#Review - Reign of the Talon by Sophie Kim #YA #Fantasy #Legends

Series: Talons (#3)
Format: Paperback, 480 pages
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Romance

How do you kill a prophecy?

The Prophecy has arrived…and with her, war.

A prisoner caged within the walls of her own mind, the once-fierce assassin known as Shin Lina can do nothing but watch as a tide of blood and chaos sweeps across the Three Kingdoms. After all, Lina is the one who unleashed the malevolent Prophecy upon her world.

So many secrets. So many lies. And it’s all her fault.

Yet Haneul Rui—the immortal Dokkaebi Emperor who stole her heart—refuses to surrender. He alone leads the armies against the dangerous, serpentine Imugi. He alone wields his scorching fire atop blood-soaked battlefields, and he alone rallies his soldiers against a terrifying future of death and destruction.

Now, the red thread of fate ties them all together in love and hatred—Rui, Lina, and the merciless Prophecy herself. And the more Lina fights against her destiny, the tighter the thread becomes. They are bound in both life and death; to wound one is to wound them all. To kill the Child of Venom is to kill them all. And soon, not even the wrathful gods themselves can stop their inevitable ruin. 

Reign of the Talon is the third and final installment in author Sophie Kim's Talon trilogy. This story revolves around three key characters: Haneul Rui (the Pied Piper, Emperor of Gyeulcheon) and Shin Lina, who has been split into two personalities (Prophecy and Prisoner) thanks to the heartbreaking events of Wrath of the Talon. Iseul is the last of her kind, a seven-tailed Gumiho who befriended Lina but has no idea what really happened to her. The Prophecy has already conquered one kingdom; now it wants the other two, Wyusan and Bonseyo. 

Lina is a prisoner caged in the walls of her own mind. The once fierce assassin, Reaper of Sunpo, can do nothing but watch as the Prophecy, which she released upon the world, seems to be unstoppable, along with her Serpent allies who know that if the Prophecy reaches Fulfillment, they will be freed to take on their real persona, dangerous dragons. The only person who seems to understand what happened to Lina is her husband Rui who she is tied to for life. With Rui pushing her, Lina finds that she must face not only her past, but her future as well, and she needs to find a way to forgive herself for what happened to her Talons.

Meanwhile, Rui—the immortal Dokkaebi Emperor who stole Lina's heart—refuses to surrender. He alone leads the armies against the dangerous, serpentine Imugi. He alone wields his scorching fire atop blood-soaked battlefields, and he alone rallies his soldiers against a terrifying future of death and destruction. He also has to deal with backstabbing members of his own cadre of friends who discover a way to end the Prophecy. To top it off, it seems as though the Gods are awake, and they are not happy with what is happening, and they will do everything they can to stop the Prophecy. 

Now, the red thread of fate ties them all together in love and hatred—Rui, Lina, and the merciless Prophecy herself. And the more Lina fights against her destiny, the tighter the thread becomes. Lina finds that if she can solve a series of challenges and find 7 keys, she may be able to escape. But will it be too late? Lina faces her mistakes and her guilt over her Talon friends who make an appearance to help her and guide her to a series of twists and turns. Only a strong person could deal with what Lina goes through in this book, and come out stronger for it.    

This may have been the most twisted, emotional ending to a series I have read for a long time. Lina's relationship with her sister Eunbi made me smile and cry at the same time. Rui's chapters were definitely the most nervous for me, knowing that if he failed to stop the Prophecy, everything would be lost. Iseul's chapters are interesting in that we see someone who lost everything somehow, a healer wins her heart. The introduction of the Korean Gods/Goddesses was a nice touch since this series is based on Korean mythology. 

  

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#Review - Wrath of the Talon by Sophie Kim #YA #Fantasy #Mythology

Series: Talons # 2
Format: E-Galley, 416 pages
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Asian Mythology

Everyone thinks the Reaper of Sunpo—eighteen-year-old assassin Shin Lina—is dead. The only ones who know the truth are her cherished little sister and Haneul Rui, the icily gorgeous Dokkaebi Emperor, who she was sent to kill…and kissed instead.

Now, with the potent Imugi venom surging in her veins, Lina’s returned to right all wrongs. Already her body is changing, growing stronger, stealthier, and more agile, with serpentine scales she can call at will. She is living vengeance, seeking retribution for the massacre of the Talons. She’ll become the sword who cuts down the rival Blackbloods gang, along with their ruthless crime-lord leader. And when she is through, she will take the kingdom as her own.

