Talon

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Rating: ★★★ 2.5/5

Published October 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

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I have mixed feelings about this book. I was so hyped over it because 1) THE PRETTY COVER and 2) It’s Julie Kagawa everybody and 3) HUMAN DRAGONS!

I was a bit disappointed in this book. The story was told beautifully, as expected from Julie Kagawa. She sure knows how to tell a story. It’s the reason why this book is getting 2.5 stars, because it was a really easy read. Everything flowed together.

I really wanted to like the book, but I couldn’t. Here’s why: (read on for possible spoilers)

A) PLOT

I never thought a book about HUMAN DRAGONS could be so horribly boring!

I expected a lot more:

But instead got this:

Man. What a wasted opportunity of an awesome premise. We basically have twin dragon siblings – Dante and Ember – and they’re sent into human civilization by Talon (essentially the Dragon Government) to “fit in”. Dragons have been hunted to near extinction by an organization called The Order of St. George, so they have to be extra careful.

From then on it’s basically a summer romance story involving Ember, Garett (a soldier in St. George), and Riley, a rogue dragon who left Talon.

Booooooooring until the last chapter or so, when things finally start to pick up and BAM – end of book 1! I’ll spare you guys all the fluff in the middle (can be summarized: love triangle).

B) CHARACTERS

The only cool characters, in my opinion, are Dante and Riley. The rest? Throw em in the trash, Julie! You can do better than that!

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Would I read the next book? Maybe. There’s a decent cliffhanger at the end and I’m honestly curious to see how things turn out. Probably not though.

tldr: A plot that had potential but went wrong, but well written. You can skip this. 

The Perilous Sea

★★★★★ 5/5

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

Summary:

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother’s prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

 

This is like the YA Version of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss but better! Ahhh! I seriously can’t get enough of Sherry Thomas and her amazing writing (and to think that English was her second language)!

This is the sequel to The Burning Sky (which you absolutely must read before this — it’s AMAZING) that continues the storyline. Thomas writes in two timelines simultaneously (the past and the present), leaving cliffies in every chapter.

Once you start reading, you seriously cannot stop (or die trying). It’s just continuous plot twist after twist to the point where you begin to wonder if Thomas has anything left for the final book. The characters are developed so much more and things suddenly become a lot more complicated than they seem. Tbh, I didn’t expect this book to be great. I’ve read plenty of series where the first book is amazing but then it slowly…dwindles…down…But no worries – this isn’t the case here!

I can’t wait for the final book. I wish this could be more than a trilogy 😦

 

tldr: I highly recommend this book (make sure to read The Burning Sky first though). An exciting journey from start to finish. 

Recommend for: High Fantasy/Magic readers

Chasing Power

★★ 2/5

Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst

Link to:

• Goodreads
• Amazon

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*I received an ARC through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.*

Expectations: Haagen Dazs Ice Cream [The COVER. It’s so pretty! (read: Snow Like Ashes). But the book had NOTHING to do with the cover, I don’t even know how they came up with it.]
Reality: McDonalds Soft Serve [It was bad, but I sort of enjoyed it.]

The book summed up:
Girl has power. Guy has power. Girl and guy chases stones. The end.

It was bland. The plot was repetitive and mostly predictable (the protagonists spend most of the book jumping to stones, aka “power”). The characters are shallow and undeveloped, for instance I never liked Kayla or swooned over dreamy-stalker boy Daniel. The book has potential. Sarah Beth Durst just hasn’t been Chasing [that] Potential.

Why did I enjoy it then, you ask? Well, the inner fan girl enjoyed the sappy romance (and occasional humor) and THANK GODS THERES NO LOVE TRIANGLE!

+1 star for the cover and no love triangle.
+1 star for enjoyment.

tldr: Not a good book but enjoyable & totally unrelated to the cover. Can’t think of any similar books at the moment. Mind too tired from all the jumping from stone to stone stuff.

 

The Young Elites

Wish the cover could match the awesomeness of the book.

★★★★★ 5/5

Summary:

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

 

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I’m not a fan of the Legend series by Marie Lu. I tried and gave up.

But I did love her new book, The Young Elites. I love it so much that I might give Legend another go. It’s very different from most other standard YA Fantasy novels because it’s dark and we follow the story of the villain.

She’s had a rough childhood of abuse from her father. She’s survived a deadly disease. She’s missing an eye. She’s an outcast. She’s a killer, free to think her own dark thoughts and she’s got power.

This book has everything a YA Fantasy novel needs. A plot to overtake the kingdom by a rebel group. Characters that can’t easily be characterized. An interesting magic system. An intricate world. And last but not least, plot twists and a cliffhanger that will make you desperate for the next book. 

I want the next book. NOW.

Highly recommend this book to fans of the Throne of Glass series and Harry Potter series.