Review: Rogue (Talon #2) by Julie Kagawa

Rogue

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Talon #2

Pages: 464

Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia

Release date: 1^st May 2015

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant. 

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George. 

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers from the first book!

To be completely honest, the first book in the Talon series by Julie Kagawa didn’t wow me, there were a number of aspects I didn’t enjoy – the main being the lack of background information and dragon appearances but everything has been kicked up a notch in the sequel and I found myself engrossed in Julie Kagawa’s storytelling.

After the events that happened at the end of Talon, Ember Hill, now considered a traitor to Talon and rogue dragon, Riley set out to rescue soldier, Garret Sebastian who is being held for treason for betraying the Order of St George who he has always been fiercely loyal to.

The characters are further developed in Rogue and we begin to understand more about their motives and reasons for decisions they have made; we get the POV’s from not only Ember but also Garret, Riley and Dante, I did find myself skimming Dante at times, I didn’t find him as interesting as the other characters and his betrayal grated on my nerves. I did love Cobalt/Riley, I found his back-story to be extremely interesting and to be honest I love him with Ember BUT we do have a love-triangle and I am still finding myself a little indifferent towards Garret, he just doesn’t interest me unfortunately. Speaking of love-triangle, I find it to be completely unnecessary and pointless; it seems to be included to create more tension which isn’t needed and since book one I just can’t see a dragon matched with a human.

The plot flows at a steady pace and I really enjoyed learning more about Talon as well as the rogues; there were many surprises and twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. We are thrust into action and many dangerous situations from the onset which I always enjoy.

Julie Kagawa’s writing is wonderfully creative, the setting is vivid and the story is gripping but the ending OMG! What an unexpected shock so I am super eager to get hold of the next book in the series.

Overall, Rogue is an entertaining YA shifter tale that had me eager for more as I was reading along, whilst some parts were predictable others had me gaping. Rogue is an engrossing, exciting sequel to Talon.

Thank you to Harlequin Teen Australia for the opportunity to read and revie Rogue.

Fave Quotes:

“There was no way I was going to let him die. He was my other half; without him, I felt incomplete. I wasn't sure if this was my dragon talking or me,but I couldn't imagine a world without Riley.” 

“That's okay. If we are attacked by zombies I don't have to run fast. I just have to run faster than you.” 

About the author: Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time (okay, at least the illustrations did), but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a
real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, an obnoxious cat, an Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and a hyper-active Papillion.

Review: Talon by Julie Kagawa

Talon

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Talon

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release date: 28^th October 2014

Pages: 400

Synopsis (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Talon has been one of my most anticipated books for this year so I was extremely excited to receive an advanced copy from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley.

The story follows Ember and Dante Hill as they learn to adapt to human life away from what they have learned from Talon but both have differing views on how they should be behaving; it was a concept I really enjoyed, especially when it came to Ember’s reluctance.

Talon lives by strict rules which dragons are expected to abide by but when truths are revealed by a rogue things aren’t what they seem and Ember’s rebellious side comes to light. Also thrown into the equation is the Order of St George who are trained to hunt the dragons, this aspect is one I found quite interesting, especially with the love interest fighting for this side.

What I liked:

** The fabulous cover.

** A wonderful main character with a defiant personality, she knew what she wanted and went for it despite the ramifications.

** The premise is original and intriguing; I loved reading about the dragons and the group that hunted them.

** Julie Kagawa’s brilliant story-telling and engaging writing.

What I didn’t like so much:

** I would have liked more history about the dragons and more scary dragon times in general.

** A love-triangle – Riley the Dragon & Garret the slayer, I am not a fan of this trope at all and in this book I don’t really feel it was needed. My hopes are on Riley though; the whole Dragon/Human I didn’t find appealing.

** Garret, I found him to be flat and under-developed along with some other characters who lacked depth.

** Slow in some parts and rapid pacing at others.

I wish I could say I loved Talon as I have other JK books but this one was just ok for me, it was a nice set-up for the rest of the series and I will definitely be reading the next book.

Thank you to Harlequin Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Talon.

About the author: Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon.

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Blood of Eden

Pages: 416

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Amazon

Release date: 15^th April 2014

Synopsis: VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS 

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? 

With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer. 

MONSTER 

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. 