But there is a mysterious side to Lina’s growing power, a dark voice inside her that whispers and guides her as she slips through the shadows of Sunpo’s streets. One that warns her not to trust the Dokkaebi, especially Rui.

Because if her destiny isn’t to love him…it must be to destroy him.

Wrath of the Talon, by Sophie Kim, is the second installment in the author's Talon trilogy. Everyone thinks the Reaper of Sunpo—eighteen-year-old assassin Shin Lina—is dead. She has been reborn from the venom of the scale of a snake, the enemy of the Dokkaebi. The only ones who know the truth are her cherished little sister (Enubi) and Haneul Rui, the icily gorgeous Dokkaebi Emperor, aka The Pied Piper whom she was sent to kill and fell in love with instead. 

Now, with the potent Imugi venom surging in her veins, Lina’s returned to right all wrongs. Already her body is changing, growing stronger, stealthier, and more agile, with serpentine scales she can call at will. Lina goes on a one-woman revenge tour, and nobody is safe from her. She is living vengeance, seeking retribution for the massacre of the Talons. She’ll become the sword who cuts down the rival Blackbloods gang, along with their ruthless crime-lord leader, Kalmin, who destroyed the Talons and claimed Sunpo. 

With the help of the last Gumiho, a nine-tailed fox named (Iseul), as well as Sonagi, an Inugi snake who calls Lina daughter, Lina plans to destroy anyone who stands in the way of her taking Sunpo. But there is a mysterious side to Lina’s growing power, a dark voice inside her that whispers and guides her as she slips through the shadows of Sunpo’s streets. One that warns her not to trust the Dokkaebi, especially Rui. Because if her destiny isn’t to love him…it must be to destroy him. 

The tale brings in some elements of Korean myths that set it apart from most revenge fantasies. I find it interesting that both Rui and Lina have issues with panic attacks. I dare you to find another book in this genre that does this. This book will stab the reader directly in the heart with an ending that is so shocking, that the author literally giggles that you haven't seen anything yet. EVIL!! The author uses Interludes throughout the book to fill you in on what Rui and his people are doing to either help Lina or stop her from a dangerous path that may open the way to prophecy that could see a war between the Inugi and Rui's people.  

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#Review - Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim #YA #Fantasy #Folklore

Series: Talons (#1)
Format: Ebook, 416 pages
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Korean Folklore

After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—the Reaper of Sunpo—is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance. But the order to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple incites not only the wrath of a legendary immortal, but the beginning of an unwinnable game…

Suddenly Lina finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi, her fate in the hands of its cruel and captivating emperor. But she can win her life—if she kills him first.

Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina's swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister...all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass.

Because one way or another, she'll take Rui's heart.

Even if it means giving up her own.

Last of the Talons, by Sophie Kim, is the first installment in the authors Talons trilogy. Think of Last of the Talons as Labyrinth with Six of Crows, but with Korean mythology and goblins called Dokkaebi. This story is set to the backdrop of the fictional Kingdom of Sunpo. After the destruction of her entire Talon family one year ago, 18-year-old Shin Lina; the Reaper of Sunpo, is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord, Konrarnd Kalmin. 

All that keeps Lina from turning on Kalmin is the life of her beloved little sister, Eunbi, which hangs in the balance if Lina betrays him in anyway. Kalmin orders Lina to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple which has been abandoned for centuries. A tapestry that is said to be woven with priceless jewels. When Kalmin is kidnapped, his second Asina gives Lina 30 days to bring him back or her sister will face the consequences of her failure. 

After she fails for a game called Mouse Trap, Lina ends up in Gyeulcheon, the land of immortals, where the terrible Emperor Haneul Rui makes her an offer she can't refuse. She has 14 days to kill him, or he will kill her and she'll never see her sister again. The catch is that Rui is actually the Pied Piper who has lured humans to his realm where they are mostly servants to the immortals who live there. Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina's swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. 

Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister...all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass. This is also an emotional story. Both Lina and Rui have tragic backstories. The plot is literally unpredictable. In every chapter we have Lina and Rui with their conversations that lead to something really unexpected. He teases and taunts her and slowly begins to care for her, wanting to support and be there for her and is in awe of her strength and bravery. 

This is literally an enemies become something more with a little betrayal and some surprises thrown in to keep your attention. I wasn't aware that this was going to be a trilogy, but heaven help me, and the sun doesn't stop shining, I'll continue the series to see what happens next in Lina's adventures.

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