Name: Talon the Black
ISBN: 9780578465500

Melissa Mitchell

When a dragon falls from the sky, Claire Evans rescues it. She quickly finds herself tangled up with an unbelievable fantasy world, with the fate of the entire kingdom of Dragonwall resting on her shoulders. If she cannot fulfill a task entrusted to her, the kingdom will crumble. She gets more than bargained with Dragonwall's king.

Talon the Black

Elianna Lucas

“There is no minimizing the task ahead of you. You would be treated as an outsider-tried in court as a threat to the kingdom-as a criminal.”
 —Melissa Mitchell

I really really loved reading this book! Talon the Black is the first installment of seven books in the Dragonwall series. The world of Dragonwall itself is beautifully described, the characters are unique, providing great insight into the world, and enhancing the storyline.

Claire is a smart, courageous, witty, and badass lead, who takes the reader on a beautiful adventurous otherworldly journey. She jumps headfirst into the situations she is presented with, pausing only to contemplate her feelings for a moment before deciding that she must do what is necessary. Claire’s interactions with the Drengr, shapeshifters who can transform from human to dragon, were some of my favorite moments within the story. They don’t understand her modern ways, and she does not curb herself to fit their understandings of how she ought to act. The tension and resolutions of these interactions were really enjoyable to read. In this way, I love how well the author placed the elements of the modern world in conversation with the elements of the medieval world that is Dragonwall. 

Claire’s relationship with Cyrus was probably my favorite part of the book! I was struck by how trusting Claire was of the strange Drengr, having not known they even existed prior to their meeting, and how quick Cyrus was to provide Claire with answers to her questions. Cyrus’s loyal character makes him immediately trustworthy and absolutely someone I would want to know. As her first introduction to the customs and mannerisms of Dragonwall, Cyrus made me excited to meet the other Drengr and experience Dragonwall for myself. Cyrus acted like a big brother to Claire, helping her to understand the workings of Dragonwall and seemingly believing in her more than she believes in herself, which every great heroine needs!

I know not everyone is a fan of multiple POVs in one book and I myself am typically not a huge fan, but I think the multiple perspectives offered throughout the book really added to a fuller understanding of the story. Instead of strictly following the storyline of one character, we are introduced to a few different storylines that provide context and background to the main storyline. Since there were various POVs presented I am even more curious and committed to seeing how they are all brought together throughout the rest of the series. 

Overall this is definitely, by far, one of my favorite reads so far and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series. Melissa Mitchell did a wonderful job creating a world that I want to go back to and characters that I want to continue reading about. Thankfully I have Reyer the Gold so I can start on that one, but will have to wait for the others. 

This is a MUST read!

What would you do if a dragon fell from the sky? Dragons don't exist, and if they did, they certainly don't fall from the sky. Or do they? Claire Evans is a small-towner from Indiana faced with this exact situation. When a dragon crash-lands in her corn field, she goes gallivanting off to rescue it.This incident triggers a chain of events that sweep our heroine into a complicated plot to destroy the kingdom of Dragonwall. Dragonwall is a kingdom unlike any other, with brooding dragons that can turn into men, Sprites who hide within magical forests, greedy Gobelins, and so much more. Lurking in the coldest reaches is a powerful sorcerer whose only desire is to bring about a past long forgotten, a past that favors those of magical blood and condemns those who are not worthy. To achieve these means, he would annihilate an entire species.Claire finds herself thrust into an old-fashioned world similar to those she's grown up reading about, one of fantasy, politics, and intrigue. A lifetime of books hardly prepared her for what is to come. She must face unimaginable difficulties, and in so doing, discover secrets about herself. All the while, there is one obstacle that stands in her way: the King of Dragonwall. Claire needs him on her side if she is to succeed. Can she show him the truth and earn his trust?The King of Dragonwall is not like those before him. Troubled and temperamental, he is scarred by more than the events that shaped him. Worst of all, he is mateless. With no queen and no heir, his subjects are demanding he abandon tradition and marry into nobility. But with the rising threats upon his borders, Gobelin unrest to the east, and talk of an even darker terror to the north, he will soon have far greater problems than that of finding a wife...

Krystal Pollock

I don't know if it's because I'm older and not a teen just entering the ya world but I for the life of me couldn't get into this. The many povs kept throwing me off and for a while it just kept going on about nothing that was necessary. I ended up dnfing it. I will try again at a later time.

Manon van Heumen

The plot and worldbuilding are superb in this book. The story is filled with beautiful settings that I could visualise perfectly in my mind. I was embraced by the alluring Drengr race of dragon-shifters and did not notice the time pass as I read. It was a slow burn until a huge plot twist left me heart-broken in the first chapters, and I simply could not stop reading.

Talon the Black

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