#Review - Court of Talons by Jennifer Chance #Fantasy

Series: Fang & Fire # 1
Format: Kindle, 451 pages
Release Date: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Oliver Heber Books
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Romantic Fantasy

For twenty-one years, Talia of the Tenth House has been her house’s deepest shame. Now, she’s their last hope.

Each year at the Tournament of Gold, first-blooded and firstborn male warriors battle alongside their massive, otherworldly monsters for fame and power. But when Talia’s beloved younger brother is murdered on his way to the tournament—and his beast unexpectedly bonds with Talia—all hope for the Tenth is lost.

The powerful, arrogant, and dangerously seductive Fortiss of the First House would never let a woman vie for a seat on the Court of Talons. He might also be her brother’s killer. Desperate for answers and to protect her house, Talia assumes her brother’s identity and enters the tournament.

But beneath the pomp and glory of this year’s battles, Talia discovers a dark conspiracy carefully crafted to destroy the entire realm. In an ever-more-deadly dance across gilded ballrooms and brutal fighting pits, she must sacrifice her heart, her freedom, and even the precious, mystical bond she’s formed with her glorious monster to win at all costs.

Because only Talia understands the truth:

If she’s discovered…she dies.

If she loses…she dies.

And if she doesn’t stop the evil screaming toward them through the shadows…everyone dies.

Court of Talons is the first installment in author Jennifer Chance's Fang & Fire series. 21-year-old Talia is a first-born female child to the Tenth House in a world where only first born sons are valued. She has no rights. She is less than nothing to her father, and he is happily within his rights to send her off to another House in order to marry the heir of the House. Her younger brother Merritt is the pride of the family because he, not Talia, is the bonded warrior to a Giant Divh, an otherworldly monster that the men can bond with and then summon at will to battle.

Talia, Merritt, Talia's best friend Adriana, and a Priest named Nazar, along with a protection detail are on their way to the Tournament of Gold in the City of Trilion to hire soldiers for their house, but on the way trouble strikes. Merritt is struck down by an arrow, Adriana is also killed, and the only survivors are Talia and Nazar. But what happens during the attack surprises Talia when Merritt's bands bonding him to his Divh slip off and end up on her arm. She now has her very own Divh which is unheard of. 

With the assistance of Nazar (who has his own secrets to tell), Talia becomes Merritt. She lives each day in fear of discovery, and her only hope is to return home with warriors to protect her family while she accepts whatever punishment her father deems appropriate. Along the way, her plans get a bit derailed when she encounters Caleb, a one armed squire who is as fierce as he is brave. He soon becomes her squire, as she searches for answers to who killed her brother. 

Each year at the Tournament of Gold, first-blooded and firstborn male warriors battle alongside their massive, otherworldly monsters for fame and power. But beneath the pomp and glory of this year’s battles, Talia discovers a dark conspiracy carefully crafted to destroy the entire realm. Talia soon becomes embroiled in a curious connection to Fortiss, the powerfully arrogant and seduction heir to First House who she met along the road to the Tournament who doesn't have his own Divh, but should. 

Could be Merritt's killer? Desperate for answers and to protect her house, Talia assumes her brother’s identity and enters the tournament. The further she gets involved in the tournament, the more dangerous it becomes for her. In an ever-more-deadly dance across gilded ballrooms and brutal fighting pits, she must sacrifice her heart, her freedom, and even the precious, mystical bond she’s formed with her glorious monster to win at all costs.

*Let's just say that I have ranked this as the best book I have read this year, and for me, that's saying a lot. I loved Talia. She trained in secret thanks to Nazar. She was fiercely loyal to her brother until his untimely death. Caleb was another character who warmed my heart, especially after he figured out that Talia wasn't really Merritt. Talia’s Divh Gent is absolutely amazing, and what he does during the Tournament made me smile and cheer. There is obviously more going on in this world that hasn't been revealed, but I am hopefully the author will not let me down when the sequel is released. 

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