(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.
Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey - and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him - and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

*2.5 stars*

This was a reasonably decent YA fantasy novel featuring dragons. It delivers everything you would expect from the blurb - action, intrigue, dragon-slayers, romance...

But that is all it was - expected. It didn't really offer up anything new. In fact, if you took Ember out of the story, there would be nothing. The secondary characters are so completely lacking in any real purpose, they may as well not even be there. And Ember herself was a bit of a contradiction - she was supposed to be a dragon, first and foremost, but for the entirety of the novel, she just wants to be human. Well, that doesn't make her special or unique - just boring...

And don't get me started on the love triangle. Why on Earth does every YA novel feel the need to do this? Totally unnecessary - the story would have been a heck of a lot stronger without it. Just watered down any real thrill or escapism that had been created by just rolling out the inevitable...

I will read the 2nd story in this series, Rogue, and see if it gets any better...but it really will have to improve out of sight for me to continue on.


Paul
ARH