Talon by Julie Kagawa

Long ago, dragons were hunter 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 brother and sister 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 hunter by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garrett Xavier Sebastion 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, Garrett begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him. 

I fell in love with Julie Kagawa after her Iron Fey series, and Talon, although not my favourite of hers (because I'm pretty sure that place is always going to be reserved for Ash and Meagan), reminded me why. The characters were all well-written, though I thought that Garrett was especially so, I think I was better able to connect with him than the occasionally whiny Ember, and the Stoic Dante. Kagawa's world-building is one of my favourite aspects of her series because they are always so interesting and original, and always manage to suck you in until you feel as though you are apart of the book and the book is apart of you. And although Talon is set in the human world, unlike her Iron Fey series, it still had an almost magical quality that draws you in. Seriously, I read this book while in Bali, forgot to put suncream on, and got horribly burnt because my mind was somewhere else entirely. I suffered for days. But was it worth it? Probably not, because I was left with a cliff-hanger for my efforts. But I digress. Talon is yet another wonderful series from an amazing author, and although the plot reminded me a lot of Firelight by Sophie Jordan, I still really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next book. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Dragons