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

** This review contains possible spoilers **

The Forever Song is the perfect ending to the Blood of Eden series; in a world fraught with danger, darkness and despair it’s an edge of your seat, angsty read that I literally flew through as I was eager for answers.

Allison Sekemoto lost more of her humanity at the conclusion of the last book, The Eternity Cure so in The Forever Song we see her embracing her vampire side and not struggling as much morally and I did love this version of Allie with her kick-butt awesomeness and fearless determination to locate and end Sarren once and for all.

The complex plot is fast paced, full of bloodshed, sorrow and action as we see Allie along with her blood brother Jackal and her maker, Kanin journey to find the evil Sarren, the psychotic Vampire hell bent on destroying the world as brutally as he possibly can. There were a number of twists and turns I wasn’t expecting and one which left me devastated. The world-building in this series has been a strong point, the complexity of the vampiric lore is written to perfection and the setting and imagery draws you in; some details are downright freaky and the creatures all pure evil.

The romance was filled with angst and drama that I have to admit was a tad too much but these characters have been through so much I had to cut them some slack, I have always enjoyed Allie and Zeke’s interactions so to see them warring with themselves and each other was really difficult to see – throughout the series I couldn’t see them with a HEA so I was satisfied with the resolution.

The side characters are written to perfection, Jackal is a character I can’t help but love, his sarcasm and wit bought some much needed laughs to an otherwise dark book – the banter he shared with Allie had me giggling and I have always adored Kanin, a fabulous, mysterious creator and Allie’s biggest supporter; he was a brilliant sire and encouraged her to be the person she became. Sarren was evil personified; he was the sort of evil twisted vamp I love reading about.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book! It is how a series should end – The Blood of Eden series is one I highly recommend.

Thank you kindly to Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to read and review The Forever Song.

About the author (website): Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon.

Review: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Blood of Eden

Pages: 446

Publisher/Source: Harlequin Teen/Netgalley

Amazon: The Eternity Cure

Australian Release Date: 1^st May 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa picks up right where The Immortal Rules ends and takes us on an action-packed journey that left me glued to the pages and wanting to learn more about this dangerous and gloomy plague filled world packed with darkly disturbing creatures.

Allison Sekemoto is on a mission to rescue her maker, Kanin from the evil vampire Sarren; knowing the pain he is enduring at the hands of this psychopath makes her more than willing to do anything to save her sire.

With an action packed and fast-paced plot, the intense drama and the tension kept me engrossed in Kagawa’s storytelling. With Allison’s journey to New Covington and the Fringe to find Kanin fraught with danger, it made for a fascinating tale if not for a violent and creepy one with what she had to endure.

The world-building is strong and detailed with imagery that draws you in; some things are downright scary and the creatures pure evil, we get bloodshed, violence and a new threat to the humans in the form of a new strain of the Red Lung virus which was a concern for both the vampires and humans.

The characters are each developed perfectly, we are given more of an insight into each of them – especially Allie’s blood-brother Jackal who despite his previous actions bought humour to the story, I actually found his character to be quite interesting and looked forward to his page time. Kanin holds a dear place in my heart and I adore Zeke! He is still as sweet and kind as ever but we also see a more fiercer, protective and stronger side of this preacher’s son. Sarren is pure evil! His plans made me quiver.

We also get more romance between Zeke and Allie which I loved! I’m not usually a fan of vampire/human relationships; I just can’t see the HEA in them but this one is sweet and I adore their interactions.

My only complaint with this book was Allison’s woe is me inner-monologue which at times grated on my nerves, she dwelled on what she was rather than what she had become, I wanted to see her embrace who she was rather than fear constantly over the evil she thought she would turn into.

Other than this small gripe, I absolutely loved this book! It is brilliantly written and an amazing continuation in this wonderfully dark and thrilling series. The ending was gut-wrenching and so heart-breaking so I am definitely eager to read the next book.

Thank-you kindly to the lovely people at Harlequin Teen Australia for the opportunity to read and review The Eternity Cure; it is a book/series I highly recommend to fans of Young Adult Paranormal and Dystopian alike.

Favourite quotes:

“I don't believe in fate," he said carefully, "but... I do believe everything happens for a reason. That there is some plan, some meaning to this darkness we live in.” 

