“My mind is too full of possibilities, my thoughts too full of poison.”

“Court of Talons,” by Jennifer Chance

What I loved:
-Divh and the magic system, the creatures they control in the book. They are unique from each other and really cool ideas.
-She has to impersonate her dead brother, so half the book is her being a guy and half is her being a girl. Adds a level of complication into the equation when the guy thinks he’s falling in love with someone but knows them of someone else and such.
- “I burn for you”. Enough said lol.
-Trial Games, I love trial games books and the fact that the Divh creatures are a main focus of winning them was engaging to my brain.

I really liked this book; it was so unique, and the characters were fun to read about. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Arranged Marriage
-Magic
-Hidden Identity
-Trial Games

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book. The world building and descriptions was on point. I felt like I was seated watching the battles or there with them. I thought the magic was unique and was an interesting concept. I was, however, very aggravated at how patriarchal everything was. I know this was to build up the development of the FMC, but still. She is a bada** and really mad enough apologies for it. I loved that! The side characters were well written. I loved Caleb. I do think that some will get more of a back story in the second book. This is the same case with the romance. It was minimal. I am hoping this continues to develop in book two.

I don't know how I feel about this book. I liked the idea of the Divhs but I couldn't help thinking of the movie with the Rock and the big white ape monster thing while reading about them. Fortiss could've had more development and the writing wasn't my favorite. It was an okay book but I would find myself bored by parts of it.

Court of Talons - Twelfth Night meets Fourth Wing

The Plot: Jennifer Chance's Court of Talons definitely lived up to its description. We follow Talia, the firstborn female of the Tenth House, who needs to pretend to be the younger sibling to survive. Male first born are bonded to Divhs (creatures from another plain) and are called warrior knights. These warrior knights are part of the protectorate compete in an annual meet to earn a seat in the Court of Talons. En route to her fiance's house, Talia and her brother Merritt are besieged by marauders and Merritt succumbs to his wounds. Driven by sadness, Talia accidentally bonds with the Divh, Gent and needs to complete the mission and travel to the protectorate in his guise.

The Characters: Talia is a gem, coming to her own, learning the intrigues of a new political system that she was previously shunned from. Nazar as the mysterious priest of Light (Brom from Eragon, if you will), who guides her with his Confucius reminiscent sayings. Caleb, the one armed, street urchin who owes his life to Talia and is their eyes and ears. Fortiss, the tall, dark handsome heir to the throne who is not bonded to a Divh - his escapades with Talia and Merritt are the comedic interlude to the plot.

Overall the books is an amazing kickstart to the series with book 2 coming soon. The pace is slow in the beginning to establish the principles, codes and magic governing this world. The political machinations and social structures are beautifully rendered and Talia is a lodestone to test the boundaries of their systems.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for this opportunity and a salute to Jennifer Chance on a rocking start to a splendid series!

Court of Talons by Jennifer Chance had an intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The story’s progression felt slow, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged, which made finishing the book feel like a bit of a chore.

One of my main challenges was connecting with the characters. The female main character (FMC) wasn’t particularly likable, and her tendency to complain detracted from her appeal. The male main character (MMC) felt rather bland, which didn’t help to create any meaningful chemistry between them. The romance itself seemed to come out of nowhere, earning a 1/10 for me, as it lacked any real build-up or spark.

Additionally, the character of the priest seemed to be trying too hard to emulate a Mr. Miyagi-type figure, which came off as more cringy than wise or endearing.

That being said, there were aspects of Court of Talons that I did appreciate. The unique premise of Divhs was a creative concept, and I applaud the author’s attempt to do something different. However, the world-building left a lot to be desired. By the end of the book, I still felt like I didn’t fully understand the world or its dynamics, which made it hard to become immersed in the story.

Overall, Court of Talons had potential but ultimately fell short in execution.

Faced with an impossible situation, Talia navigates the set challenges with a hopeless abandon. She can't possibly find her way out of this, yet she must if she wants to survive. Heart wrenching and full of excitement, this was quite a ride!

4.5⭐

Talia has to pull a Mulan and pose as a male warrior to avenge her brother and bring honor to her house.

I enjoyed the world building and the characters are all really fleshed out and likable enough that I was invested in what was going to happen to them. Caleb is adorable and deserves only good things.

Really excited to continue this series and see what we have in store for everyone. I will be eagerly awaiting Book 2!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review, my opinions are my own 💕

This was pretty dang good and I had a good time reading this book - which is the whole point of reading for me.

I do think that the first few chapters were a big slow-going, the set-up did seem to drag. But I find that EXTREMELY common with fantasy books, so I can easily overlook a few slow chapters. And although those first few chapters were a bit slow, they did a good job setting up the world and what was going on without feeling too overwhelmingly info-dumpy. You got the information as you needed it and I appreciate that.

This is the first book in a series and you can tell that just based on the movement and development of the relationships in the books. (So I guess that would make this a slow-burn, but I am a big slow-burn lover, so that doesn't both me one bit!) I can definitely see the building blocks for future books and that makes me so excited!

And there's a tournament! I think that's all you need to know to want to pick up this book. I really enjoyed following the characters throughout that, especially Gent. I thought he was quite the fun character.

This feels almost like a Mulan retelling (I'm not sure if it's ever been advertised as such), with our main character disguising herself as a male warrior. And that is so much fun!

There's a touch mystery, magic and so much more. I get the feeling that I will be coming back for book 2!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This was a strong start to the Fang & Fire series, it had that overall feel that I was hoping for and enjoyed getting to read this. It worked as a opening chapter and thought the overall concept was strong. Jennifer Chance does a great overall style for this type of book and enjoyed getting to read this, the writing left me wanting to read the next book and more from Jennifer Chance.

3.5 stars

Court of talons

Overall, I enjoyed reading this one!

Loved this as a story of trials and of the underdog winning out in the end (bonus that it’s a woman, of course). Also appreciated that we saw a female character that wasn’t the assassin tough gal type as I’ve seen a lot lately! She was strong, but fought strategically and with her mind and strengths more than anything. The world was intriguing and I always love when magical creatures are involved - and as much as I adore dragons it was very cool to have a huge and custom to each character type of creature which was super unique. The plot line definitely kept me intrigued.

I was VERY glad to see that there will be a sequel to this one, as the ending definitely left details out and unfinished - totally forgivable when I know I’ll be getting another fix.

The romantic aspect could’ve had more of a slow and steady build as it felt a bit jumped into - while I do generally prefer a true slow burn in that department, I do truly think it could’ve been more fleshed out in general and not just because of my personal preferences. The jump from nothing to somethin somethin felt a bit jarring.

I also felt at times that the pacing was a little off. There were times I felt like there was not enough world building to balance the pace of information we were getting on the plot or character side.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley.

For me, a solid 4.5 / 5. This book was surprisingly delightful. I am looking forward to the next installment.

What I liked:
- I like the main characters. Side characters could have been developed more, though.
- Caleb. Caleb is my absolute favourite! He is smart, clever, determined, courageous, funny, and full of life. I enjoyed all the scenes he was in.
- I absolutely loved the sense of despair, of impending doom and death from the third act (chapters 39-42). I felt completely hopeless alongside Talia
- When Talia finally realized "I am enough". Yeah, damn right you are!
- I got an emotional response to this book. It is a good sign; it is a sign of a good author who can draw me in when I get excited/afraid/teary-eyed for the characters.
- Chapter 43 was a wild ride.

What I did not like:
- I would have liked to have a map at the beginning to understand where all the Houses were.
- I still have unanswered questions: why did Talia pretend she was younger than Merritt? How are planes linked? How did Divhs and humans first connect; and for what purpose?
- The pacing was uneven. The book starts strong, slows to barely a crawl for almost 100 pages, then picks up. But when it picks up, oh my! It is fantastic!

What I am neutral about:
- The romance part. I don't know what Fortiss sees in Talia. He says he is drawn to her light, but I am unsure what it means. I would have liked for Fortiss to fall in love with Merritt, and then be confused about this new same-sex attraction. Let's see how this is approached in the next installment.

