(Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the free ARC of this book!)

Every step Shin Lina takes in life is decided by someone else, but if there's any mistake in the calculation, that misstep is hers to take responsibility for. It's easy for her to throw herself in the near-death situations - after all, that's where she danced all her life. So, when the Dokkaebi shows up at the rooftop, the game doesn't change, the stakes just get higher.
This book literally glued me to my seat! I loved every bit of it! It's been a while since I've read a book with this much chemistry between the MCs.
Enemies to lovers, Korean mythology, amazing story building and backstories, the mixture of teasing, adrenaline, power and pain, all in this gem of a book. Go get it, immediately!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for provinding me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

Last of the Talons is an enjoyable fantasy read with a morally grey heroine (my favourite ones), a deadly task and enemies to lovers romance. The world building is the strongest part of this book: the author paints a vivid picture of all realms the heroine visits, and the history of the world really entrapted me. I really hope that the author will expand this world even more in the sequel! I also adored that the mythology is based on the Korean one - it led me to some amazing wikipedia page binges!!

While the romantic chemistry was enjoyable, I wasn't a massive fan of the pacing of it. Looking at the books timeline it felt a bit rushed, but hopefully we will see more development in the other book. I will definetly pick it up and go back to this amazing world

Last of the Talons is genuinely a fun book; it's intriguing, has some great descriptions and I loved reading about the Korean mythology included in the book to set up the worldbuilding!

Unfortunately, it also reads as all show and no telling. We're told Shin Lina is a skilled assassin and that she has to outsmart the Dokkabebi emperor but there are literally no important stakes here or evident instances to sell Lina's cleverness and ruthlessness. It felt like the author was trying too hard to set characteristics but could only deliver basic tropes. Besides, there are a lot of plot related inconsistencies and jarring switches to the past timeline, all of which combined made the book fall flat for me. I wasn't invested in the story as much as I wanted it to be, which is sad because if this book was a little more polished I would've thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a really interesting read, and not what I expected!

In the beginning I struggled to get into this, but once it picked up I had a really good time. This had such meaningful commentary on things like grief, and I actually really liked the romance in this! Which is rare for me. The characters were interesting and unique and I felt they were well developed.

I do have to say... the use of "purr" as a dialogue descriptor was not my favorite.

The mythology, the magic, the plot, the characters, etc. were all excellent! Apart from a few minor gripes, I really enjoyed this.

LAST OF THE TALONS is a book soaked in Korean folklore about an assassin who finds herself stuck in a game with an immortal - kill him or be killed herself.

There's a lot of action packed into this book, starting off with a heist. I like heists so this was the perfect start for me - hints of the creatures in the world building, a sense of history, and also stealing a precious tapestry.

The book is sort of told over two timelines, with the bulk of the book taken up by the present timeline of her in the other realm trying to kill Rui. However, interspersed are flashbacks to the events leading up to Lina joining her current gang. You know from the start it was not her choice and that her old gang, her family, were killed, but you don't know exactly how or why. The information is revealed slowly over the book, building up a picture of her past.

Lina explores the pocket realm the immortals are trapped in, and it was interesting to read about the consequences of forcing a bunch of people used to roaming into one place, the way lives changed. To humans like Lina, the realm is mystical and magical (and terrifying), but there are some very mundane structural issues that are found in her home too. Usually it's the humans who end up at the bottom of the pile, with the immortals at the top, but when there are few humans, what happens?

This is the start of a series (duology?) and while there are definitely things that need to be resolved in the next book, this one comes to a really nice conclusion without a cliffhanger.

I went into this book solely because of the Korean folklore. After watching my fair share of K-dramas, I was familiar with some of the myths that were retold here, but the book expanded more on Goblins and their powers that was new and utterly compelling.
Any book that opens with a heist is up to a great start. Our 18 yr old, Shin Lina, is tasked with stealing a tapestry for her boss, Kamlin. A piece of cloth that would cast her into months of misery and deadly games.

