November 27, 2017

Review: Legion

Legion Legion by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Talon Saga, and it is the best. The only knock I have against it is that if you haven't read the previous books (Talon, Rogue and Soldier) you won't know what's going on, as this book picks up immediately after the cliffhanger that ended book 3. (Also? That ending was a bit of a cheat. This would be a vastly different book if Julie Kagawa had pulled a George R.R. Martin and followed through on her threat. It all depends on how much you like the character that almost died, I guess.)

Nevertheless, the series has steadily improved. The first book was a little too focused on the teen romance, to the detriment of the excellent worldbuilding. This book has a much better balance between the two. We get greater insight into the ruthlessness of the dragon organization Talon, as they succeed in nearly extinguishing their ancient enemy, the Order of St. George. St. George is no paragon of virtue, either, as their rigid, arrogant dragons-are-irredeemable-monsters mentality leads to their being virtually wiped out. Caught between this rock and a hard place are our characters, Ember, Riley and Garret, along with the intriguing Adult dragon Jade. This book ends with the stakes higher than ever, and sets things up for what promises to be a nail- (or talon-) biting finale.

Our protagonists are not neglected, as significant character development takes place for each of the three leads, and even for Ember's rotten little shit of a brother, Dante. (Truthfully, if I must comment on the romance, I wish Ember had chosen both Garret and Riley. One love for the dragon, one for the human. But I suppose Harper Teen isn't up to tackling polyamory just yet.) The pacing in this book is excellent and the battle scenes are riveting. If you like YA and haven't read this series, you're missing out. I can hardly wait for the final book.

View all my reviews

No comments: