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ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I support women’s wrongs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Addiction, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
xlaurareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
a badass strong assasin fmc with a tragic past, fighting for her and her sister's life while being enslaved by an enemy gang leader has to fight to stay alive in the mythological world of the dokkaebi because of a crime she didn't want to commit of her own free will. a fun, mysterious, entrancing dokkaebi king who's soft only for her and wants her to play his game of life and death. an incredibly well-crafted, complex and intense world full of magic. sophie kim did an amazing job in her debut novel about lina's story of survial. she crafted an amazing fmc whose drive is her love for her little sister and a wonderful mmc i fell for instantly. i wholly enjoyed lina's story - everything that happened in the now and everything she let us see from her past, and her whole story with rui. i loved rui and lina's dynamics and their complex relationship throughout the book which, who would've thought, ended with them falling for each other. i really enjoyed the whole development of the storyline and the influence of korean mythology which filtered in absolutely natural without having to be explained thoroughly in the beginning of the book (i like it way better as it is because it didn't make the book to boring or complex). the ending was great and i am looking forward to what will happen to lina (and rui) in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Slavery, and Kidnapping
beautifulminutiae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Murder, Blood, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content
sabrandbooks's review against another edition
4.25
I think if I read this at a different time it easily would’ve been 5 stars! At the moment I couldn’t connect to it as much as I hoped :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Blood
leedolee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Fast paced and brilliant world building! I enjoyed reading about Korean mythology and the Pied Piper story immensely! I look forward to the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
lisashelves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Alcohol
bookishcb_21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This story took me a while to digest, considering I started it awhile back and just now finished. However, the storyline grabs you, pulls you along for the ride, and makes you wish you had Rui on your side as opposed to him being the enemy. Lina’s courage and will to save her sister was very excitable and the fact that Rui (the Pied Piper) was there to taunt her the entire time was humorous. I don’t want to get too detailed about this description, as the way it ended makes me wish there was a snippet into what is to come for Lina and Rui…only time will tell 🐍🗡
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
cascannotread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Gore, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, and Blood
cw: substance abuse, gore, death, mutilation, grief, hallucinations, kidnapping, parental deathsabrinalefebvre's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook!
A lot of people have been raving about this book so I’m in the minority.
A lot of things didn’t work for me in this audiobook:
1. The Narrator.
Now I actually did somewhat enjoy the narrator. I thought she was really good in demonstrating emotions. But I HATED her voice of Lina’s little sister (forgive me but I’ll be writing the least amount of names possible since I listened to it and therefore have no idea of the spelling)
2. The repetitive use of some words
Ohh, this got on my nerves so bad. It annoyed me to no end when Lina kept repeating words over and over and over, sometimes in a row. If I have to hear (or read) the words « Gods damn » ever again I swear I’ll never read another book again.
3. The Romance
To put it simply, it felt forced. You’re telling me he fell in love with her after less then 2 weeks and he would be willing to do anything for her? I don’t believe you. Besides, how old is she? Lina is drinking in one scene so I’m guessing and adult but she describes herself as malnourished and so skinny you can see her ribs. Ik that can apply to an adult but that description just makes me think of an impoverished child.
4. Shin Lina
She got on my nerves. I did not like her. I didn’t like her internal monologue. Endless I tell you. In general I just didn’t like her.
And for those reasons, + the continuous use of modern swear words even though this is in another world, I’m giving this a 2 ⭐️
A lot of people have been raving about this book so I’m in the minority.
A lot of things didn’t work for me in this audiobook:
1. The Narrator.
Now I actually did somewhat enjoy the narrator. I thought she was really good in demonstrating emotions. But I HATED her voice of Lina’s little sister (forgive me but I’ll be writing the least amount of names possible since I listened to it and therefore have no idea of the spelling)
2. The repetitive use of some words
Ohh, this got on my nerves so bad. It annoyed me to no end when Lina kept repeating words over and over and over, sometimes in a row. If I have to hear (or read) the words « Gods damn » ever again I swear I’ll never read another book again.
3. The Romance
To put it simply, it felt forced. You’re telling me he fell in love with her after less then 2 weeks and he would be willing to do anything for her? I don’t believe you. Besides, how old is she? Lina is drinking in one scene so I’m guessing and adult but she describes herself as malnourished and so skinny you can see her ribs. Ik that can apply to an adult but that description just makes me think of an impoverished child.
4. Shin Lina
She got on my nerves. I did not like her. I didn’t like her internal monologue. Endless I tell you. In general I just didn’t like her.
And for those reasons, + the continuous use of modern swear words even though this is in another world, I’m giving this a 2 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Violence
lydiareads247's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"I am the last of the talons. My kingdom calls to me. And when I arrive the blackbloods will feel my wrath."
