Tag Archives: Julie Kagawa

Book Review: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

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Book: The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Published February 2021 by Inkyard Press|416 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: The Iron Fay: Evenfall #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Wicked faeries and fantastic danger… Welcome to book one of the new trilogy in N ew York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey fantasy series, as infamous prankster Puck finally has a chance to tell his story and stand with allies new and old to save Faery and the world. For fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!

“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF ME…”

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat from a time before Faery began. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy…himself.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. Evenfall is coming, and with it a reckoning that even their combined powers and wits may not vanquish, as a shadow falls over the lands of Faery and the world slips into chaos.

I really enjoyed this book!  It’s really nice to be back in Faery, and to get Puck’s story.

I loved this world in the Iron Fey series, I loved this world in the Call Of The Forgotten Series, and even though we’re only one book into this trilogy, I already love the world we’re seeing in this series.

Nothing is ever easy, and there’s always an adventure and danger and new threats.  This series is no exception, but I can’t wait to see how Puck, Meghan and Ash deal with Evenfall.  I mean, how do you deal with something that is from before the world of Faery even started?  All I can say is that we will find out.

Just when I thought it wasn’t possible to tell more stories in this world…well, Kagawa proved me wrong!  The first trilogy was always Meghan’s story (plus a book from Ash’s perspective), and the second was always about her brother and son.

But now we get Puck’s story!  I’m glad we finally get his story, because he’s been through a lot.  He’s changed a lot over the centuries, and I liked learning more about his past.  I really hope we learn more about Puck’s past in the rest of the series.  Puck really deserves to be happy, and I hope he finds happiness and peace.  Whether it’s with Nyx, someone else or just himself,  I hope he finds it.  My guess is that he’ll end up with Nyx.  But only because I’ve read pretty much all of her books, and I have a good sense of where things are going to go.  I could be wrong, but Nyx and Puck are interesting together.

And Grim!  I love that cat so much it’s not even funny.  I doubt we’ll get ever get a series from Grim’s perspective, but I’d take a novella at this point.  Grim does not show up enough, that’s for sure.

I’m glad we get to see what’s going on in the Iron Court, and that we get to catch up with Meghan, Ash and Kierran.  It’s good to have the gang back together, though I don’t like where things are headed.  I’m sure things will end up fine but getting there will be a journey.  It always is, and I’m just along for the ride.

4 stars.  I don’t know why, but I didn’t love this book.  I still really, really liked it, and it’s good to be back with Puck, Grim and everyone else!

Book Review: Shadow Of The Fox by Julie Kagawa

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Book: Shadow Of The Fox by Julie Kagawa

Published October 2018 by Harlequin Teen|409 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: Shadow Of The Fox #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

This is a book I’ve been excited about for a while.  I’ve loved Julie Kagawa since I read the Iron Fey series years ago, and I’ve been a fan ever since.  I really liked her Talon series and her Blood Of Eden series, so I figured I’d like this one.

This series and I did not get off on the right foot.  Like the first book in her Talon series, I thought it was okay.  If it had been most any author, I probably would have given up on it completely.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this series and I are having a rocky start, and that I’ll end up liking the series more in the 2nd book.  I’ve been in a weird reading mood lately, so that might be part of why I didn’t love this book.

Part of it, unfortunately, is the book.

I thought a lot of it was confusing, and I had a hard time keeping up with the 3 perspectives.  It wasn’t clear to me who was narrating what chapter, and it took a while to figure out that 3 people were narrating the book.  I did like the 3 different perspectives, and maybe, when I’m not in this weird reading mood, I’ll re-read this book.  I really did like the idea and the mythology, thought I’m not at all familiar with the mythology we see in the book.

That was another thing I found confusing.  I felt like a like of names were thrown at me, and while I’m not completely sure how much she was drawing from real mythology (or what mythology was her inspiration), it was hard to keep up.  I did like the glossary at the end of the book, but by then, I didn’t particularly care.  And honestly, the names didn’t stick with me at all, so it didn’t really do me any good.  I still appreciated it though, and it’s good to know for when I pick this book up again.  I really do want to give this book another chance, and I’m hoping I’ll like it a lot better on the 2nd read- with my current mood, though, I’m half-tempted to try the audio book, since the idea of listening is much more appealing than reading.  At least, that’s where I’m at right now, but that could change.

Anyway, back to the book.  I like the idea of a scroll that grants a wish to whoever holds it.  I like the idea of it being hidden by monks, and while it’s horrible that Yumeko’s home was burned, I also like the idea that she’s the Great Hope of the future.  Like I said, the idea is really cool, even if I found things confusing and muddled when I read it.

Is it predictable?  Of course it is.  Her series are pretty predictable, and they do have the same tropes.  I don’t mind it, because her series all have different enough story lines, so it doesn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of her books.  But sometimes, like with Shadow Of The Fox or Talon, it takes a while to warm up to the series.