Lina was the sole survivor of Talons. We get to know more about them as we read the book. She misses the others and wants the group back, but they only visit her in dreams and their memories haunt her at every turn. She suffers from a trauma that leaves her wounds raw, wide open, taking time to heal. She really struggles with it for the most part of the book.

Things looked grim for her until she stepped into the hidden realm of Gyeulcheon (the made-up world of the goblins). The Goblin Emperor, Rui, whisks her to his land because she stole his precious tapestry, so she has to pay for her crimes. He's weirdly obsessed with Lina not in a creepy way. But he is interested in her from the go. It makes me think that he has different motives to approach her.

Lina and Rui end up making a deal that was ridiculous in the first place. She had to kill him before 14 days, or he would kill her. The fun part was reading about her failed attempts at killing him. He had a knack to escape death. Readers who love daggers-to-the-throat trope will enjoy this story. I sure did.

Read this book if you like Korean mythology or watching periodical fantasy K-dramas. I can assure you it’s worth your time. I can’t wait to see where this story is headed next.

A beautiful cover, but I didn't love what was on the inside sadly. It felt like it dragged on a LOT, and I was having to skim read to get through it.

Our main character, Shin Lina, is supposedly a ruthless assassin known as The Reaper, but we were never shown this - it was a lot of telling and not showing. We are constantly told how she maimed, she assaulted, she killed, how everyone in the city feared her - but I just didn't find that believable for a second. There was no example or proof that this was ever the case. Also, despite her being such a highly skilled assassin, as soon as going for a full frontal stabbing assault on the Emperor didn't work, rather than finding a more creative, crafty, sneaky way to kill him, she goes for seduction instead. It just felt very invalidating and reductive when we're constantly being told how amazing she is at killing people. I also felt confused because she became a member of her gang only 3 years ago, and yet she is more skilled than any of them who have been training for a lot longer than her, to the point where she is the only one capable of protecting any of them? I didn't feel any chemistry between her and the love interest, and pretty much all the characters fell flat.

I loved the inclusion of Korean mythology and more books need to be written about it, but this one just did not work. A lot of this book just didn't make sense, and I think it needs more development and fleshing out

An enjoyable read with an enemies-to-lovers vibe. I wish I had this Korean mythology-inspired fantasy when I was growing up, but I'm so happy young and older readers alike will see their culture reflected in the books they read. I'll admit it did take me a bit to get into this. I read the first couple of chapters but ended up putting the book down and then picking it back up again from the beginning a few days later. I wasn't quite in the right mindset for it when I initially began.

I could have done with a few less "vulgar/cruel gestures" only because due to Sarah J. Maas's THRONE OF GLASS series, I'm forever turned off by that phrase because it was so overused. I did find a few overused words in this book as well but nothing to really distract me from the story as a whole. The world-building is good, especially in terms of the Korean gods and goddesses. The writing itself is also good and you wouldn't think this is a debut novel. It's hard-hitting, really gritty, and there's blood and death all around.

The main character, Shin Lina, is dealing with so much as well. There's a lot of tension between her and Hanuel Rui, the emperor, and internal struggle and guilt within her regarding the old gang, the Talons, and her younger sister, Eunbi. The entire idea of the "game" sort of fell to the backburner and was just mentioned in passing as the chapters progressed. I don't think the two seem to take it seriously later.

For a hot minute there I thought we would be left wanting in regards to the reason why Shin Lina is actually in this realm of Dokkaebi but we got some answers. How Lina has transformed throughout the book is gone well, which makes me all the more eager and interested to read the next book in the series because I know she and Rui will just kick ass, lol. Their romance definitely fits the enemies-to-lovers trope, and I liked it, especially since all they wanted to do is kill each other but also seemed to have a lot of fun with it. Give me more of these two walking in moonlit gardens at night, please.

Thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Orphaned at a young age, Shin Lina, the Reaper of Sunbo, is taken in by the Talon gang and manages to get her younger sister to a safe place. Betrayed by a rival group, she is forced to work for the gang who killed her found family and is ordered to steal treasures from sacred places. When her despised boss is taken hostage by the powerful god Haneul Rui , also known as the Pied Piper, she is blackmailed using her sister's safety into going to the realm of the Dokkaebi, the small created kingdom of the immortals, in order to save her boss.

Amused by her antics and her reputation, Rui is intrigued by her and offers her freedom if she is able to kill him. Will she be able to use her skills and intelligence to save her sister?

Last of the Talons, the debut novel by Sophie Kim, is a fun and entertaining book that blends romance, action and Asian culture. I thought it had a fun plot and it kept me interested in what happens. I liked that mythology, Korean details, magic and fighting were all mixed in together. I really enjoyed it and hope it finds an audience!

Really loved this book! It has a vibrant, well-executed romance which took up a big part of the book. The main character had great development and the world was pretty interesting. Looking forward to the sequel.

ARC REVIEW
This was amazing. Enemies to lovers. Fantasy. A strong willed fmc. This had everything! It handled grief amazingly well and had my teary eyed several times and squealing with delight at other times. Safe to say this pulled me out of a reading slump and im desperate for the second one.

This was quite an enjoyable book. The start might not have seemed as such, but it really had me on the edge of my seat when the wheels of the plot started moving. I think the world and the mythology are my favorite parts in this book, and it reallt made reading it so much more fun. I liked the characters too, even if they were frustrating to me a few times, and some of the background characters felt kind of meh and forgettable. Plotwise as I've said, it's interesting, but it's also lacking that extra wow factor that would have bumped my rating. There were just some scenes that felt anticlimactic. I still liked it overall and I'm definitely seated for the sequel.

Last of the Talons may be one of my new all-time favorite YA fantasy books!

Once things got started, I did not want to put this book down. The deal that Lina strikes with the dokkaebi emperor creates the perfect tense and crafty story with two equally cunning characters. I was immediately obsessed with the emperor. He is snarky and flirty and clearly has a big dark past. A.k.a the perfect YA fantasy love interest. Lina can be naive and overly trusting at times which contrasts with her history as a dangerous assassin. This is a problem in almost all YA fantasy I read so I chose not to lower my rating even though it was very annoying. Other than her few moments of questionable judgment, Lina is an incredible main character. I always love books with badass assassins and this one did not disappoint. I also loved reading about Lina's journey of self-forgiveness and growth.

I am obsessed with the romance in this book. Their dynamic reminded me a lot of Cardan and Jude in The Cruel Prince. I loved watching Kui and Lina slowly figure each other out. Though the romance was borderline insta love, the sudden shift in their attitudes is balanced out by some truly delicious angst. This book has one of my favorite angsty romance scenes I have ever read.

The world is incredibly rich and unique with an intriquing cast of side characters and many secrets to discover. Kim reveals just enough details to hook the reader while leaving a lot left to discover in the next books. I can only imagine how the stakes will be raised in the sequel.

The short chapters, engaging plot, and romantic angst made Last of the Talons a very fast read. I cannot wait to read the next book!

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

I was interested when I first saw Last of the Talons because Korean mythology, but I also heard enemies to lovers? And y’all, I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope. You know I couldn’t turn that down.

Plot: The general plot is perhaps not the most unique in terms of the basis/structure. It wasn’t necessarily formulaic; I think it’s just plot points I’ve seen in a lot of other fantasy novels (ex. this happens and this happens and then some sort of betrayal and then that happens). But I did like how the plot was very character-driven, and I think that it worked well. The plot pacing was good, and I felt like I just flew through the book. I honestly could not put it down. I also love when authors tie in the title with the plot, so I liked that little tidbit too.

