I loved it!

It was an enjoyable and captivating read! At first, I had slight trouble getting into the story at the beginning but once I got into the flow of the story, it was a page-turner.

The enemies to lovers was written well. It made me want to read book 2.

What a great young adult fantasy read! I absolutely loved this book and did not want to put it down. I loved the main characters Lina and Rui in this book and really enjoyed their enemies to lovers relationship. Last Of The Talons is a Pied Piper retelling that incorporated lots of Korean mythology. The author did a wonderful job at telling this story and had me completely captivated. This was an amazing debut by Sophie Kim and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

Read this if you like:

📖 Retellings
📖 YA Fantasies
📖 Enemies To Lovers
📖 Korean Mythology

Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me a copy of this book for review.

The started off slow for me and hard to get into, but it did draw me in about halfway through. I liked the characters and the storyline, but I felt that Shin Lina wasn’t what I thought she would be. She is described as a fierce assassin, but we never see that. She seems a little mature in her actions. I really enjoyed the mythology and lore, however, so I gave it 4 stars. If you like stories with action, mythology, lore, and a little romance, you will like this.

Book Review

Title: Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim (Talon Book 1)

Genre: Fantasy, Folklore

Rating: 3.75 Stars

The opening to Last of the Talons was interesting as we are dropped right into Shin Lina taking part in a heist to steal a tapestry from the Temple of Ruin. Shin Lina is working with a crime lord named Kalmin because he is threatening to kill her sister, Eunbi if she refuses. The temple is in the region of Sunpo, a place that is inhabited by mortals and immortals known as Dokkaebi, who she is trying to steal from. She finds the tapestry and takes it back to Kalmin but can’t shake the feeling that nothing good will come from taking it.

Read more: Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim (Talon Book 1)
The pacing the first 100 or so pages wasn’t great since a lot happens and very little is explaining or even shown in detail to us which was quite frustrating. After stealing the tapestry and taking it to Kalmin, Lina is ordered to take it apart for the gems which Kalmin is planning to sell and she does but we see she is a prisoner in Kalmin’s care after the death of her own gang, the Talon’s. We don’t know who killed the Talons or why, but it seems that they wanted Lina, the Reaper of Sunpo to work for them. During a deal for some of the gems, Lina encounters a Dokkaebi but he doesn’t do anything to her. However, she soon learns that Kalmin was taken by this Dokkaebi who turns out to be the Dokkaebi emperor, the Pied Piper. Asina gives Lina 30 days to bring Kalmin back or she will kill Eunbi, but she doesn’t have to wait long since the Pied Piper comes for her to. In his realm, he explains he is fascinated by Lina and makes a deal with her where she will kill him in 14 days or he will kill her and Kalmin, which would also result in Eunbi’s death. Lina accepts knowing she doesn’t have another choice but she knows she lacks the power and ability to kill a Dokkaebi but she is going to try.

She is staying in the Dokkaebi realm during this time, but she needs to recover her strength since she has been starved and beaten repeatedly by Kalmin, taking away most of the strength she had when she was with the Talons. Lina is beginning to learn more about her opponent in this game, but she is overly rash and ruled by her emotions which goes against her identity as an assassin, in my opinion. She now has two failed attempts on Rui’s life, both failed because she didn’t learn anything about Dokkaebi and how they differ from humans. However, she has learnt of a rebellion in the kingdom and is planning to use them to help her kill the emperor, which is the most sensible plan she has come up with so far. She might also have found a way into the rebellion with Jiwoon if my instinct about him is correct.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we do see some more kind moments between Rui and Lina, but it doesn’t overshadow what hangs in the balance for the Reaper, her sister’s life. Despite this she continues to be haunted by memories of her past and the death of her friends, it seems that the Blackbloods took the Talons sponsor and in response Lina was sent to kill someone, possibly Kalmin and failed which is why the Talons were killed and herself imprisoned, which would make sense but we don’t know for sure yet. Also, despite having a lot of elements I normally enjoy, I wasn’t loving the book because nothing is really happening besides this cat and mouse game between Lina and Rui but the reason behind why hasn’t been revealed to us, so it doesn’t make much sense now. Lina having officially joined the rebellion learns that there is an enhancer that can be made that will give her the strength of a Dokkaebi, allowing her to overcome the biggest difficulty in killing Rui. However, she soon begins to admit to herself that she is undeniably attracted to the man she is trying to kill and that might cause some issues in the second half.

So far, I was a little bored with the book as the pacing up to Lina joining the rebellion was off and a lot of the main motivations haven’t been explained or explored at all. The only thing that might be able to redeem this for me is more action and maybe a spicy romance between enemies. While Lina needs to wait for Jiwoon to finish the concoction she needs to take down Rui, her relationship with the emperor is beginning to change. When Rui uncovers her addiction to halji, he freaks out without much reason, but it soon becomes clear that he is attracted to Lina, the same way she is attracted to him. However, he also knows more about her activities than she thought although it remains unclear whether or not he knows about her working with the rebels and cautions her. In on of their outings, we see the pair have a passionate makeout session which leads me to hope we might get some spicy scenes later or in the next book but Lina remembers what she has to do despite now knowing she doesn’t want to kill Rui but she needs to to in order to save her sister and find a way to free herself from the Blackbloods once and for all, but also to fulfill her promise to the rebels.

The biggest issue I had with the book was for most of it, it doesn’t know what it wants to be. At the beginning, it seems like a revenge story, which then morphs into a fantasy romance and then to a much darker kind of story in the end. The action also doesn’t kick in until the ¾ mark which left me bored and waiting for nearly 300 pages. The ending, however, did really make up for the issues I had, packed with betrayal, backstabbing and a little bit of metamorphosis but I still can’t give it 4 stars or higher because of how unsure it was. I am looking forward to the second book which seems to be pitched a revenge story, bringing Lina’s story closer to a conclusion.

Special thanks to Entangled: Teen for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars

TL;DR: Despite my first attempt at reading this being unsuccessful, I'm glad to say that the second time's the charm and I found myself enjoying this more than I expected to. Kim offers a lot in this upper YA fantasy debut—plenty of stabby action, deaths, found family moments, rebellion, deception, and a forbidden enemies-to-lovers romance. That said, much of the characters, relationships and world-building was kept on a surface level and at over 400 pages long, I think we could've got a lot more development! Overall though, this wasn't a bad debut and I'm curious to see how Kim evolves as an author throughout the series and what happens next with Lina and her thirst for vengeance!

Last of the Talons is told from Lina's POV and the story is set in two main locations: the human realm and the Dokkaebi realm. I'm a sucker for all types of Asian mythology in a fantasy setting so I knew, in this respect, this book would have something for me to enjoy. This story is infused with Korean mythology and I loved learning about the different deities, Dokkaebi, monsters, lore and how mythology influenced the Dokkaebi realm of Gyeulcheon. Even though, as I mentioned earlier, the world-building was very surface level and Gyeulcheon wasn't as well-developed as I think it could've been, it was enough for me to imagine this picturesque magical kingdom. I was intrigued by the Dokkaebi and found myself wishing more of them would feature in the story but I hope we get more of that in the second book. The writing and plot were rather straightforward although it could've done with some editing. The plot itself was a bit outlandish but I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the story.

Although there's only one POV, we learn more about Lina through flashbacks when she was an assassin for the Talons, a powerful gang that owned the city of Sunpo. I'm not normally a fan of this style but it worked for this story and kept me on my toes with dread and anticipation having already known what's going to happen to them. It also helped paint a clear picture of Lina's rage and why she is driven by it to the point of recklessness. She has endured so much loss and hardship from an early age and she found renewed hope for herself and her baby sister Eunbi when she was taken in by the Talons. She's ruthless, cunning, stubborn and prideful, as well as a cutthroat assassin feared by all who cross her path, but now she is weighed down by guilt over the loss of her Talon family and it's no wonder that these emotions keep her going. However, being driven by such rage meant she tended to be rash, to act first and think later, and it closed her off to anything else unrelated to her mission. IMHO, it made her a weak one-dimensional character and sadly, I found it impacted all aspects of the story, as she lacks any sort of curiosity beyond fulfilling her goal in any way possible. I found myself getting quite frustrated by the missed potential there… As a reader, I had so many questions about the other characters and their motives, especially Rui and what he was (and still might be) hiding from Lina. I feel like there's so much bubbling just beneath his surface and I desperately wanted her to probe more rather than just accepting everything at face value! 😂

