ARC Review: Solider by Julie Kagawa

Soldier
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Talon #3
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Release Date: April 26th 2016
Book Length: 416
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
A fighter dedicated to saving humankind from dragons in strictest secrecy.

That was what Garret Xavier Sebastian thought he was part of as a soldier of the Order of St. George. What he learned from a fiery dragon hatchling twisted all he believed in and set him on a collision course with certain death-but not without a chance to put things right.

Betrayed and on the run again, Ember and rogue dragon Riley discover an unthinkable truth about Talon and St. George. They'll need Garret's skills and insider knowledge of the Order to negotiate an impossible deal-and if they fail, there will be no way to stop all-out war.

Review

I have loved this series since the beginning but I just knew Soldier was going to be a little different from Talon and Rogue. It’s that feeling you get when everything is going well but you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, for disaster to strike…. Except in this case you’re waiting for Julie Kagawa to crush your soul.

Similar to the Iron Fey series Kagawa makes you fall in love with her wonderful characters, even the bad guys have their shining moments, it’s hard to have strong negative feelings towards anyone – well except Scary Talon Lady, the name is reason enough. Anyway, so while you’re immersed in this new world and loving the direction each book is taking, suddenly out of nowhere Kagawa drops an A-bomb, a bomb so big and catastrophic that you find yourself thinking that you simply didn’t read that last sentence right, you’re eyes are deceiving you, perhaps it was a trick of the light?, all the while listening to your heart being crushed; this ladies and gentlemen is Solider. If tears do in fact feed Kagawa’s muse then I’d say that everyone better prepare for Talon #4 because it’s going to be one hell of a ride.


Solider picks up straight after Rogue, Ember and Riley are on the run from Talon and St. George and while attempting to save their scales they must also keep numerous underground dragons safe. During the ending of Rogue we saw my poor sweet snowflake Garrett leaving the nest and taking matters into his own hands. There’s not much I can say about Solider without giving away spoilers but I will say that you do get some much-needed answers to those questions that have been popping up since book one. 

Time for honesty, while I highly recommend Solider and the Talon series, I wasn't able to give it the 5 stars I was hoping due to a few minor issues; One being that a very very small portion of this book started to read as a filler but it did soon pick up. It was nowhere near as bad as Glass Sword - the entirety of that book was a filler! My other issue was Ember, like in glass Sword the MC seems to lose herself and while it is expected due to the extremely stressing trails they've been through, they're actions just seem wildly out of character and filled with contradictions that you can't help but pick up on. 

            What about answers to the romance? Hmm, again I’ll be honest, to me it remains a question mark. There was a moment in the book where a choice is made but the following events left a lot of room for potential change. I found myself looking way too much into certain scenes, the mere mention of certain colours had me convinced they were referring to characters and ships. Gray = OH MY GOD IT’S GARRETT, his metallic greys so dreamy, Ember belongs with him. Blue/Purple = AHHH IT’S RILEY, together at last, two dragons mating, it all makes sense. As you can see, I tended to jump the gun… and on numerous occasions.

Fan of the series will no doubt enjoy this heart-stopping sequel, there’s action, adventure, romance and more fire-breathing dragons!!! What more could you want? Kagawa has surpassed herself with this incredible instalment, her writing continues to have the same captivating affect and with each book my love for her incredible fantasy worlds continues to grow.



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3 comments:

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  2. I read Talon last summer and I found the plot to intriguing, but Ember lacked that extra umph I really needed for the first book. After that, I had tried to read Rogue, but ultimately put it down because I was set in a sour mood from Talon. I'm hoping to get back into it, because hello - DRAGONS, and I've seen some awesome reviews for Rogue. You seem very excited about Soldier and the upcoming 4th installment, so maybe I'll have to continue! Great review :)

    Lillie @Little Lillie Reads

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  3. EEEEKKKK, I can't wait for this book! I skimmed your review, because I'm both scared and excited for this A-bomb you keep mentioning. No doubt we will have words in about a week's time about this. I can't wait!!!

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