Characters: Lina is a very strong-willed character, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective. Lina and Rui are both a bit morally ambiguous in their own way, and I really liked how their characters complimented and contrasted with each other. There’s definitely still a good amount of mystery surrounding Rui, and I’m really interested in learning more about him and his past. The secondary characters like Kang and Chan didn’t play as much of a role, but I hope to see more of them in the sequel too.

Romance: Regarding the romance, you already know I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, and I also love the “who did this to you”/“who hurt you” trope. So when that was also in there, I just, yes, *chefs kiss* delicious. I enjoyed the build-up of their relationship and how, even by the end of the novel, it was definitely still in development which is a nice change from insta love, which I see a lot of. I’m really looking forward to seeing their relationship grow; I loved their dynamic so much.

Honestly, I think the romance was what sold me on this one with the mythology and action taking more of a backseat. But I truly enjoyed it a lot, and I can’t wait for the next book. I definitely recommend it to fans of romance, enemies to lovers, fantasy, and Korean mythology!

CW: mentions of physical abuse/torture, addiction

Probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.

The first time I saw this cover, I was immediately intrigued but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it. But when the arcs became available, I couldn’t resist requesting and it’s almost relieving that I’ve managed to finish an arc before the release after quite a while.

I’m in the middle of a reading slump, so I was actually glad to have both the digital and audio arcs as I felt it easier to navigate the two based on my mood. I however do have to mention that there was a strange echo throughout the audio production, and I don’t know if it’ll be present in the final audiobook. The book starts off in a pretty intense manner and I felt like that tone remained all through, with the stakes always being high. The world building is also pretty cool with Korean inspired gods and mythology, a whole new realm of Gyeulcheon where the Dokkaebi live and their powers and motivations. I also liked how the mortal realm is kind of modern with their technology which makes it feel almost like a contemporary fantasy, which isn’t usually my cup of tea, but it worked well here. I will agree that it took me a few chapters to get into the groove of things, but once our main character moved to the Dokkaebi realm, things got very cool and intense.

Lina is the reaper, or a highly skilled assassin, working for a gang lord against her will. Her character is defined by the self loathing and guilt she has for the death of her group, Talons, and how much she adores her baby sister Eunbi. She will do anything for her sake, including saving her boss whom she hates by killing the Dokkaebi Emperor, Rui. She is quick thinking and full of anger about her circumstances, and can get impulsive at times, but is also naive and trusting in ways which surprised me.

Rui on the other hand is a trickster, playful and charming and wants to see if Lina will be able to kill him. But he is also fascinated by her and tries to keep interacting with her even when she only tries to kill him or shows disdain. Theirs is a truly crackling enemies to lovers dynamic with pining as well as hatred (from her side) which turns into something more. It was quite delightful to see the progression of their relationship. It’s still obvious that Rui is keeping a lot of secrets related to his realm but I was glad to see that they both could come to some understanding despite both of their differing motivations when it comes to mortals.

There are quite a few side characters but frankly I don’t think anyone was fleshed out enough that I cared for them deeply. But I did like Rui’s friends, who also happen to be his generals and advisors, and how protective they were about him. The more significant side characters are Lina’s dead Talons, her found family, who taught her everything she knew, whose values and teachings and words are still embedded in her mind, and whose deaths still haunt her every night. Their story is all told through flashbacks, which worked well in some moments, but also pulled me away from the current storyline at other times.

Overall this was a fun read. Fast paced, intense and emotional, charismatic main characters, and a very fascinating mythology make this an easy book to enjoy, and might also be just what you need if you are in a slump like me. Jaine Ye narrates the book matching the intensity of the main character Lina, and I did enjoy listening to her narration, if only a bit peeved by the strange echo. The climax action sequences and the surprises we get were very enjoyable, which has definitely made me much more interested in the sequel.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Lina is a trained assassin who is now working under the claws of the man and gang who killed her family under the threat of hurting her little sister Eunbi. One day she is tasked to steal a tapestry who turns out belongs to the pied piper. Turns out Pied piper is angry at her for doing so and besides kidnapping her boss ( whom now she has to rescue if she doesnt want the gang to come for her little sister) she has now striken a bargain with him. Kill him within 14 days and she will be free or fail to do so and die.

