WARNING- May contain spoilers!


When you have been through so much, what would you do to survive? The Last of the Talons dives into the world of Shin Lina, a Talon who is at the mercy of a rival gang with leverage on her that she is not willing to risk. In enters Hanuel Rui, the emperor of an immortal race, who will turn Lina’s world, and everything she thought about herself upside down. This enemies-to-lovers eastern fantasy will keep you wanting more as you dive into the world that Sophie Kim has created.

With a strong female lead, and a male antagonist who only adds to her character development, the Last of the Talons had me reading this book. Though I had to stop to look a lot of things up(which had me learning a lot about different cultures), the book was still captivating, with characters who were not always as they seemed, and suspicion that kept you guessing at who the real enemy is. I normally would not have picked this book for myself, but the opportunity to read and discuss it arose, and I am happy that I did. I will definitely be picking up book 2 to find out what becomes of Lina and Rui, and I know that we have so much more to find out. Be ready, as this book will leave you with more questions than you came with, but the mysteriousness of the characters drives what is a compelling story. I can’t say too much without giving it away, but I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to the entangled team for this copy to review and read along with you! It was a blast!

I was lucky enough to get to join in a read a long for this book with Entangled. And just to prelude this I’d say fantasy is one of my personal weaker genres but also some of my favourite books are fantasy lol.
I thought this book sounded good because I liked the thought of the pied piper retelling and having a female assassin. I love kick ass woman main characters. The age category confused me a bit. It read like young adult but I believe our characters are a bit older. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers so that worked for me. I’m excited to see where to story goes in book two.
I really like Rui’s character because he was a tricker and the leader but he was also curious and let the readers know that he could be caring when he wanted. Lina was a (like previously mentioned) kick ass female character who was so used to looking after her self and her sisters that she was willing to sacrifice everything. She truly showed us what bravery is.
I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers.

First thing is that I really liked that this stayed in the YA genre and didn't venture into NA. I've never read a Korean mythology retelling before and the pied piper was interesting. The MFC has a sad backstory that contributes to the character she becomes. This is a enemies to lovers, adventurous, quick read. Not my normal reading material but I give it 3 stars!

A big shout out to Entangled Publishing for hosting a read-along and providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Entangled hosts a read-along you can safely presume I’m going to sign up, no matter what’s happening. Even if it’s my wedding in four days (it’s not) and those four days require me to be reading and participating in the discussion, I’ll be there. They’re honestly one of the best experiences I’ve had thus far and I cannot recommend it enough. If you’re interested, please think about joining! The discussion questions are so thoughtful and I enjoy them just a smidge more than the reading even when the book is fantastic (and Last of the Talons was!). It’s like a lovely little prize at the end of every allotted set of chapters! I get to spam messages about what I think. Also there are giveaway prizes! Honestly it’s a win-win-win. And no, I was not asked to promote it, I’m just here spreading the love.

When I read the blurb of Last of the Talons I knew I had to read this book. Also to me, the girl on the cover looked so much like Han So-hee so I gleefully imagine her as Shin Lina nearly the whole time. Or whenever I remembered. Anyway, that being said, I think Last of the Talons has one of the more heartbreaking narratives I’ve read. The tone of the book—set by the voice of the FMC whose perspective the book runs in—has a hardened, bleak, gritty perspective to it. It reads a little like (tonally, speaking) K. S. Villoso’s The Wolf of Oren-Yaro. There’s an undercurrent of hopelessness, but the character brings in a lot of their sheer will that has the power to change their circumstance.

As mentioned earlier, the book reads in a single first person POV over the span of forty eight chapters. Shin Lina is a reliable, steady, intelligent and honest narrator. The emotions she drags out are a consequence of our empathy to her situation. She never tries to convince you of her feelings/decisions, she states things as they are and you’re drawn in by her honestly and plight. The writing that’s strongly intertwined with the voice of the FMC, is as strong willed as its main character. It never bends, yields or takes any prisoners. The author promises a reading experience that’s rich culturally and I love that it was delivered. I loved all the mentions of anything part of the Korean culture and folklore and seeing it brought so much familiarity (from all the Korean content I’ve engaged in over the years), I loved it!

The world building for me was nearly perfect. I’ve watched and engaged in so much content related to Korean folklore that it was just a reiteration of what I already knew. The rest of the world building was linked to the FMC’s situational set up which was just as beautifully done. The author takes us on an interesting journey of Shin Lina’s mind, emotions, present and past at the perfect moments, dragging us in slowly and hooking us til the end. I was with the author every second of the book and never struggled with anyone/anything.
In my opinion, the plot we see in this book is just a part of the whole. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, why? ‘Cos I can. After being a reader for the majority of my 29 years of living, I’ve fairly come to understand/predict which direction the story will bend and where we are likely heading. I expected some parts of the book but the others I was blindsided by! I love when an author can do that to a seasoned reader (yes, it is myself I speaketh of 💅). There’s one primary plot which gives way to many sub plots that explore the worlds of both the MMC and the FMC.