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
"Last of the Talons" is Sophie Kim's debut book, consisting of a pied piper retelling mixed with korean mythology, and it has such a promising plot - it follows Shin Lina in an adventure to the magical realm of Dokkaebi, where she sees her path intertwined with the emperor's (the pied piper) and the revolution.
While I did enjoy the author's writing, I see room for improvement, especially regarding monologues. She does start to fix that towards the ending of the book. There is much more internal monologue at the beginning of the book, which made it a bit dull at times, but once the book picks up, it gets really interesting.
Some of the "plot twists" weren't really twists, I could see them coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed when they were revealed and the plot developed. There are really good fight scenes and dialogue and Lina is a captivating character and fighter.
I think the one thing I disliked the most (though this is only a personal preference, for others this may be their cup of tea) was the constant flashbacks. Until about half of the book, Lina has flashbacks regarding her time with the talons, until it eventually culminates in their murder and how it came to happen. Sometimes these flashbacks take up whole chapters. I understand they're important to the story and I enjoyed reading about the other talons, but I feel like it would have been better if the book started up when Lina was still with the talons - their loss would have been more significant and we would've had a chance to see Lina in a different environment and time in her life. Though, if it was so, then we wouldn't get to Rui until later in the book.
Haneul Rui is the emperor and love interest. The one bad thing I have to point out about him and his romance with Lina is the classic "hundred of years old man falls for 18 year-old girl" (even though it's said that "Rui is 20 in dokkaebi standards" - I can only forgive that if time in his realm works kind of like in Narnia? Then the age difference wouldn't have much meaning but I'm not sure that's how it works). If I overlook the age thing, I was capable of enjoying their romance, especially towards the final chapters.
And speaking of final chapters, the one thing I was shocked about in the book was the final fight and the revelation about Lina - and I really liked it. It changes a lot regarding her fight since she now has the upper hand and no one else is expecting it. And the plan she shares with Rui in how she plans her revenge... can't wait to see it unfold.
Added to that, there were some plot points left unanswered that I'm curious about so I will definitely be reading the next book. I'm also a sucker for sisterly bonds so I'm looking forward to seeing how Lina and Eunbi's bond develops and I'm curious about the gods and their abandonment of their realms (I don't know if we'll get any looks into that but I think that would be really interesting).
Overall, I think Sophie Kim has done a pretty good job. "Last of the Talons" is enjoyable, fun and pretty much everything you can expect for in a book that has an assassin for main character.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
"Last of the Talons" is Sophie Kim's debut book, consisting of a pied piper retelling mixed with korean mythology, and it has such a promising plot - it follows Shin Lina in an adventure to the magical realm of Dokkaebi, where she sees her path intertwined with the emperor's (the pied piper) and the revolution.
While I did enjoy the author's writing, I see room for improvement, especially regarding monologues. She does start to fix that towards the ending of the book. There is much more internal monologue at the beginning of the book, which made it a bit dull at times, but once the book picks up, it gets really interesting.
Some of the "plot twists" weren't really twists, I could see them coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed when they were revealed and the plot developed. There are really good fight scenes and dialogue and Lina is a captivating character and fighter.
I think the one thing I disliked the most (though this is only a personal preference, for others this may be their cup of tea) was the constant flashbacks. Until about half of the book, Lina has flashbacks regarding her time with the talons, until it eventually culminates in their murder and how it came to happen. Sometimes these flashbacks take up whole chapters. I understand they're important to the story and I enjoyed reading about the other talons, but I feel like it would have been better if the book started up when Lina was still with the talons - their loss would have been more significant and we would've had a chance to see Lina in a different environment and time in her life. Though, if it was so, then we wouldn't get to Rui until later in the book.
Haneul Rui is the emperor and love interest. The one bad thing I have to point out about him and his romance with Lina is the classic "hundred of years old man falls for 18 year-old girl" (even though it's said that "Rui is 20 in dokkaebi standards" - I can only forgive that if time in his realm works kind of like in Narnia? Then the age difference wouldn't have much meaning but I'm not sure that's how it works). If I overlook the age thing, I was capable of enjoying their romance, especially towards the final chapters.
And speaking of final chapters, the one thing I was shocked about in the book was the final fight and the revelation about Lina - and I really liked it. It changes a lot regarding her fight since she now has the upper hand and no one else is expecting it. And the plan she shares with Rui in how she plans her revenge... can't wait to see it unfold.
Added to that, there were some plot points left unanswered that I'm curious about so I will definitely be reading the next book. I'm also a sucker for sisterly bonds so I'm looking forward to seeing how Lina and Eunbi's bond develops and I'm curious about the gods and their abandonment of their realms (I don't know if we'll get any looks into that but I think that would be really interesting).
Overall, I think Sophie Kim has done a pretty good job. "Last of the Talons" is enjoyable, fun and pretty much everything you can expect for in a book that has an assassin for main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction