This is one of those books that doesn’t hook you until chapter 3. However once it gets going, there’s great world building and character development. I can’t wait for book 2 to be released! 

Thank you Oliver Herber Books for providing me an ARC!

I enjoyed this piece of literature and despite the repetitive information that Talia kept us reminding of over and over again, it didn't deter my enjoyment by that much (I mean, how many times are we going to be reminded that the FMC is there to buy soldiers among other things?)

This book for me is like a mix of Mulan and Pokemon; it's weird and I love it! Talia is a good protagonist to hang around and I really rooted for her and her actions as well the way she handled conflicts. Women in this book are treated poorly due to... well, something happened in the past because of pettiness and jealousy.

What kept me from giving this book a 5-star read is not only because of the repetitive information that our FMC will keep reminding us, but there are writing/creative decisions that I just wasn't really convinced with. For one, Talia's chemistry with Fortiss. With the way women were treated in this book, I was kind of skeptical if it will ever work out for her and Fortiss; I'm yet to be truly convinced of their budding relationship.

Another issue I had is about a certain tribe in the story where they were introduced, given a major backstory, and then they appear again during the last few chapters of the book. I felt like they were lacking and needed a bit more fleshing out despite their relevance in the story.

And finally, there was this councilor in the book that sounded like they were important, but their role kind of felt flat, I think? Almost like they didn't live up to the hype of their introduction. Like, for real I thought they were going to reveal something major about Talia but it turned out that they were just as surprised about a certain reveal and I was like ????

I like the other characters too like Caleb and Nazar, but nothing will ever top my love for our sweet baby boi cutie pie Gent! Despite being a behemoth, Gent has such a fun and unexpected playful personality to him! If anything happens to him I will kill myself and then society!!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️2.75🌶️

NA Post Apocalyptic Fantasy
Coming of age
Patriarchal society
Twelfth night reimagining
Warrior FMC
Magical beasts/familiars
Secret identity
House government system
Tournaments

I just wish there had been a world map in my eARC.

This was an amazingly unique magic system. I immediately was drawn into the world where men ruled with iron fist. I haven’t read many twelfth night/mulan reimagining, so I was pleasantly surprised by this fierce FMC. Talia witnessing her little brother being killed, takes up his identity to find the murderer and bring honor and vengeance to her house was a great background story for the FMC.

I enjoyed the Divh and look forward to the back story and further worldbuilding when it comes to understanding them better. The side characters were well conceived and brought so much heart to the story. I find it still unclear the structure of the world outside of the tournament, but I’m sure that the next book will widen the lense of the book to give us a fuller picture.

Modern language and phrases at times, but the writing style was easy to read and get drawn into.

The love story was a little too insta for me. Claiming an intense connection with very little interactions or knowledge of each other.

I’m excited to see where this story goes.

Thank you NetGalley and Oliver Herber Books for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this ARC!

The concept of Court of Talons is unique. The world building is done well. It's thorough but easy to understand, so I was able to get oriented in the book pretty quickly. Upon the death of her brother, Merritt, Talia assumes his identity and enters a competition to win soldiers and glory for her house (the Tenth House). The society is heavily male-dominated and Talia's success depends on her being able to masquerade as Merritt, who is the heir to the Tenth House. This is especially important with Fortiss, who met Talia right before Merritt died.

Talia takes on Merritt's Divh: Divhs are giant and powerful creatures that their owners can summon to wield using a mind-link. So yes, the premise is undoubtedly fascinating. It had similar vibes to Fourth Wing and especially Heavenbreaker in the way Talia interacts with and controls her Divh. In all three books, you see the main character navigating a newfound mind connection with a creature and bonding, training and fighting. There is also a shared theme of corruption among those in power and looming rebellions. Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver in the way that other, similar books did for me.

The plot was fast-paced and captivating in some parts but dragged on in other parts, such as during some of the trial games. The book might have benefitted if the stakes were a bit higher for the tournament and the consequences more dire.

The writing felt juvenile and clunky at times-- lots of exclamation points and dialogue that felt like it should've been an inner monologue instead. (Side note: the amount of times that the phrase "For all that [insert rest of sentence]" is written is kind of out of control; basically every other page. But this is just me being nit picky).

The romantic subplot was also lacking. I didn't see a deep chemistry between Talia and Fortiss and when things started to heat up it came out of left field. I was left wondering where in the world the things Fortiss was saying even came from because their interactions had been so limited.

I did really enjoy the side characters -- especially Caleb! He stole the show in every scene he was in and I loved how he treated Talia. Fortiss' character needed much more depth and I didn't feel much towards him. But Talia was a strong female character driven by revenge and rage, which I always love. Overall, it was an interesting premise but I didn't fully connect with the book.

I had the best time reading this book and it completely took me by surprise. Talia is such a strong and relatable character, in a male dominated society it was easy to root for her. Seeing Talia have to disguise herself as a man in her younger brother’s place reminded me of Mulan in the best way and the tournament plot was so entertaining. I loved how fleshed out the characters were and the found family aspect was well done too, i loved Caleb so much. The magical beasts called Divh’s bond themselves to the first born sons but Talia ends up connecting to her brother’s divh whose name is Gent. the romance was minimal but i liked Talia and Fortiss together. the end was so epic and I can’t wait to read the sequel!

