for the character and the reader.

Which brings me to the side characters. There was so much potential there, but the guys are rarely in the picture and the group of girls is only there to talk about guys. All the friendship moments are hidden and I would have read more of those in order to see how Ember learned to fit into society. I did like some of them though.

...okay this is turning into a rant, isn't it?
I just really wanted to love this book. I like reading about dragons.

I am interested in where the series is going. With the intro work out of the way, the siblings set up, and future objectives in the making, I think the next books will be better– especially since I think the side characters present will stick around.
I'll try reading it rather than listening to the audio and see if that makes a difference. The ‘s' sound some of the narrators made was pretty harsh to my ears as well.

Now after all that ranting, I will say this is a book I totally would recommend a teen. I think they would totally relate to the things Ember is going through– wanting independence, trying to form an identity, and forming personal opinions about the world and those in authority. I am interested in reading the sequel and already have a hold on it.