Inferno by Julie Kagawa

GoodReads Summary:
Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the Order of St. George destroyed, Ember, Riley and Garret journey to the Amazon jungle in search of one who might hold the key to take down the Elder Wyrm and Talon—if they can survive the encounter.
Meanwhile, Ember’s brother, Dante, will travel to China with a message for the last Eastern dragons: join Talon or die. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon.
The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn.
Review:
This conclusion was a wild ride. This was the last book I read in 2019 and I had to listen to it on a zillion speed. I usually can’t enjoy an audiobook when I listen to it on too fast of a speed, but I was so into this story that the narrators basically speaking jibberish didn’t even phase me.
I loved this final book. The characters have really grown and developed throughout the series. I ended up loving Ember. She’s not an annoying girl anymore. She’s passionate and does her best to do the right thing. She refuses to bend when it comes to her morals. She faces reality and does whatever she needs to keep her loved ones safe.
I loved the final battle toward the end of this book. It was so well written and I was absolutely sucked into the story.
Though I’m not totally happy with who Ember ended up with, I still loved this book. I thought it was a wonderful ending to a complex series. The stakes were higher than ever and some unlikely allies came together to save the rest of the world from Talon.
Overall, I really ended up enjoying this series. I’m glad I continued on even when Ember really annoyed me. I think the development of the characters was incredible. Seeing the former enemies come together against a bigger evil was so good. I also really liked the epilogue. I loved seeing where the characters ended up after everything happened.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Legion by Julie Kagawa

GoodReads Summary:
Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all, let alone with a human and a former dragonslayer. With Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself.
Ember vows to stand against St. George and her own twin brother, Dante–the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known. Talon is poised to conquer the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who will not yield.
Review:
I’m finally starting to get really into this series. I’m liking Ember more and more. The action is getting more intense the more secrets that are revealed. The love triangle is sort of resolved (though not to my liking).
Ember has really grown. She knows that she needs to do whatever it takes to fight Talon. She doesn’t shy away from the hard things anymore. While they still bother her, she understands what she needs to do. I really loved the moment she had where she was in her head and came face to face with her dragon. That really made me happy because the separation in Ember’s mind of her dragon and the human side was something I complained about in my review for the last book.
I liked that while Garret and Riley still had their own chapters, they sort of took a backseat to the other characters. I still like them both, but this book was meant for Dante and Ember to shine.
Dante makes me so mad. I just want him to come to Ember’s side and understand that everything he thinks he knows is a lie. I hate that he’s being fooled and I’m really hoping to see him learn the truth in the final book.
Overall, this one was probably my favorite of the series so far. I’m excited to read the final book in the series and finally finish this story.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Soldier by Julie Kagawa

GoodReads Summary:
When forced to choose between safety with the dragon organization Talon and being hunted forever as an outcast, Ember Hill chose to stand with Riley and his band of rogue dragons rather than become an assassin for Talon. She’s lost any contact with her twin brother, Dante, a Talon devotee, as well as Garret, the former-enemy soldier who challenged her beliefs about her human side.
As Ember and Riley hide and regroup to fight another day, Garret journeys alone to the United Kingdom, birthplace of the ancient and secret Order of St. George, to spy on his former brothers and uncover deadly and shocking secrets that will shake the foundations of dragons and dragonslayers alike and place them all in imminent danger as Talon’s new order rises.
Review:
Things are finally starting to get good in this series. The first few books I couldn’t stand Ember. She was whiney and annoying, but she’s starting to see the world she lives in is a scary place and has had to do things she never thought she would. So, she’s grown.
I started to finally like Ember in Soldier. She’s struggling with the fact that she’s killed people, that her brother betrayed her, and of course, is stuck in a love triangle. I liked that Ember’s grown but I still don’t care for the love triangle.
I don’t like that Ember sees herself as two different parts: the human and the dragon. She sees them as separate entities and I don’t care for that. I’m interested to see if that changes as the series comes to an end.
I love Riley. That will never change. I love his cleverness and his clear attempts to show Ember she should choose him.
I don’t dislike Garret, I just want her to choose Riley. So, even though I prefer Riley, I liked getting to see a bit into Garret’s past in this story.
Overall, I’m starting to get more excited about finishing the series. I don’t hate Ember anymore and I’m dying to know where things will go next for this group.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Talon by Julie Kagawa