2 stars.  I’m definitely going to keep reading this series, even though this book was okay for me.  My love for the author, and the fact that it’s a cool idea is why it’s getting 2 stars instead of 1, and I’m hoping that I’ll like the rest of the series better.

Book Review: Inferno by Julie Kagawa

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Book: Inferno by Julie Kagawa

Published April 2018 by Harlequin Teen|397 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: Talon #5

Genre: YA Paranormal

TODAY, WE STRIKE BACK.

WE SHOW TALON THAT WE WILL NEVER ACCEPT THEIR NEW WORLD.

Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the Order of St. George destroyed, Ember, Riley and Garret journey to the Amazon jungle in search of one who might hold the key to take down the Elder Wyrm and Talon—if they can survive the encounter.

Meanwhile, Ember’s brother, Dante, will travel to China with a message for the last Eastern dragons: join Talon or die. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon. 

The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn.

I really liked Inferno!  Not as much I thought, of course, but it was a pretty good end to the series.

It’s fast-paced and action-packed and we’re kept on our toes from the beginning, until the very end.  I liked seeing how things turn out, and there are some interesting choices and revelations.  I don’t want to spoil anything since Inferno came out pretty recently.  Some things may be predictable, but I’m not one who usually tries to figure things out, so I was quite surprised by some of the things that happened in the book.

I liked Ember a lot in this book, and she’s changed a lot since we see her in Talon.  I actually re-read the series so I’d actually remember everything that happened up to this point, and I’m glad I did.  It was nice going into this book having been reminded of everything up to this point.  Ember is pretty amazing, and she was so determined to do the right thing, no matter what.  I think only Ember could get the allies she needed to take down Talon, and while I wish we saw more of the Eastern dragons, I get why they didn’t want to get involved.  Except for Jade, of course.

I did like that everything turned out okay.  I’ve come to love a lot of the characters, and I finished the book feeling hopeful that things will change for the dragons at Talon, and that St. George will continue to be there should Talon need a counterbalance.  I love that about her series finales- they always end with the hope that the characters will go on to be okay, no matter what happened before.

I suppose she does have a certain story she’s going for, and her Talon series has been no exception.  It is pretty predictable as far as last books go (particularly in her case) but that didn’t stop me from really enjoying the book.

I especially loved the author’s note at the end of the book.  She talks about her love of dragons, and how long the story has been with her.  And I love the modern take on dragons as owners of huge corporations.  It works, and I love that she does put a modern spin on dragons and knights, and how they changed with the times.

The other thing I loved about the author’s note was the part where she talked about othering and how we see people who are different from us, and that part really stuck with me.  You can really see it in the book as well, and now that I think about it, it is there throughout the series.  It’s in the interactions between Talon and the Rogues, St George and the dragons, and Talon and the Eastern dragons.  I did see the story in a completely different way after reading it, and I’m glad that so many characters did try to challenge their beliefs and see things in a different way.

4 stars.  So, I didn’t love it, but overall, it’s a pretty good ending to the story.

ARC Book Review: Legion by Julie Kagawa

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Book: Legion by Julie Kagawa

Expected Publication is April 25, 2017|Expected Number Of Pages: 384 pages

Where I Got It: I received an advanced copy of Legion from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review

Series: Talon #4

Genre: YA Paranormal/Dragons

From the limitless imagination of Julie Kagawa comes the next thrilling novel of The Talon Saga. 

The legions will be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragonslayer can stand against the coming horde. 

Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all—dragons do not suffer human emotions—let alone with a human, and a former dragonslayer at that. With ex-soldier of St. George Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she’s capable of doing and feeling. 

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against St. George and her own twin brother, Dante—the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known. Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who will not yield.

It’s weird how much I’ve come to like this series, considering I wasn’t a big fan of the first book.

There’s so much I want to say, but I’m going to be vague for now, since I don’t want to spoil anything.  It is a must read, though.

I think I’ll start with St. George.  They’ve changed a lot as an organization (in my opinion), and I wish we had chapters narrated by someone in St. George.  It didn’t really have a place in this novel, unfortunately, but with how the last book ended, it would have been really interesting to see their perspective.

And Talon!  I can’t say I’m surprised, because I’m not, but at least it’s finally said why they want Ember back so much.  I kind of wondered it myself in the previous books, so at least they finally say it outright.  I wonder if that will change in the next book at all.

I also want more with both Mist and with Jade and the Eastern Dragons.  Will we see the Eastern dragons in the next book?  And are there other groups of dragons out there?  I doubt it, because I feel like they would have seen them in this book, but still.

I have no idea how our band of Rogues (and their allies) will go up against Talon, but I hope that they’ll win.  I have the feeling that not everyone will make it out alive, and there are a few characters I really love…and I hope it’s not one of them.  It would be really heartbreaking, and we’ve had enough of that in this book.

4 stars.  This series keeps getting better, and this is my favorite one so far, I think.  It’s going to be a long wait for the next book.