This amazing debut from a promising new voice in YA was everything I love about fantasy books!

I loved the enemies to lovers trope in here, it was done so well and it was my favorite part! Our main character is also a badass and I always love this so seeing it here in this book made me really happy!

I thought the book was written really beautiful as well, it was lyrical at times and I quite loved that.

I cannot wait to read more from this author overall and I hope there’s more in this specific world!

This book held so much promise and I was interested in the worldbuilding as well as the mythical figures it featured, but the execution and overall plot pacing felt disorganized for me. I really wanted to enjoy this but I feel like this tries to be too edgy, and at some point I lost track of where the plot was supposed to lead.

I wanted so badly to get into this (Asian fantasy!!), but sadly, it fell short. The concept was pretty cool, but I found the execution to be lacking. It felt very generic and a bit on the juvenile side. The writing and characters were very bland, and I didn't care about anything that was going on. I found the bargain with the Pied Piper and Shin Lina to be rather...silly? She kept trying to kill him and he was all, 'oh you're so adorable, hehee.' Like what?? It's also an enemies-to-lovers romance, which is usually my jam, but I found the romance to be lacking any chemistry whatsoever. Which made the romance boring. Which made the whole story boring, because it's basically a romance disguised as a badass Asian fantasy.

It also didn't help that I felt very apathetic about Shin Lina. It's a classic case of tell, not show...we are told CONSTANTLY that Lina is the Reaper, she's a badass, an assassin and a thief, blah blah blah. But I made it halfway through the book I had yet to see any of that. She's childish, constantly getting caught, or in need of rescuing. For all the bragging about how adept she was, she was pretty useless.

Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim is the first book of the Talon series. After her entire Talon gang gets obliterated, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—known as the Reaper of Sunpo—is made into a living weapon of a crime lord against her will. The safety of her little sister is the only thing keeping her obedient. When Lina is tasked with stealing a tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple, it incites the wrath of a legendary immortal. Soon Lina finds herself in the realm of the Dokkaebi. She must fight for her life and her sister’s, and she is willing to use any trick in the game to do so.

This Pied Piper retelling is full of Korean mythology and the world-building was cool. I liked Lina’s dedication to family.

LAST OF THE TALONS is such an incredible debut - it is fun, atmospheric, and absolutely thrilling. ⁣
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I really loved Shin Lina’s character. She is incredibly brave in the face of adversity, and her strong sense of loyalty and determination was admirable. I enjoyed seeing her growth throughout the story.⁣
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Now I won’t say much else because I don’t want to spoil the fun of reading this book, but please check it out. It is just amazing.

Es una novela atrapante que me mantuvo en vela hasta el final! Es realmente increíble. Seguramente la leamos en un club de lectura con protagonistas asiáticos !

Last of the Talons is the YA fantasy début by Sophie Kim. It recounts the story of Shin Lina, infamous for being the Reaper of Sunpo, who after stealing the tapestry of a very powerful Dokkaebi, sees her master kidnapped by the very same creature whom she stole the artefact from. To prevent the threats of murdering her sister, Eunbin, Shin Lina must go to Haneul Rui's realm and save her master. But a dangerous game emerges between the two, and Lina's time is counted to accomplish her mission. She has to carve out the heart of the terrible emperor, no matter the price.

I expected a lot from this novel, and eventually it disappointed me a little, I must say. I enjoyed a lot the Korean background; like any fantasy story out there, whether it is YA or NA, I feel like adding a personal touch to the story with a specific set of folklore traditions spices up the plot. In this novel, it also contributed to giving some originality to the storyline, which is quite frequent in YA fantasy nowadays. That's perhaps why I didn't appreciate this one as much as other readers: although the story in itself is well crafted, the lack of originality bothered me quite a bit. Again, readers can expect the tropes of the enemies-to-lovers, the said strong female lead that is an assassin wanting to avenge her companions lost in battle, and the said terrible emperor who, at some point, reveals himself to be soft-hearted and still grieving the loss of a past lover. I believe that, because I encountered several similar characters in the past, I did not feel attached to these ones this time.

If the plot didn't particularly appeal to me or at least make me gasp during my reading, I want to point out that Sophie's writing style is still very pretty and enjoyable and, on the whole, the world-building worked very well.
I would have appreciated it if her editor removed a few "so, so very *insert adjective*" for I feel like it would have given a bit more substance to the characters and helped with the building of a personality more, linguistically at least.

I will wait patiently for the second book to come out, as I am still very much curious to know how Shin Lina's revenge will turn out. I am also interested in knowing more about her mysterious new power that erupts at the end of this first book. Anyways, I want to be surprised! So surprise me, Sophie Kim!
Meanwhile, I will recommend this novel to some of my readers, for I'm sure a lot of them will like this story!

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced version of this novel; my apologies for taking so long to publish my review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Entangled Publishing for this advanced eARC for review.

Rating this 4/5 stars for now, as I'm about 60% of the way through but need to step away for a bit.

I'll admit that the premise of this book really pulled me in and has kept me interested for most of the book, but I do find myself struggling to pay attention or remain engaged in the story. Right now I think it's just a personal attention issue and a "mood reader" issue. I do plan on finishing the book and also reading the sequel, but just need to step away from the book for a bit.

*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

HELLO RIVAL vibes. Meaning, fans of the romance in All of Us Villains will love the couple in Last of the Talons.

Love the enemies to lovers romance, and the space given for healing.

I wish the flashbacks were more obviously marked as flashbacks, I got confused a few times.