GoodReads Summary:
To take her rightful place in the Talon organization, young dragon Ember Hill must prove she can hide her true nature and blend in with humans. Her delight at the prospect of a summer of “normal” teen experiences is short-lived, however, once she discovers that she’s also expected to train for her destined career in Talon. But a chance meeting with a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught.
As Ember struggles to accept her future, St. George soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian is tasked with hunting her down. But when faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything the Order has ingrained in him—and what he might be willing to give up to uncover the truth about dragons.
Review:
This is my third time reading Talon by Julie Kagawa. This was clear to me because I ended up skimming the first fifty or so pages. I just felt like I’ve read the start of this story so many times. I think because of that, I was a bit ‘meh’ toward the rest of the story. Also, already knowing parts of what will happen in the future had me rolling my eyes at certain events. I think I’ll end up liking the next books in the series more because I don’t remember them as well as I do for the first book.
Ember had me rolling my eyes left and right. The fact that she was suspicious of Garret being St. George but repeatedly ignored the signs and convinced herself that he couldn’t be was so dumb. Like, WHAT TEENAGE BOY HAS NEVER BEEN TO AN ARCADE EMBER??? This really drove me crazy. He said and did so many suspicious things and she just brushed it off like an idiot. But other than that. I liked her. She wasn’t willing to just do what she was told, even when he brother tells her she needs to fall in line, she doesn’t let her love for him push away the doubts she’s having. I liked that.
Garret was interesting because it wasn’t as obvious that Ember was the Dragon he’s been sent there to find. But then he falls in love, and when he realizes that she is a Dragon, his whole world is changed. I think he was interesting and complex, fighting what he’s been taught with what he has seen for himself.
Then there’s Riley. He’s my favorite. He’s just a dude trying to help little dragon babes escape Talon. He’s completely my first choice for Ember. I wish I could just get rid of the love triangle and have Ember be with Riley.
Overall, this was a pretty average book. Maybe if I didn’t remember parts of this story so well I’d feel differently. But Ember was a little annoying when it came to Garret and don’t even get me started on her brother Dante.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Hidden Gems

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week we talk about our top ten with a different topic provided by Jana. This week’s topic is top ten – Hidden Gems books that haven’t been talked about as much or haven’t been marketed as strongly that I think deserve some recognition.
1. Flamecaster (The Shattered Realms series) by Cinda Williams Chima – I love this series and this author. I just feel like I don’t really see her books advertised anywhere. I don’t see other bloggers talking about her books like I do. I definitely think she should be a more widely read author with the incredible worlds shes built full of diverse and loveable characters.
2. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – This one I feel is always overlooked in favor of Vampire Academy. Because they’re part of the same world everyone turns to VA instead of talking about these books.
3. A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest – I found this series on my Kindle but it’s definitely one that I think more readers should try. The reviews vary but I think Forrest has built quite the reading adventure with this 50+ book series.
4. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum – Buxbaum’s debut novel was so excellent. I thought I would hear more about it from my fellow bloggers. It makes me sad that I don’t hear more about it.
5. Sleeping Giants (Themis Files) by Sylvain Neuvel – I listened to this audiobook at the recommendation of a BookTuber (Thoughts on Tomes) but aside from the brief mention as one of her top audiobooks I haven’t hear others talk about this series. This is a mistake because Sleeping Giants was insane and amazing.
6. Moon Chosen (Tales of a New World) by P.C. Cast – I found this series outside of the blogging world. I haven’t heard a single blogger talk or write about this book/series. It’s a shame because they’re super interesting books with unique storylines and great character development. I can’t wait for the third to be released later this year.
7. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher – An older book, but still great. Creative and full of mystery. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this story.
8. Talon by Julie Kagawa – While I see that her other series, The Iron Fey, get attention I never see bloggers reading this series.
9. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa – See above comment.
10. Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Deborah Biancotti, and Margo Lanagan – With the superhero obsession that’s been going on the last few years I’m unsure how this series hasn’t made a bigger splash in the reading world.