Coming to the romance, I have to say that I honestly didn't mind it! Again, it's slightly underdeveloped but I genuinely enjoyed the interactions between Rui and Lina. It's filled with taunts and barbs and there's a vicious playfulness with plenty of "kill me if you can" moments that they both thrived on. Sure, it might not be the healthiest dynamic (lol) but as they try to one-up each other, there are plenty of close encounters that allow each other brief glimpses of a more genuine side. I'm very curious to see what becomes of this budding romance and I would love more moments where they show their vulnerability, especially Lina, so I hope we get to see that in the sequel!

Perhaps it sounds like I didn't enjoy this book as much as I said I did but at a certain point, I found myself simply enjoying the ride and the vibe and didn't let myself get too bothered by the elements I found lacking. I still have so many questions that I hope the second book gives us answers to and I'm excited to dive back into this world especially since where we left off, our characters are feeling more vengeful than ever!

Genre: YA Romantasy
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review in one word: maehogjeog-in

I knew nothing about the book & I chose to jump in blind into Jeoseung! GODSDAMN this book for being so good! I nearly went blind reading it (not an exaggeration, I was lightheaded thrice). You wouldn't believe me if I told you this is a debut novel. Sophie writes with an assured vision, replete w a storyline & vibrance, nailing every trope she attempts.

In a cluttered romantasy genre, Kim sets her novel against a Korean backdrop. Since this was my first time reading about Korean mythology, I offer my genuine gratitude to the author for keeping it light, interesting & fascinating for a reader like me. In that regard, this book forms a great gateway halji (drug!!) for venture into Korean pantheons, much like Percy Jackson offered one into Greek.

Coming to the worldbuilding, oh how I wish there was a map! Regardless, there're multiple mortal-non mortal realms & gangs within them, w a constant fight for imperial control. The author keeps the politics perfectly reigned in telling you only what is required. The magical beings & elements captivate you beyond wit. From the palace to meadows & the Black Sea (🤭🤭), I found myself wishing upon a life in Gyeulcheong even if it is as a black eyed mush brained human servant 🛐🛐

My favourite aspect to the story ofcourse is Shin Lina & the Pied Piper (🤤🤤). Lina is an assassin, who's grumpy & stomps around w a great backstory while the Pied Piper is VERY VERY HOT & HANDSOME & I WISH HE WAS MY VERY VERY BEST FRIEND😩
The chemistry bw the 2 is off the charts since they fall in love under the garb of assassination attempts 🥹👉👈
If you're still confused, IMAGINE RHYSAND FROM ACOTAR & CARDAN FROM THE CRUEL PRINCE = THE EMPEROR OF GYEULCHEON 🥰

*he owns the black silver aesthetic 😚
* he also drops her in a lake 😚😚

& I ate all that UPPPP LIKE IT WAS A SUGAR ROLL!!

The climax is an action packed roller coaster ride, with a a very wholesome final chapter 😭

In sum, if you like mythology, classic YA fantasies like The Cruel Prince & TV series like Arcane, this one's for you!🤍

4.5/5⭐️

It has a very slow start but once you get about 65-70% through it goes so fast that it honestly makes up the build up worth it. Lina is a badass assassin and she definitely earns her name as the reaper and her character development was amazing!!! Rui is definitely being added to my list of book boyfriends. We are still left with questions about Rui even after getting some details throughout the book. The Ending Omg!! Amazing!!!! Without giving too much away I was not expecting that ending to happen. I am ready for book two and Lina’s revenge; I am starting it right now!