I loved every interaction between the main characters in Last of the Talons. The ebb and flow of their connection from the very moment they meet to the last page was emotionally satisfying, thrilling and you’re waiting to see what’s coming next. They have the strangest graph—in a good way. They go from strangers-to-enemies-to-areweloversarewenot-to-reluctant-allies-to-friends. Maybe. It’s not so easy to break it down though, I’m simplifying it. *waves green flag* Love relationships with immense green flag potential!

The pace was fantastic, it never lets up and keeps us glued to the pages. The chapters are all short, ranging between 1 to 9 minute reads (based on my reading speed). They’re to the point and pack a punch. Just perfect 🤌🏻✨.

Five stars! There’s so much emotion in this read that I didn’t expect to feel. There’s so much story in these pages. Last of the Talons will always hold a special place in my heart. Check trigger warnings! The second book has released so you won’t be left bereft once you’re done with this baby!

Inspired by Korean mythology, Last of the Talons follows assassin and thief Shin Lina after she is hired to steal a tapestry. After angering the deity is belonged to, Lina finds herself swept into the world of the Dokkaebi. She ensues on a deadly game between her and the Dokkaebi emperor, Rui, but in order to succeed, she might need to face the grief of her past.

This book had all of my favorite tropes and excellently explored Lina's grief, healing, and her difficulty to face frightening emotions. I think it was a pretty easy read, but I did get tripped up by the sentence structure at several points throughout the book which I feel affected by enjoyment. Overall, I loved the take on Korean mythology, the characters (can we add Rui to the list of BookTok boyfriends???), and the heart behind the words.

Highly recommend for fans of badass and vengeful FMC's and morally grey men!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for a read-a-long, all thoughts are my own.

Last of the Talons is the first book in a YA fantasy series, our main character is Shin Lina, an assassin nicknamed the Reaper, who is considered the best assassin in Sunpo. She has lost everyone she loves but her sister. For the past year, after the murder of her found family, she has been used as a slave for the man who killed them. When he gets kidnapped, she is beaten nearly to death and given 30 days to bring him back or her sister dies. That is, until she herself is kidnapped and taken to another realm, the realm of the Dokkaebi. She must either kill their emperor to save her sister, or forfeit her own life.

Over all, this was a decent book. I think I personally am just transitioning out of a lot of YA books, but I found myself not fully falling into the world. I went back and forth between whether I should rate it a 3 or a 4 because by the end I was getting intrigued, so my real score for this book is a 3.5 stars.

What I enjoyed about this book was Sophie Kim's use of Korean mythology and that is was an interesting take on the tale of the pied piper. The world building was very interesting. The world of the humans has all but been abandoned by the gods, and warring gangs were left in charge of Sunpo. The magic system has potential and you can't go wrong with a dash of romance. I think I would like to continue the series, at least with the second book to see where we are heading and how this goes. The end held a lot of interesting teasers that peaked my interest which is where I actually got invested.

Now to the things I didn't enjoy, this book fell into a lot of the typical cut and paste tropes of a ya fantasy romance. The world, while pretty, lacked very much actual development, it was all surface level without diving into anything of substance. There was no reason I could find that made the leading MMC make full sense. "I'm bored with life so either kill me or I kill you, meanwhile let me give you freedoms, nourish you, and give you punishments like pretty clothes, be my date to a ball and lets have dinner under the stars." Lina is supposedly the best assassin to ever live, but we are only ever told this, and told it repeatedly. Every action seemed to contract this at every turn. She didn't have a poker face, she was caught off guard many times, she fell easily to her emotions and acted out on a quick trigger.

I feel like the book could've done well with another pass through the editing process. There were multiple times things were repeated over and over that it got to the point that it became more of a hinderance than a helpful reminder. I also was confused by the DARE level anti smoking campaign that seemed to happen randomly in the story. I didn't think the whole minor plot point of Lina being a smoker was frankly needed. There could have been many other things that could've been added to attempt to show care from not just Sang but Rui than having an anti-smoking minor subplot.

Despite my criticism, I want to get it out there that I was impressed with the fact this was Sophie Kim's debut novel. For a debut novel, and in fantasy no less, she has the bones right, she did manage to keep me reading wanting to know what was happening and where the story was going. I want to read the next installment to see what she does with this groundwork.

If you're a fan of fantasy, of YA and similar vibes to the first book in the Throne Of Glass series, give this book a shot. As I'm writing this the second book Wrath of the Talon has just released. Lets see where it goes.