The book felt like a dark and magical retelling of Shakespeare's twelfth night. The tension and plot played off each other beautifully in order to make compelling stakes for the characters. As well the magic system was new and intriguing to me and made for an even more engaging read. At times the writing felt a little too nail on the head, but overall the experience was still so much fun.

To be noted, I was so engaged in reading that I did miss my train stop, so, safe to stay, the book is pretty good.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for allowing me this opportunity to read, rate and review this work.

Court of Talons is an entertaining story reminiscent of Mulan. A woman in a male dominated society takes a position as a warrior under disguise. Dressed as her brother, Talia, enters a competition with battles complete with magical divhs (creatures). After exposing corruption, the book ends with the FMC plotting how to continue solving the problems facing her world.

The book was an entertaining blend of fantasy with a small twist of romance that I hope will continue to grow in future books!

I would like to thank Net Galley and Oliver Heber Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We follow along Talia who has to act as her brother, who dies at the beginning of the book while travelling, in a world where women are second class citizens and fight in a tournament in his stead.

I managed to read until the 40% mark but this book just didn't do it for me. The idea of separated houses, tournament till or almost till death, a fragile looking but really strong deep down FMC and the ominous vibes you get from characters is unfortunate way overdone at this point.

I also didn't get pulled in to the world at all.

I received this book as an ARC and really enjoyed this story!

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. However, I flew through the chapters as I followed Talia’s story. I found her to be an endearing FMC with a fiery spirit.

Gent was my absolute favorite and I loved how he progressed through the tournament.

I look forward to book 2 and continuing the journey of the book!

"Court of Talons" by Jennifer Chance is an exhilarating fantasy novel that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. Set in a world where honor, power, and survival are dictated by a brutal tournament, this book delivers an unforgettable story filled with action, intrigue, and emotional depth.

Talia of the Tenth House, the protagonist, is a refreshing and compelling heroine who defies convention in a male-dominated world. Her journey from her house's deepest shame to its last hope is both inspiring and heart-wrenching. The stakes are incredibly high as she disguises herself as her slain brother to enter the deadly Tournament of Gold, where powerful warriors and their monstrous companions fight for glory. Talia's fierce determination, coupled with her vulnerability, makes her a character readers can’t help but root for. Her bond with her brother's beast is one of the most captivating elements of the story, creating a dynamic relationship that is both mystical and profoundly emotional.

The plot of "Court of Talons" is intricately woven with layers of mystery, suspense, and unexpected twists. From the lavish ballrooms to the brutal fighting pits, the settings are vividly described, immersing readers in a world that is both beautiful and deadly. The tension is palpable as Talia navigates this treacherous terrain, facing not only the threat of discovery but also the looming possibility of death at every turn. The addition of a conspiracy that threatens the entire realm adds depth to the narrative, raising the stakes and driving the story forward at a relentless pace.

The antagonist, Fortiss of the First House, is a brilliantly crafted character—powerful, arrogant, and dangerously seductive. His complex relationship with Talia adds an extra layer of tension to the plot, leaving readers constantly guessing his true intentions. Is he merely a rival, or could he be the one responsible for her brother’s death? This ambiguity keeps readers on edge, eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its world-building. The realm in which "Court of Talons" takes place is richly developed, with a fascinating social hierarchy, political intrigue, and a unique system of monsters bonded to warriors. This detailed world-building adds depth and texture to the story, allowing readers to become fully immersed in the epic battles, strategic maneuvering, and emotional undercurrents that define the plot.

Overall, "Court of Talons" is a masterful blend of fantasy, action, and romance. It’s a story about courage, identity, and the sacrifices one must make for the greater good. Fans of strong female protagonists, intricate plots, and immersive fantasy worlds will find this book impossible to put down. Talia’s quest to uncover the truth, protect her house, and save her realm is a thrilling ride that leaves you breathless and eagerly awaiting the next installment. Highly recommended for all lovers of epic fantasy!