The premise alone was enough to make me interested. It had kdrama vibes and tbh enemies to lovers in fantasy?? we love them. Being honest i struggled a bit at the beginning. I didnt know how the story or the plot were going to go but what Sophie Kim did was introduce us slowly into the world and Korean Folklore.
Lina as a character confused me at times. She is THE REAPER yet she is so trusting of everyone. The n i remmeber her backstory and i can see someone that what truly wants is to not be alone and her trusting everyone makes sense. She just wants to find friends. She was strong yet vulnerable she felt real and complex. This is personal but i dont like the I am strong and indepenant and nothing can kill me i am a bad bitch vibe some books have. I want badassness with feelings and Sophie delivered that exactly.

Rui, i though he was too much like other male characters at first. At some point i though wow the author likes enemies to lovers and is kinda following the blueprint of male characters. We didnt get to know him until later and i am grateful. We knew him at the same pace as Lina did and we could understand him and his actions better and feel more conected to Lina.

What i found lacking about characters was how little description were there about the side characters. They appear yet they feel only ornamental like they are only there just as not to have only 2 characters in the novel. I didnt need them to have like a 100 page arc but i needed more than to know their name and a description of their hair at the beginning.

There were so many 5 star scenes yet i can only give it 4 stars based on how i struggled at the beggining and the underdeveloped side characters. not mentioning how it felt like the author chose 2 plot devices and then she separated them . One thing happens now and the other will happen on the following book. Felt a little anticlimatic

4.5/5 ⭐️

What an absolutely amazing debut. When I started this I was in a bit of a slump but once I got started I could not put this book down. Not only did I read this in one sitting, I had an AMAZING time. There are so many aspects about this story I love.

There are so many common ya tropes in here such enemies to lovers, who did this to, knife to the throat, and a few more. The way they were interwoven into the story and Korean mythology was incredible. The world building is so wonderfully built and so easy to understand.

And Lina and Rui? Don’t get me started on them! First I want to talk about Lina because she is a badass knife wielding assassin and I’m quite sure I fell in love with her. Lina’s grief and her perseverance through that grief to protect her little sister—who is absolutely adorable, by the way—was so beautifully done and so heartbreaking. And I would never want to cross her. Like, ever. Lina is very hard throughout a lot of the book because of what has happened to her but I think that’s what made me love her softer moments so much more. They didn’t happen too often but when they did my heart burst because it showed, that even for a moment, she thought she was safe.

Now is Rui a few centuries older than Lina? Yes. Do I care? Not really cause I love him and their relationship. Rui is truly such a fun character. He literally asks Lina to try and kill him because he was bored! Their banter together was simply fantastic. They compliment each other so well despite their barbed insults to each other. And Rui is so soft towards Lina ugh my heart. (You guys can’t tell through the screen but I’m giggling while thinking of Lina and Rui’s moments.) And I am so excited to see more of them individually and as a couple in the sequel. (Which I would like, immediately, thank you. I would like more of this masterpiece.)

This is a very long winded way of saying, this book is amazing, please read it.

Last of the Talons, by Sophie Kim, is the first installment in the authors Talons trilogy. Think of Last of the Talons as Labyrinth with Six of Crows, but with Korean mythology and goblins called Dokkaebi. This story is set to the backdrop of the fictional Kingdom of Sunpo. After the destruction of her entire Talon family one year ago, 18-year-old Shin Lina; the Reaper of Sunpo, is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord, Konrarnd Kalmin.

All that keeps Lina from turning on Kalmin is the life of her beloved little sister, Eunbi, which hangs in the balance if Lina betrays him in anyway. Kalmin orders Lina to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple which has been abandoned for centuries. A tapestry that is said to be woven with priceless jewels. When Kalmin is kidnapped, his second Asina gives Lina 30 days to bring him back or her sister will face the consequences of her failure.