*Actual rating is 3.5 stars*

Last of the Talons is a darker and gritty YA fantasy book inspired by the tale of the Pied Piper. Shin Lina is a deadly teen assassin, who after losing her gang in a gang war now has to serve the rival gang. But after a heist to retrieve an otherworldly art piece attracts the attention of the otherworldly race Dokkaebi, Lina is taken to their dream world. Here she is given 14 days to kill their ruler and return her boss to the human world. If she fails she will not only lose her life but also the life of her younger sister.

The premise of the story is really cool, and especially the deadly assassin parts were very entertaining to read. There’s mythology, magic and so many different twists and turns. All this was great. The problem was that Lina tried so hard to be the cold, tortured character that it starts to feel almost comical after a while. Especially since the story tends to be a bit repetitive, which made the story drag a bit. Also the romance could have been executed in a better way. Also it’s more spicy than I was expecting from a YA book.

But the latter part of the book was by far the most interesting bit, and there were some very cool events happening near the end. So I will give the sequel a go, as the set-up of it has me very intrigued about what's to come.

I quite enjoyed this story! I loved the main character. She had strong motivations and was a skilled assassin but her skills were also balanced with realistic weaknesses so she didn't seem like the stereotypical badass YA heroine. I had some difficulty following the dual timeline cause there wasn't any note at the beginning of the chapter that we were having flashbacks but I was usually able to figure out what was going on fairly quickly. If you're a lover of shadow daddies and enemies to lovers stories this is definitely the book for you! The dynamic between her and Rui was so interesting. I loved all their interactions (especially how getting to know him made it all the more difficult to kill him). The stakes were high throughout the book and I had a great time with it. I picked up the audio and really enjoyed all the emotion the narrator gave to our MC cause she's somewhat reserved but internally there's a lot going on. That really made the book for me!

3.5 Stars!
I was torn on my rating for this one. I wanted it to be a four, but it didn't hit the mark. It isn't quite a three either, so 3.5 it is!
This is a Korean YA fantasy with a bit of romance. There is a lot of Korean mythology that is interesting and different from anything I've read. The story follows Lina, an assassin known as the Reaper. She's working for a gang, and after pulling off her latest assignment, she draws the attention of the immortal Pied Piper. She's taken to the land of the immortals and allowed to save herself and others if she chooses to play the game. She learns more about the people and world she's in as she plays and has to decide who to trust and how to win while fighting her internal demons.
Lina's not always the most likeable or relatable but you get why she's the way she is as her story unfolds. She's resilient and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her family.
The side characters in the story are great, but I wish we had more of them. I felt the story lacked the depth these characters could have helped provide. The romance also lacks connection. You understood that something would happen with these people but we needed more to bring that connection together. The premise of the story is really good and has the potential to be a good series, but I hope future books will give us more substance and story.
The second book just released so I'm excited to see how the next chapter unfolds.

Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim is a delightful female led ya fantasy debut .

What I loved

1. Korean myth and legend running in the very veins of this story was great

2. Slow burn enemies to lovers vibes

3 Masterful world building

4. Last of their kind trope


What didn’t work as well for me

1. The pacing felt really uneven in the first act

2. There were some odd formatting things in my e-arc

Who would I recommend this title for
This title would be a great read for young adult fantasy readers who enjoy adventure vibes .

I struggled to get into the book. It was slow paced for the most parts and some parts were too fast paced for my liking. I loved the characters and plot overall.

Very good young adult female-lead adventure. The main character is a young female assassin who lost her guild/family. She ends up targetted by a God after stealing from their abandoned shrine.

It is a bit slow to start and sort of hard to follow as someone who knows very little about Korean Mythology. But overall I enjoyed the book.

I read this as part of an Entangled Publishing read-a-long and was able to engage with others who were readinging it along with me.

ARC provided via Entangled Publishing/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, a big thank-you for letting me read and review.

Last of the Talons is the debut novel, and first book in the Talon’s series, by Sophie Kim. I'm giving Last Of The Talons 4 Stars, why?

Being completely transparent and honest, I struggled to get into the book originally, even though it was part of a read along and chapters were dedicated days and what not - I did find myself getting disheartened very early on, but I stuck to it. I will say, that it does improve from there and does get better as you proceed.

