Showing posts with label julie kagawa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label julie kagawa. Show all posts
Book Review - Soldier
Labels:
book review,
dragons,
julie kagawa,
paranormal romance,
Soldier,
talon,
talon saga,
young adult
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| Cover image courtesy of Barnes and Noble |
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Version I Read: Hardcover
Rating: 4.5/5
I previously reviewed the first book in this series, and since I just finished the newest one, I wanted to talk about it.
Soldier continues the story from Talon and Rogue, following the group as they split up. Garret learns an earthshaking secret about the Order of St. George while in London and Ember and Riley continue to remain on the run from Talon while trying to protect their underground network from all sides.
MAJOR spoilers this time.
Soldier was a great read for a number of reasons. The series continues to feel more like a thriller than a young adult romance, especially considering who the publisher is. And boy is it a thriller - multiple, multiple scenes throughout this book are complete nail-biters, especially the climax and final duel between Garret and the Patriarch. The cliffhanger is not entirely welcome, (they never are) but drops some big ones on us for the next book - Garret is told his parents were operatives of Talon and then shot (though I'd be very surprised if Kagawa kills him off) and Dante meets the Elder Wyrm, who tells him she is his mother. That means she's Ember's mother too, and goes a long way towards explaining why Dante and Ember are supposedly so special. (I was starting to wonder if they were somehow half human or something).
Jade was a more than welcome addition. It's about time Eastern dragons appeared on the scene - I was starting to wonder if other cultures' concepts of dragons would make an appearance in this series. I hope we get to see more of her and her kind in later installments.
A few things still bother me that I've talked about before. I don't feel certain aspects of the story and world have been explained well enough, especially concerning why so many humans work for Talon and why there aren't any other rogue dragons (either in his network or from outside it) who have teamed up with or want to help Riley.
As for newer developments in this book: I liked the inclusion of the concept of Sallith'tahn, and especially its repression by Talon. Great concept and idea. I do, however, think having Cobalt, the only eligible male dragon Ember's had any contact with in her entire life, be her Sallith'tahn was more than a little contrived. I mean, what are the odds?
I feel the issues surrounding the Patriarch were not always given the moral questioning by the characters that they should. For example, several times during the book Ember gets very stressed and suffers guilt over killing, even though pretty much all of it is in justifiable self-defense. Garret laments once about whether or not fallen soldiers of St. George could have come around to the truth. But when they know deliberately exposing the Patriarch of St. George is likely to get him executed, no one bats an eye. And he's not a complete villain to boot - him falling in with Talon was far from entirely his fault, and the way the Order views the situation makes some semblance of sense. Talon and their operatives ARE horrible people, and very few dragons have escaped. How is St. George supposed to know that not all dragons are trying to take over the world and enslave humans or that they have human feelings, when Talon is deliberately trying to bury that information themselves? I'm not saying they were wrong to take the actions they did, but the choice wasn't given the debate it needed to have.
Another thing nobody seemed to take into account was how dangerous destabilizing and possibly destroying St. George could be. Because without them, Talon's powers will now be unchecked, and they can devote all their resources to hunting down the rogues. This will likely be addressed in the next book, given the closing line.
The Verdict: Another pulse-pounding addition to this series with great twists and turns and only some holes. The series continues to deliver more than your standard YA paranormal romance.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
Book Review - Talon
Labels:
book review,
dragons,
julie kagawa,
talon,
talon saga,
young adult
·
 |
| Cover art courtesy of Barnes and Noble. |
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 28, 2014
Version I Read: Audiobook
Rating: 4.5/5
I’ve always had a lot of respect for Julie Kagawa, ever since I first picked up The Iron King. She has always managed to do the whole typical “teen paranormal romance” while, you know, actually having an interesting plot. Since her publishing contract appears to be with Harlequin Teen, that alone is pretty impressive.
Because I really, really don’t like vampires and post-apocalyptic stories, however, I ultimately chose to take a pass on Blood of Eden. But when I heard she had a new series coming out about dragons, I was more than ready to give it a shot, and I was not disappointed.
Talon follows siblings Ember and Dante Hill, who are nearing the end of their training in the global dragon organization called Talon. They are dragons, who can shift into human form, and after years of lessons are now living amongst the human population for a summer as something of a final test. Once they complete integration, they will be assigned their positions in the organization. Ember, while happy to be experiencing something resembling freedom, has a rebellious streak that begins to blossom into full mutiny when she meets a rogue dragon, Cobalt, who tells her of Talon’s true nature. Meanwhile, the Order of St. George, a militant organization dedicated to killing all dragons, has gotten reports of a dragon imposter in the town Ember and Dante are living in, and they are going to send their best operatives to find the “sleeper” and kill it. But their “perfect soldier,” Garret, may get way more than he bargained for.
I listened to the audiobook, which is something I’ve tried to do more of as of late. (I can read more books that way!) I’m not as familiar with the medium as I am plain old books, but I thought the performances were pretty darn good. (And Chris Patton is a dragon! Awesome!)
Here there be spoilers!
The characters are pretty good, maybe not the most original, but likable and good nonetheless. I especially like how Ember actually is a badass who, for the most part, doesn’t need to be rescued. So often in YA paranormal romance, a spunky heroine turns into useless so the guy can save her. Not Ember. She does get help every now and again, but she kicks ass all the way. Dante keeps the reader guessing as to his true feelings and allegiance, before the ending, which is pretty heartbreaking for the reader as well as Ember. It’s interesting to see Garret’s inner thoughts and how both he and Ember begin the story as pretty convinced their side is right before changing their opinions throughout the story (while expected, I think it’s done well). Garret’s inner whining about how he can’t be with Ember even though she captivates him can get a little irritating at times, but nothing too serious. And Riley/Cobalt is a rebel with an attitude, trying to save young dragons from the organization. It’s hard not to like him, and Wes, the snarky hacker, for that matter. Even the human girls Ember hangs out with feel like people, and not just stereotypical blonde bimbos.
The plot really kicks into high gear near the end, with Ember and Garret discovering each other’s secrets and choosing to spare each other’s lives, Ember deciding to flee with Cobalt, and Dante choosing to remain with the organization rather than follow his sister. This sets up readers nicely for the next novel, with Garret captured and about to be executed by St. George for collaborating with a dragon, and Dante and Talon’s search for Ember. I came to realize just how much I liked these characters and cared about what was going to happen to them.
The biggest plot hole in this book (I even went back to the first chapter and listened to the first half of it again to make sure I wasn’t missing an explanation) is the human involvement with Talon. It’s never adequately explained in Talon, and in Rogue, it appears Kagawa might be handwaving it, which is a bit of a disappointment. I can understand if the humans they have working for them are being bought out, and that many of them don’t know the true nature of the organization, but given what I know about humanity, I have a hard time believing Talon could get too many humans (short of ones being raised by Talon, I guess) to think of themselves as a “lesser” species (we're not known for being humble). For that matter, I think she needs to go into more detail about how Talon operates in general, but she has more books for that, so I'll give it a pass for now. I also think the choice of having Ember discover and love surfing was a little “Californian surfer dude/dudette” cliche, but not too obnoxious.
The other thing I’m hoping Kagawa addresses in later books is Cobalt’s network of escaped hatchlings, its mechanics, and his plan for it. So far, it’s pretty clear that he and Wes are running this operation single-handedly, which I think is a tiny bit farfetched, mostly because a juvenile can’t be the only rogue dragon out there attempting to screw over Talon. I really hope we get to see more rogue dragons.
The Verdict: I’d say Talon gets off to a slower start than most, but I’m glad I stuck around, because the story seems to get more interesting the deeper you get into it.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
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