What a ride. This book was an unexpected surprise for me, since the synopsis doesn’t seem to have a lot going on. I knew going in to expect enemies to lovers kind of story, but I LOVE the slow buildup and getting to know each other phase! The attraction wasn’t instant, the trust growing between them was tentative and wasn’t linear. It encapsulates everything I enjoyed about the trope. It was also a bit darker than expected, as Lina keeps having flashback about her life before the Talons and the night the Talons were murdered. She had PTSD and also smoking addiction, so please tread carefully. As the backstory unfolded, we grew to understand each characters more and see them grow throughout the book. Other than that, I wish it has more world building and political intrigue, but I really enjoyed the tidbits of mythology woven into the story. The ending was a little too perfect for me that I’d be fine without reading the next book, but I admit, I’m also curious of what will happens next!

The cover is what first caught my eye about this book, plus the fact that it features mythology.

Shin Lina has been drowning in guilt since the murders of her gang members, but she is forced to work for those very same murderers since they threaten her little sister. For that alone I would definitely recommend this book to older YA readers, as opposed to say, 13-year-olds. There is a lot of violence involved. Lina is then forced to steal a Dokkaebi tapestry, and the consequences are dire. Now instead of 30 days to get her wicked master back to save her sister, she now has 14 days to kill the Emperor of Gyeulcheon (the realm of the gods).

I can't care enough about this book to be able to focus on it. I don't know if it's my problem or the book's. I don't like the writing or the main character.

Sorry, but this was rather boring. I picked it up because it was compared to Leigh Bardugo's works and was disappointed that it was not even close to the same level. We are told lots of things but it is not demonstrated. The characters were lacking and I was not engaged in the story. Glad it works for others but I will be moving on.

Another YA fantasy book that I love. Idk this genre is so saturated with content but there are still some gems to be found within it. Last of the Talons was exciting. It was emotional. It was adventurous. It also surprised me many times which isn't easy to do in this genre (especially since I read so much of it). I resonated with the MC a lot at times and really appreciated the side characters as well. Overall, this was such a great addition to the YA fantasy landscape and I'm SOOO eager for the sequel.

The teNSION. THIS IS WHAT ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE! Chef's kiss to the whole romance side plot, wow it was done so wonderfully! And the fantasy elements were so alluring and had me imagining a whole world inside my mind. It's also incredibly admirable how the author depicted grief with ease. Because most of all, this book is about grief and healing. This is a wonderful debut novel!

Of course I have my complaints, such as the confusing switches between present and past, as well as the very, well, interesting phrases found. I get what the author tried to express, but it wasn't really the right way to do it. How can one laugh in midnight soft? I don't know. Moreover, the pacing at the start made it difficult to really get into the book. It's mostly due to the switching of present and past though. However, once you make it through the start, you'll be finishing the book in a blink!

Most of all, the aspects and themes of grief, sadness and love really struck me. It fit so well with the story, and had me questioning a lot of things in life. It was so wonderfully done. I applaud the author.

Overall, this was a very promising debut, and I can't wait for the sequel. There's a lot of interesting plot-lines introduced in this book, and I'm so excited to see where this story will go. I believe that this author can become big, with just a few adjustments and growing on the way. I'll be keeping my eyes open!

Over and out. -Nora<3

Last of the Talons was a well-done debut novel based on Korean mythology. Shin Lina was a great protagonist and kept me invested in the plot from start to finish. While I didn't always believe her assassin skills were to the level the story claimed, by the end, she became the character I wanted her to be. The romance was solid, and the story was entertaining. I give Last of the Talons a solid 3.5/5 and will read the next book in the series.

The Last of the Talons was a sweeping Korean fantasy novel about Shin Lina, the last remaining member of the Talon gang in Sunpo, who has been captured by a rival gang, and tasked to steal a tapestry from the temple of the Pied Piper, the emperor of the Dokkaebi, a sort of race of Gods in their world. Well, that God has something to say about the theft, and Shin Lina is swept into a game of cat and mouse where the stakes are fatally high. I loved this book, I found the fantasy elements engrossing and charming, and the story swept me away. The author even left it open for the possibility of a sequel. I would definitely read it. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Lovers of all things mythology woukd have a great time with Last of The Talons !! The world building felt a little bit choppy at times which is honestly expected with debut books and it wasn't too much to make it unlikable. The characters felt very fleshed out and were one of the best parts!

Last Of The Talons was a great story. It hooked me from the very beginning and kept a hold on me throughout the whole story.

Lina was a great MC. Her motivations were well cemented and consistent throughout the book. Her skills and the action overall were very well described.

The hate to love was done very well and the tension was EXQUISITE. The folklore the story was built on was interesting and the interweaving into the story was simple and well done

Rating: 3.5

This was a really fun new fantasy series based on Korean mythology. I actually wished the book incorporated a bit more mythology but it was enjoyable nonetheless, and I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

The Last of the Talons follows Shin Lina, allegedly the best assassin in the country/region. I say allegedly because for the most part she felt very unserious and immature for a supposed battle-worn assassin. Some of her so-called “tactics” felt cartoonish and amateurish. Her assassin skills aside, I did enjoy Shin Lina as a character and what of the most interesting parts of her story was her grief. Not to spoil too much but Lina suffers from survivor’s guilt. She starts the story haunted and broken, both physically and mentally and throughout the course of the story she learns to heal and find happiness again.

One thing that confused me about the story was the setting and time period. My e-arc did not have a map and I’m not sure if they added one in the finished copy but I feel it would be really helpful here. I never quite understood the geography and the different countries and regions of the world. At first I assumed the story was in a Joseon-like period but some of the descriptions about the other regions made the story feel like it was more modern.

cw: substance abuse, gore, death, mutilation, grief, hallucinations, kidnapping, parental death