“Only death will take me away from you, vampire girl," he whispered. "And even then, I'll watch over you from wherever I end up.” 

About the Author: Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.

  

Interview & Aust/NZ G!veaway: Julie Kagawa - The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)

I am honoured to have the opportunity to interview the wonderful and extremely talented, Julie Kagawa, author of the ever popular The Iron Fey and her newest series, Blood of Eden and The Iron Fey spin-off, Call of the Forgotten.

Many thanks to Morey Media and Harlequin Teen Australia for this opportunity.

My review of The Lost Prince

Buy links: Harlequin Australia - Amazon – Barnes & Noble – The Book Depository

 Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten

Pages: 379

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Australian Release Date: 1st November 2012

Source: Morey Media / Harlequin Teen Australia

www.harlequinbooks.com.au

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

About Julie Kagawa:

Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn't getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel. 

 
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon puppy.

Interview with Julie Kagawa:

I have just read and loved The Lost Prince - was it difficult starting a spin-off series after the success you have had with The Iron Fey and what inspired you?

        Thank you!  I think the most difficult thing about beginning a spin off series is returning to the world with new characters.  In this case, Ethan isn't completely new, but he is no longer that scared little boy we saw in The Iron King.  I know many readers will be looking for the characters from the original series, and while they do make appearances, this is Ethan Chase's story, and it is time to pass the torch onto another set of heroes.  I only hope Ethan, Kenzie, and Keirran will earn the same place in reader's hearts as Meghan, Ash, and Puck did in the Iron King.

In The Lost Prince was there a particular scene or character you found challenging to write?

        Keirran, in particular, was a bit of a challenge.  Because of his infamous father (which I won't name in an attempt to avoid spoilers), I wanted him to be different, his own person.  And Ethan already had the "angry and brooding" thing down pat, so Keirran had to be interesting without resorting to angst.  Readers of the original series might be disappointed that he isn't like his dad, but that's the point; Keirran is not his father.

What three words would you use to describe Ethan Chase?

        Brooding, tortured, brave.    

Have you developed a particular fondness to a certain character as yet?

        In The Lost Prince, I'm quite fond of Keirran, because of his history and certain things I cannot go into.  Keirran will play a crucial role in the series, and his friendship with Ethan will go down some very twisty paths.  We'll have to see where the two end up when this is all over.   

Do you mind telling us how long it took you to write The Lost Prince?

        About five months for the first draft, than another couple months for the editing/rewriting.

Are there certain influences that inspire you when writing? (literary and non-literary)

        I'm kind of a geek in that much of my inspiration comes from anime and video games.  I firmly believe that video games are just another medium for telling a story, and in these games you become the character, just like in books.  There have been some games that have made me cry (Dragon's Age, FFX), and some that have been so inspiring and powerful all I wanted to do when I finished them was write a story as magnificently as that.  And if that isn't a case against "all video games do is rot your brain," I don't know what is.      

What is your ideal day as an author?

        My ideal day is when I sit down to write, and hit that zone when you're writing as fast as your fingers can move; when the characters take over and you're just along for the ride.  And when you finally stop, you're amazed at how much you've written, because it really didn't feel like that at all.  That's my ideal writing day.

What is one important writing advice that you’d give our aspiring authors?

        Persist. Don't let anyone tell you you're too young or inexperienced or immature or whatever.  Keep writing, keep practicing.  Writing is a skill that has to be honed, just like any other craft; you're not automatically good at it. (At least, I never was.)  Know that if you're serious about getting published, you're going to be rejected, probably many times.  But remember that all published authors started exactly where you are right now.  The only difference is that the published ones never gave up.

What is up next for you?

        Right now I'm working on the second book in the Call of the Forgotten series, and after that I will be starting on the third book in the Blood of Eden series. 

Thank-you so much Julie!

        Thanks so much for having me!

Giveaway:

Thanks to Harlequin Teen Australia, we have 2 x finished copies of The Lost Prince to giveaway to a resident of Australia/New Zealand.

The Lost Prince will be released on the 1/11/2012 so a copy will be shipped after this date.

The winners will be announced on my blog, twitter and facebook page

To enter just follow the Rafflecopter below.

Good luck & thank-you for stopping by!

a Rafflecopter giveaway