After she fails for a game called Mouse Trap, Lina ends up in Gyeulcheon, the land of immortals, where the terrible Emperor Haneul Rui makes her an offer she can't refuse. She has 14 days to kill him, or he will kill her and she'll never see her sister again. The catch is that Rui is actually the Pied Piper who has lured humans to his realm where they are mostly servants to the immortals who live there. Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina's swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui.

Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister...all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass. This is also an emotional story. Both Lina and Rui have tragic backstories. The plot is literally unpredictable. In every chapter we have Lina and Rui with their conversations that lead to something really unexpected. He teases and taunts her and slowly begins to care for her, wanting to support and be there for her and is in awe of her strength and bravery.

This is literally an enemies become something more with a little betrayal and some surprises thrown in to keep your attention. I wasn't aware that this was going to be a trilogy, but heaven help me, and the sun doesn't stop shining, I'll continue the series to see what happens next in Lina's adventures.

A thief who is forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a terrible emperor... the challenge: kill him and be set free in 14 days... or die. Shin Lina is a famous thief and assassin known as the Reaper of Sunho. She is the last of her gang... her family... they all were killed by the man that has captured her and forced her to work for him. He threatens to kill her little sister if she does not comply, so when he forces her to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi (Goblin) she does... only to be faced with even deadlier consequences as this long thought to have been gone god has come back to claim her to face his wrath after stealing from him. Rui just so happens to be the emperor... and the legendary Pied Piper, a god who can play a flute that controls people... and he has offered her a chance to win back her life: if she kills him in 14 days. Killing an immortal god should be easy for someone like her right? It doesnt help that he kidnapped her crime boss ( despite her wanting to kill that man herself) but her current employers are threatening to kill her sister if she doesn’t return him in 30 days... she’s running on two timers. But trapped in an unknown kingdom, with a mysterious emperor who wants her to kill him yet is taking her to fancy dinners, balls, moonlight walks, and horse rides around his kingdom... something is going on and Lina is going to unravel it. Besides the infuriating and handsome Rui challenging her, Lina also finds herself in the middle of a revolution.... yet who can she trust? Can she allow herself to open up after all the pains that haunt her, after all the trauma and grief that lingers? This was an amazing enemies to lovers story. I adored the dynamic between Rui and Lina. Seriously Rui, I swoon for him. *Thanks Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) Lina finds herself without her Talon gang of assassins. She is forced to work for the opposing gang where she gets wrangled into a bargain with the emperor. The bargain involves either losing his life or hers. While staying at his palace, she plans his death while dreaming of “after” when she can take care of her sister.

I had total cover love with this one! I’ve learned I really love Asian literature so when I found this on Korean mythology I jumped on it.

“Bargains involve promises. Agreements. Honesty. I have to wonder, Pied Piper, how much your word is worth.”

Lina has had a hard life that has led her to this agreement with the emperor. He is the Pied Piper and can magically coerce people very easily. This starts their difficult relationship when she see his humans as slaves. She promises herself she will kill him to be with her sister.

I had a few problems with the story. First off, we hear about her sister a lot, but we get very little information on her. I get that the sister bond is strong but I needed more examples or secret meetings with her to fully be endeared to her. We never really “met” her. Next, I would have liked more stories on the Blackbloods/Talons conflict because other than being the opposing gang, it took a long time to see why they were rivals. Another aspect was that her “big story” from her past came in at the end of the book. There is a lot that works for that. However, I never felt endeared to Lina and I wonder if knowing at least more bits and pieces of that story would have helped me connect with her. It was something huge that shaped her entire existence. I felt in the dark for too long. Also, at times the jumping between timelines became confusing. A title hint or something would have been great.

It sounds like I had a lot of dislikes, and I did, but I was also entertained. The story has great promise and I’m excited to see the next installment!

Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

The book releases September 27, 2022.