Last of the Talons is a fast paced fantasy based on Korean mythology that keeps you on your toes, and had me continuously asking myself what does this mean?? Lina (an assassin) is the last of her original found family (the Talons) and has found herself in a position where she has no choice but to enter a different realm and take on a challenge presented to her in order to live. The moment she meets Rui, you wonder where this is going, but are excited to be taken along for the ride.
I loved the way Sophie Kim incorporated flashbacks into the present story so you get a better feeling of what Lina is thinking and going through behind the scenes as she ventures through her quest to complete her challenge before the deadline. There were quite a few twists and turns, so I didn't always know where Lina's story was headed, but that made it wonderfully fun. And to know that the story will continue on with Wrath of the Talons that was just released is icing on the cake!

This book was amazing! It was perfectly paced with extremely well-developed characters. Plus it had some Korean mythology and some slow burn romance. The story kept me on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns. I loved Lina and Rui and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect why reading and listening and it definitely wasn’t this! It was so good. I immediately connected with Lina because that has been a nick name for me so I just fell into the story and can’t wait to start book 2!

"Last of the Talons" was an unputdownable read! I went into this book really intrigued by the premise and ended up forfeiting a full night's sleep so I could read it in one session.

I thought the author did a great job taking a well-known story the Pied Piper and blending it with mythology to create something new and unique.

If you enjoy reading YA Fantasy, re-tellings, enemies to lovers , romance and storylines with well developed characters I think you should definitely add this book to your TBR.

Thank you Sophie Kim, Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book all opinions in this review are my own.

I've read a few YA fantasy recently and this by far was the one I enjoyed the most. I think every book you read should leave you having felt that you learned something. I 've always been a mythology lover and love learning about all the similarities between myths the world over and this book gave me a grounding in Korean Mythology.

Who knew that Korean myths would merge seamlessly with the story of the Pied Piper! Having been to Hamelin, I know pretty much all the version of the tale and this story really gave it a new spin.

Lina is mourning the loss of her own gang the Talons, dealing with separation from her baby sister and having to carry out heists for the kingpin who killed her gang. She is a trained assassin and now she's been sent to steal an ancient relic. But when she dismantles it she earns the wrath of the Emperor of the Dokkaebi.

Lina is soon whisked to another realm and given the take of killing the Emperor - by the Emperor himself. If not he kills her. And if he does that who will save her baby sister?

I loved learning about the myths and different gods in the Korean pantheon. Lina is a determined FMC and one who has to overcome an unwelcome and ill-timed attraction. There is Hate/Love, enemies to lovers, a serious age gap, power shifting dynamics and a rebellion! There is a lot in this book and I would heartily enjoy continue reading this adventure.

This was a really engaging story, many layers of emotional complexity between Lina and Rui. Enemies to lovers, but something deeper too. I read this as part of an Entangled Insiders reading party in advance of Book 2 coming out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy.

I loved this book! It was very intriguing and at times had me on the edge of my seat wanting to find out what happened next.

I enjoyed the combination of Korean myths that brought this story to life. It was well written and had some wonderful world building.

I liked following along with Lina's journey. And seeing how her complex relationships changed and evolved as the story went on.

I can't wait to dive into the next book and see where Lina's journey takes her.

If you're a fan of YA fantasy then this book is for you. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a classic enemies to lovers story with a Korean twist. I loved the story and loved the fact that it had a lot of Korean mythology written into it, however I wish there was an index of some sort with all of the Korean words used (because yes there are A LOT) that you could easily flip to to look up the meaning. Because looking up the words which definitely helped to understand not only the story but helped understand the Korean mythology took up a lot of my time instead of actually reading the book making the reading very disjointed and choppy.

I did however love Lina and Rui's banter and playfulness even while thier "bargain" was going on and she was trying to kill him. I cannot wait to see what the future books have in store for them!

Thanks Entangled publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Entangled Teen for this book.

I became totally invested in this book. I found myself struggling between my desire for Lina to kill Rui and to kiss him.

At times I wanted to end him myself and at others he was so kind, living and thoughtful.

The book was full of danger, mystery and adventure and just the right amount if romance.

I am so excited to see what happens in Lina's life in book two.

<b>Death does not die, and neither will you, Shin Lina.</b>

Though this is labeled a teen fantasy, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was excited to read a fantasy involving Korean mythology and it did not disappoint. This is a debut series for this author and I feel it was very well done. I am a girl for tension over just spice, and this book has tension ten fold. It’s a true enemies to lovers trope done right.

This book started off a bit slow but then really picked up, so if you’re doubting it, just hang in there! I believe it needed the world building and flashbacks to drive the story now that I’ve finished it and am awaiting the next book.