I struggled to get into this one. I really tried, because I love romantasy, but there was far too much world building. It detracted from the actual story and made it hard to connect with the characters

I love fantasy but I struggle when there is overly descriptive world building. This is one of those stories that was too detailed at times. I also felt like there was a little insta-love between the two MCs. That being said, I really liked Talia. I think she's a great FMC for a fantasy series and I would definitely be willing and excited to continue the series to see where her story is headed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You Should Read “Court of Talons” by Jennifer Chance

If you like…
* Badass females
* Lovestruck lords
* Mistaken identity
* Bonds with monsters
* Fierce battles
* Murder and mystery

HER:🩷
Told her whole life being a female makes her a disgrace, unworthy, and not enough, Talia disguises herself as a boy to prove everyone wrong.

HIM:💙
Heir to the kingdom, he may be a loyal and honorable Prince Charming, or he may be a cold-blooded killer. Either way, Fortiss is making it hard for Talia to keep her secret, and her heart.

THEIR STORY:📖
When her brother is murdered on the way to the Tournament of Gold, Talia unexpectedly bonds with his monster, which is a death sentence for a woman. Desperate to bring honor to her house and to avenge her brother, Talia disguises herself as a boy and competes in the tournament. Hiding her identity is harder than expected with Fortiss, the heir to the kingdom, getting closer to both her identities. He could be the one who stole her brother’s life. If he discovers her deception, he could steal her life as well. If he doesn’t steal her heart first.

Pre-order now (out 10/3/24):

https://amzn.to/3zoVK7W

Thank you to Jennifer Chance and #NetGalley for letting me enjoy an advanced copy of Court of Talons.

If you like who-done-its with save yourself females and impossible love mixed in, you want to read this book.

This was a fun read! I liked Talia and Fortiss together. I felt the pacing could be a bit off with certain things I would have liked to be explored further.

What a good book to get me into fantasy fall! Talia is my hero and i’m so proud of her 🥹 Gent is the biggest sweat heart and the coolest Divh she could have gotten!! what an amazing world to be emersed in!

The writing was good and there was a lot of world building. The author set the mystery around Talia’s brothers death and what was going on at the tournament and with the First House. Nazar and Caleb were interesting supporting characters but otherwise I felt mostly underwhelmed. This book was slow in parts, a little repetitive and at times kind of boring. The romance was completely lacklustre. I could not connect enough to Talia as the lead and not enough time was spent establishing Fortiss as a stand-alone character which meant I just did not care about them as a duo. That side of the plot was not developed well at all and things went from zero to full on in like a blink which was just not believable. Overall for me this was okay but others might enjoy it much more. 2,5 🌟

What a delightful read!
I love romantasy so I had high hopes for this new series and I was not disappointed.
Talia, our FMC, is a strong and fierce woman who is growing into a warrior as she seeks to avenge her brother's murder. However, there might be even greater dangers awaiting her than participating the deadly Tournament of Gold...
The characters and the world building are really intriguing and I cannot wait for book 2.

Set in a world where monsters are very real, Court of Talons follows Talia on her journeyvto avenge her brother. Along the way, we learn thst the true monsters are not whom we might expect with danger coming from unexpected corners. Talia must make swift decisions with little time to determine who she can truly trust. The story moves at a fast clip and has an intriguing storyline overall, however the plot structure kept me from truly loving it as I wished some of the other characters were more fully developed. All in all, I will likely read the next installment in hopes of learning more.

I received an ARC from netgalley for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5 stars

The plot of this story is very like others that are on the book market already - tournaments, houses, men dominated world with a FMC trying to prove herself. The thing that did stand out was the Divh, which was a great idea but came off more as a cutesy bff rather than massive monsters.

The romance was subpar as the FMC and MMC had maybe three conversations before they were kissing and admitting they couldnt be away from each other. MMC was written very surface level. FMC is just another typically written girl who just wants to fight and prove others wrong.

I did like the writing style, wording, and sentence structure of the author which is something that I struggle with as I read high fantasy as well so coming back to YA/NA fantasy can be tricky.

I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read this book.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. I have told everyone I have talked to for the last couple weeks about this book. It is by far the best thing I have read in a long time with its original ideas and creativity.

As a kid Mulan was favorite Disney movie. This book is like a grown up Mulan with its own original ideas and world. I was worried that, like some new fantasy books, the world building would be confusing or sloppy. This was not the case. The author beautifully explained the world, ideas, and politics of this land. I found myself enchanted by the magic immediately and fell in love with the characters easily.

The main character was strong, beautiful, and fierce ;) and while it’s always refreshing to see a FMC like this, Talia was also relatively relatable. She doubted herself. She made mistakes. She is compassionate and strong. The way she interacted with the other characters made her impossible to dislike.

I really truly wish I could find something that I disliked to make this a more credible review. A minor plot hole, a character I hated, a misspelled word even. Alas, I could not. I simply loved this book and I cannot wait to read the next one.