I very much enjoyed the combination of the various Korean Myths and how they were used - the magic, the mythology, and whatever the thing was with scales (yikes!)

I did enjoy the world building and I do like Lina, even though I feel she is far too ... naïve? She trusts far too easily, especially with her past and her coping mechanism, isn't ideal. However, I really did enjoy the love interest between Rui and Lina and I did thoroughly enjoy the fact that roles switched and Lina had to save Rui. There was much tension between the enemies to lovers and that, I will applaud.

There was much to enjoy in this, beside Lina/Rui, the banter, the dynamics of the character, the grief (and boy there's a lot in this) - it kind of makes sense why Lina is so rash.

If there was anything that could have made this five stars, formatting was probably the biggest thing for me - I struggled to realise what was written as notes between characters. Like even some italic, emphasis, or even a different font would have been great. I had to read these sections multiple times to realise what they were exchanged as.

As for one other last reason, it felt very predictable. Like I knew what would happen, there wasn't much anticipation or suspense, I had a feeling that Lina was going to save Rui, I had this weird feeling but it was still enjoyable to read.

I'm going to continue with the sequel, there's a lot to explore and I'm excited to see where this plans out, and how thigns change.

I struggled with this book. Not a fan of dark romance, but thought I would try something different. I also liked that it was about Korean Mythology and that was kind of new to me. However, it was enough to make me want to finish the book. I read 2 books in the middle of reading this one. I had to force myself to finishm which isn't a good thing. I like the enemies to lovers trope.

Thank you Entangled Teen for the review copy, my opinion is my own.

I read this as prep work for the release of the second book in the series that released April 2, 2024.

I had my eye on this book back when it released, but was swamped by other books, but I am glad that I read this, it was a fascinating look into Korean based myths and fantasy. Lina is an assassin who is ordered to break into an abandoned temple and steal the contents of a chest. Sparking the rage of the Dokkaebi, she is swept away to Emperor of the Dokkaebi Haneul Rui's land and challenged to kill him before he kills her, she has 14 days. This is enemies to lovers, with a side of "I'm going to kill you" and "Who did this to you?," near death experiences, and some really hilarious death threats.

I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I would love to see a map and glossary of the gods, cast of characters to help keep everyone straight. There are a lot of flashbacks that Lina has that were sometimes a little jarring to be dumped into, but the information was important and relevant, and helped explain Lina's reactions.

I have no idea how this slipped my radar when it came out but I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to read this! This was such a fun and captivating read. Once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down! This is a must read for anyone who enjoys YA fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance! Thank you Entangled for allowing me to read this.

This was a good debut and I liked the mix of Korean mythology, lots of secrets, twists and turns all of that sprinkled with a romance. The characters were well built and the pacing was a bit slowish at the start and going faster when the end was near. When I finished this installment I left intrigued and now I want to read the sequel and see how the story will progress.

Thank you Entangled and Netgalley for this read.
I recieved this ebook as a read a long for entangled.

I enjoyed the book. It did take good chunk of the book to get me pulled in to be able to be unable to put it down.

Enemies to Lovers, slow burn, he fell first.

Lina, The Reaper of Sunoco, the last standing member of her gang is spirited away for a game to the death by the pied piper, Rui, who she stole from.
Determined to win and keep her sister safe; she is ready to win by any means. Regardless how Rui makes her feel.

Ready to see the Wrath of Lina in book 2.

Last of the Talons is an intense, engrossing story that had me hooked until the end.

This is a YA Fantasy that included enemies-to-lovers / knife-to-throat -"I have to kill you" / "Who did this to you," tale that follows Lina, an assassin who must defeat the Emperor Rui in order to save her sister.

The story was well-written and flowed seamlessly. The author did a fantastic job with world building that easily transported me to another world.

I loved the Korean mythology integrated in the story which I found interesting and that, along with the twists, secrets, action, hints of magic and romance all kept me turning the pages.

Rui and Lina's relationship developed at the right pace. The enemies-to-lovers aspect was well done and I loved the tension between them.

This was an interesting tale and I'm excited for book 2. I would definitely recommend it to lovers of YA Fantasy.