The FMC, Lina, is strong because she has to be, but has a lot to learn about herself in order to be her best. Throughout the book we get flashbacks of her prior life with family and friends and can feel her journey with grief. Guilt fuels her to make some brash decisions and the book details her entrapment in the guilt and her attempts to overcome it.

The MMC, Rui, is mysterious, dark and intriguing…everything we could ever want, am I right? He’s playful, witty and charming.

Lina, burdened by the loss of her friends and family is working for a bad guy, Kalmin, in order to protect the one person left alive that she loves, her sister. Kalmin and his Blackbloods only guarantee her sister is left alone if she obliges to meet their needs. When Kalmin is captured by Dokkaebi, Lina is given the choice to lose her sister or go fight to return Kalmin. She obviously chooses to fight because her sister’s survival hinges on her being alive.

Lina meets the Dokkaebi emperor (Rui) responsible for kidnapping Kalmin, and he makes her a deal that if she can kill him in 14 days time, she may keep her life and return Kalmin to the Blackbloods and guarantee her sister’s safety. Seems easy enough for a trained assassin such as Lina, right? Well, deception and lust seem to barter for her time, time she doesn’t have.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to join the Entangled Insiders Read-A-Long. I enjoyed it and cannot wait to follow up with the next book in the series.

Last of the Talons is a new YA fantasy series with a Piped Piper Retelling twist. I really enjoyed the world building author Sophie Kim put into the Dokkaebi's realm. Our female heroin Lina is an assassin who's mission is to take down the Piped Piper or risk the life of her sister. I really felt for Lina throughout most of the book and found myself being engrossed in her back story. There is an enemies to lovers twist with her love interest Rui, which I felt was a good choice for the direction of the story.

This is only book one in the series and there is a lot to unpack in the next book after the ending took a twist I didn't see coming. I'm excited to read on in the series.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the gifted copy to review.

This is my first delve into Korean mythology. This book kept me intrigued from start to finish. I loved the dynamic between Lina and Riu. Who doesn't love a good enemies to lovers book? I can't wait to read book 2.

Lina is in an impossible situation - forced to rescue the employer after she was caught stealing from a Dokkaebi emperor. He's made a bargain with her. She has two weeks to kill him, and they will both go free, able to save her sister. But fail, and he will kill her instead. As she spends time there plotting his demise, things start to slowly change and they Lina realizes that she and Rui are not as different as she once believed.

This was a really interesting angle on the Pied Piper, and I liked the focus on Lina and realizing who she was, what she was, and that she can continue on without the Talons.

Review: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This book was on my radar but it wouldn't have come into my radar if it wasn't that dang bookstagram reel my fellow bookstagrammer, Andreea shared.

It's so wonderful to see more exposure to Korean myth retellings especially after reading Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. I do adore anything related to Asian mythology and also a note of the Pied Piper retelling.

This story begins with Shin Lina, an assassin who is forced to work for the rival gang that butchered her gang, Talon and fellow friends and family. As such, she has been living with the guilt and hatred of oneself as she goes through the motions every day. The only thing keeping her going is her baby sister who lives in the school by the mountains which the gang holds as collateral. One day, she was asked to steal a tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple (immortal goblins) which brought upon the wrath of the Dokkaebi Emperor and getting ferried away to the immortal realm and competing for her very survival and freedom.

I have mixed feelings about this book:
The good: The slow-burn between the badass heroine and the sneaky hero - Yummm! The intricate world building and the Korean elements thrown into it.
The so-so: I'm not too familiar with Korean gods and myths and there were so many God names and Korean related aspects thrown in the mix that I lost track of what is what, who is who and so. It would be nice if there were some footnotes to help. I felt like this novel dumbed some things down. I wish there were more Korean related aspects used like Korean hyperboles or a play on Korean sayings and words to add more elements to it.
The not so good: There is a shift between the past and present as we learn more of Lina's past and how she came into her current predicament. I do enjoy getting to understand and know her character more. My only issue with this is the choppiness and the abrupt shift in time at times that I get so confused. I would suggest making it clear there is a break or a change in scene.

I also have trouble relating to Lina as a character. While she has spunk and is a feisty heroine, I feel that the other characters made her to be someone freaking amazing at what she does when there has not been much to show on her assassin skills. She is always wallowing in guilt, depression and feeling sorry for herself and at times the pitiful party is just frustrating to read.

The world building itself is wonderfully done. I do like the glimpses we see. While the writer lacks the lyrical and whimsical language that is often found in Asian mythologies, the depictions of the world were still clear and imaginative.

Read if you are interested in:
-Feisty heroine
-Sly and sneaky hero (Mr Emperor himself)
-Forbidden love
-Enemies to lovers
-The sarcastic and touch me and die banter
-Forced proximity
-Asian mythologies

I would still say this book is worth the read especially for YA fiction.