REVIEW: Talon (#1) - Julie Kagawa

Talon (#1) - Julie Kagawa
Series: Talon
Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Blurb

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 th 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.

Thoughts

The premise of this book really intrigued me, it is quite rare to find a book about dragons as shapeshifters, that turn into human form.

The book is told from 2 perspectives, Ember's as well as Garret, and a chapter is devoted to their perspective. This I found due to Kagawa's writing style I found the two different stories to be easy to follow. I found myself getting wrapped up in these characters lives and really loving them.

I thought this was a really great book, and I just loved how easily the writing flowed through the book. I was gripped from the first page. I also loved the back story regarding the dragons as well as the Order of St George, it was easily understandable, as well as being easy to follow.

I loved Ember and Garret as characters, Ember was such a precocious character and wanted more than she was being given. I also loved the introduction of Cobalt, the rogue dragon who shows Ember that there is more then what she is being told.
Garret as well was growing through the book as he was discovering that the dragons weren't just what he was being told they were.

Overall a great book, and I have already read the sequel (look out for a review coming soon), and am looking forward to reading more of this series.