What books do you love that you think deserve more attention?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along, answer the following three questions and share a link to your post in the comments on her page. Enjoy!

What are you currently reading? 

Amanda- I’m currently reading nothing sadly. I am in between books and honestly haven’t decided what I want to read next because I have so many new books. I’m torn between Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth or rereading Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. But that might change because I’m getting a delivery of books when my parents come to visit this weekend.

Antonia- I’m reading Master of Magic by Linsey Hall. It’s the fifth and final book in her Dragon’s Gift: The Valkyrie series. There are three series previous to this one that all connect and I really love seeing Bree’s story finally.

What did you recently finish reading?

Amanda- I finished reading A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas a few days ago. The review will be available as soon as I post the reviews for the books that come before it in the series.

Antonia- I just finished Beheld by Alex Flinn. I absolutely loved this book and will be posting my review of it tomorrow. (Review here.)

What do you think you’ll read next?

Amanda- Next I’ll be reading whatever I decide to pick up. Like I said above, I’m super torn between what I want to invest my time in next. I recently got my book collection back from being in storage  after moving all over. So it’s like having a whole new collection of books. I also bought a few new released as well as more books that are coming to me this weekend that were new when I bought them and just haven’t read yet. Someone come choose what to read for me because I just can’t make up my mind!

Antonia- Next I’ll be rereading Talon by Julie Kagawa. I read the first three books in this series years ago and now that books four and five are out I’ll be reading and reviewing all of them.

 

Tell us your answers to these questions and as always, thanks for visiting our blog.

Top Ten Tuesday, Books on a Whim

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post where we give our top ten choices on different topics, hosted by THE BROKE AND THE BOOKISH. This week’s topic is top ten books that you picked up on a whim. The books that weren’t recommended, but picked up without knowing a lot about them. Anyway, here’s my top ten.

1. Spelled by Betsy Schow – I picked this book up entirely because I liked the way the cover looked. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this story a lot.
2. Thirst series by Christopher Pike – I picked this series up years and years ago because it was about vampires and who doesn’t love a good vampire series. It took me a few years to actually take them off my shelves and read them, but once I did I was very glad. This series was so awesome. I was surprised at how much I liked these books.
3. My Friend Leonard by James Frey – I picked this book up again based on the cover. I’d read something by him before, so I didn’t even read the back before I bought it.
4. Talon by Julia Kagawa – She’s another author I’d read before. The cover of this book was very interesting and when I read the description and saw dragons I knew I had to buy them.
5. The Girl Who Never Was by Skylar Dorset – The title of this book intrigued me, then when I read the description it mentioned a town that I used to live close to, along with the faerie aspect of the story. It was a no brainer.
6. Legend series by Marie Lu – I bought this series on my phone to read. I love a good dystopian series.
7. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows – This was a book that I got from the library. Another that I picked because I liked the pretty cover. The story was amazing and so unique.
8. Embrace by Jessica Shirvington – Another library find, the description mentioned a growing tattoo and that hooked me.
9. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellairra – Okay so I guess I have a problem with picking books based on their pretty covers. This was another one from the library that pulled me in with its pretty cover.
10. The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis – Once again, the library has my back with the good books. I picked this one up because the author’s name, then I read the description and went home with it.

These are my top ten, that were harder to come up with then I thought. What are your top ten?

Keep on reading lovelys, Amanda.