˚₊‧꒰ა 4 stars ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

༉‧₊˚. « The way of the warrior is death. » ・₊✧

i actually really enjoyed this book!! at first, it was a little slow-paced and i wasn’t sure if it would get more interesting. however, the more i read, the more connected i felt to the plot and the characters <3

in the book our female main character, Talia of the Tenth House, tries to seek revenge for her brother’s death. her brother, Merritt, gets killed on their journey to a tournament but his Divh (it’s basically a creature bonded to warriors) ends up bonding with Talia. The problem is that women are not allowed to bond with Divhs. the penalty for it is death.

talia decides to join the Tournament of Gold disguised as merritt, in order to find his killer and protect her house by finding new soldiers they lost in the melee they faced.

in this book, i loved so many characters. first of all, Caleb was such an amazing character. he was wholesome and sometimes very funny. i had fun reading his scenes. Nazar was the wise character in the story and i loved the way he supported the fmc.

Fortiss was such a charming character. i fell in love. i think i need more fortiss content in the next books!!

Gent, Talia’s Divh, was so cute. i love him too much!! i think he might be my favorite character because the way he protected Talia. Gent needs to be protected at all costs.

i loved the way this book represents women and their power. it was great to see the fmc fighting and seeing how powerful she can be.

additionally, i liked the descriptive language and the dialogues. the story flowed very well.

overall, this was a great read and i can’t wait to read more of this series! i really want to see what happens next in talia’s story <3

༉‧₊˚. « Great warriors fight with their minds. With their spirit and their hearts, yes, but mostly with their minds. » ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a bit longer to read than I expected, but wow, it started—and ended—on a strong note!

If you're familiar with the movie She’s the Man, this book feels similar, but swap the romantic comedy and football for political intrigue, magic, and suspense.

The world-building is incredible, detailed, and immersive. And the plot? Absolutely <i>chef's kiss</i>. There’s intrigue, a murder mystery, and a strong FMC. Talia’s development throughout the story is brilliant. We see a girl sent off to marry grow into a fierce warrior out of necessity. She learns to fight, to scheme, and excels at both. We also have strong secondary characters that I hope we will learn more, and see their story unfold in the next book.

While I appreciated that the story focused more on power struggles than romance, I did feel that Talia and Fortis's relationship was underdeveloped. Their chemistry seemed to come out of nowhere, and their connection formed too quickly considering how few interactions they shared. I would have loved to see more depth in their relationship, with more time for it to develop naturally. That said, this doesn’t take away too much from the overall enjoyment of the book.

For fans of fantasy centered on court politics and adventure, Court of Talons is an engaging read that delivers plenty of thrills. I’m definitely excited to see how the story unfolds in the next book!

Court of Talons By Jennifer Chance


Court of Talons is about a girl named Talia, who is on her way to be a bride-in-waiting to a different House of the Protectorate. Talia travels with her brother, Merritt who is the Warrior Knight for their House. Merritt is to purchase Soldiers for their House at the Tournament of Gold. While they travel their group is attacked. Leaving all but Talia and Nazar ,The Priest, dead. It is against the law to attack and kill a Warrior Knight of the Protectorate.

With a thirst for vengeance in her heart, Talia cuts her hair and makes herself look like her brother to find who killed him and to buy more soldiers to protect the 10th House. As a Warrior Knight you are connected to a Divh, which is a large creature, and only men can be Warrior Knights. With the death of Merritt the band that connects the Divh to Merritt moves to Talias’ arm.

Nothing can stop Talia from finding her brother's murderer. Not even joining the Tournament of Gold, to fight with her Divh, Gent, to gain honor for her House, and protection from those who are killing Warrior Knights. Talia keeps numerous secrets of her own, not just the secret of Merritt's death. There is danger in every direction, and hopefully Talia makes it out alive.

I would give the Court of Talons 3.5/5 Stars. This was a fun and sad read. I really enjoyed the side character Caleb, his humor kept the book light. The Court of Talons was a bit predictable, and I wish there was a little more character development. I also wish that the love interest in the book was more established in a way where there was more chemistry between them.

Overall I did enjoy the book. I look forward to the next book, Crown of Wings.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Court of Talons.

this was so fun! i absolutely loved the characters and the world building was really good!

highly recommend if you’re a fan of romantasy!!

Thanks go to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of “Court of Talons (Fang & Fire, #1)” by Jennifer Chance, in exchange for review.

This book was...all right. I was interested in reading right away based on the description, as the plot involves a woman in a male dominated society, being forced to take a position as a warrior under disguise.

The world-building is solid, not too difficult to grasp quickly. The characters are fun (Caleb stole the show, in my opinion) and multi-faceted except for Fotiss (I really just don't find him redeeming through this first book). I kept holding my breath and wondering if Talia's disguise would hold up to scrutiny.

That said, I found parts of the story kind of dragged. I'm hesitant to say "boring", but they dragged. I think I'm full up on female characters that do things no one else can do. Not to say that Talia isn't strong, smart and capable by her own means, but she definitely breaks the mold of even what the men of her world are capable of, and I've seen that trope in a lot of other books.

Not sure if I was drawn in enough that I'd move on to book 2, though.