I read the first draft of this book on Wattpad when it came out years ago and I have to jump on the opportunity to read the polished published version. I mean dragons and strange worlds and grump-sunshine boys, sign me up!

The bones of this book are solid. The story line is wonderful and the pacing is great. Unfortunately, the characters are the only thing holding this book together, something is missing. And while the characters are great and each ones has clear and practical motivations, they are likeable and unlikeable respectively, the story just lacks something.

This book is still a feel good read and it's one I come back too often. But the multiple POV's and the strange off shoots of characters (apart from the main group) is hard to grasp since we have no reason to keep these characters in mind or even so, understand what or why we need to heard from them. They don't further the plot in this first book and they don't up the stacked since our main character doesn't know what those stakes are apart from her untimely execution plan and an angry King.

All in all I do like this book! Not everything needs to be high stakes and high risks and world moving odds. Mitchell does a fantastic job with characters and each one is lovely to be around. Again, grump-sunshine boys who are dragons and far to stubborn for their on good.

The book was great, but I did not feel it was time for this type of fiction. I'll be continuing reading it in another period of time and for sure I'll love it!

I have read a few books with dragonshifters and dragons in it, but not liked so many of them.
This sadly, was no different. I could not get into it or enjoy it.

4.5 brilliant stars...

Let me start by saying that it took me a while to really get into the book. It started out slow, I was a bit bored and I couldn't really see where it was going to be honest. It looked like it was going to be a dreadful read.

That said, this book is definitely going to my top reads of 2020. What a gem!
Caracters with depth, the story was unpredictable and more intricate than it seemed to be in the begining of the book, and a new world full of things to explore.

I love new worlds, but it's hard to make a realistic one in fantasy, and Melissa Mitchell got there. She definitely did.
Character wise, it took me a few chapters to warm up to Claire, but I absolutely love her now and I can't wait to hear more from her in the next book.
All the characters are interesting and I honestly cannot think of one that I don't want to read more about.

The pace is great, nothing is rushed and there is no feeling of the story being dragged and I have the feeling that all those background stories will come together at some point to make an important change in the next books, so extra points for that.

The book mixes a bit of contemporary with medieval times, magic, dimension travelling and romance. The fact that the romance is not focused on one couple pleased me greatly. The story is more focused on the events and the romance is running on the background.

I will definitely read the rest of the series and this will go on my "read again" pile!

i never ended up downloading this but i picked it up recently.

Talon the black grabbed my attention from the first chapter, I love the pace, the story and it is just my type of fantasy. The dragons are complex, human but with also Animal instincts that really sells the story. Highly recommended! Super looking forward to getting the second book!

Saw the scales on the cover and saw dragons in the descriptions and I was sold! The cover is gorgeous and the story is great. I really enjoy books about dragons and this one delivered.

DNF’d at 20%

I liked the premise of this one but the writing is a little too modern for my taste and so just wasnt for me.

This book left me with conflicted feelings. Everything to do with Claire and what she ends up going thru, completely sucked me in and I always wanted to keep reading. The problem was that there were soooo many secondary point of views. Typically, this is something that I completely enjoy. But here, it wasn't even like they were all from important characters. Most of the time it was from characters that I truly couldn't care less about, who added nothing to story for me, and I was so bored reading that chapter. Now, maybe they'll be important people in the future, but here it all seemed out out place.

Claire is having a rough go of things lately. Her dream job rejected her application, her ex-boyfriend keeps coming around, and she fears that she'll be stuck in her middle of nowhere town. She finally finds the excitement she has been wishing for when she sees a dragon crash land in the middle of her parent's fields. Only, when she gets there, she finds a man. A very hurt man. There is a lot more to Cyrus than meets the eye, and Claire delights in all he tells her. True, she believes him and his stories with very little proof, but it didn't bug me. Unfortunately, the ones who attacked Cyrus, have poisoned him and he's running out of time to tell Claire everything he can about what she must do. And then one day, time is up.

When Claire is found by Cyrus's "bothers" it's a damning position. And because of an unbreakable vow she made to Cyrus she can't even explain anything. So it's decided that she will be taken to their king and tried as a murderer. Not quite what Claire had pictured for her future, but she knows that going along with them is the only way for her to speak with the king and fulfill her vow. Claire endures a lot on this trip, including the hostility of her captors. But she also gets hints about who and what she might really be. Which is definitely life changing. By the time they make back to their city, Claire has managed to earn a little more trust from the three who brought her. Getting especially closer to Reyr. Which is why his attitude upon their arrival cuts so deep.

Talon is king of people and because he is a black dragon his temper is the most volatile of all. When he first sees Claire, he is indeed intrigued by her but his fury over what he believes she has done blinds him to everything and he does something cruel and unforgivable to her. But before he can go too far, and thanks to Reyr, Claire can finally fulfill her vow now that Talon will listen.

Even after everything is out in the open, the hostility between these two never lessens. Talon does feel bad for what he did, but he has no idea how to apologize. Not that Claire would accept anyway. But they have bigger problems to deal with as well. Talon has traitors on his council, an ancient evil has returned to take back their lands...and it's only a matter of time before they do.

In the end, Claire displays a power she didn't know she had and has no idea how to control. Which leads to Talon declaring her his ward. Essencially making her the second most important person in that kingdom. Claire makes another vow (which I thought was kind of a stupid thing to do), and now these two are going to have to figure out a way to work together and protect all those who live there.

I really do want to read the next book....I kind of just want to pay that much for it. So here's hoping it goes on sale or also shows up on Netgalley. And soon.

I love Melissa Mitchell and this book is a fabulous addition to her writing! I highly recommend anything written by her.

Having read another book from the Dragonwall series that was more of a prequel to this one, I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this fantastical world of dragons and sprites.
The story was well-paced and the action was entertaining.
The only niggle I have was the abrupt ending.
I understand that this is only one in a series of books but the ending just seemed so unexpected and came without warning for me.
It also ended at quite an ordinary moment which felt mid-flow.
It held my attention until the end and I look forward to reading more from this world.

Dragons! That's all it took for me to be interested in this book.

I enjoyed it I did promise. It was a fast and fun read. Does it have issues, yes, but overall it has mystery, adventure, dragons, shapeshifters, interesting heroine. And, yes, just like this review, it was a little all over the place.

Should you read it? If you don't mind a bit of confusion and plot going everywhere, it really is a fun read! I do wish there was a bit more romance involved, but hey - DRAGONS falling out of the sky!

I was ecstatic when I found this book becuase dragons and I adore dragons. And the book started so well, so exciting but than something happened and reading Talon the Black started feeling like a chore.
I liked Claire but to my utmost dismay I didn’t like the dragons. I kep reading and I was worried I didn’t like the dragons. They are arrogant and rude.
I stopped reading at 40% and I still feel bad about it but I just couldn’t continue.

I think I might give it another shot later...

Thank younto NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

I was originally drawn to the cover of this book. It was very eye catching. I always enjoy reading books with multiple viewpoints and enjoyed the many different POVs in this story. While the main storyline focuses on Talon and Claire, you get glimpses into the other characters minds. The struggles that the characters go through also made them easy to relate to. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one.

Talon the Black surprised me. I went in fully expecting the trope-iness of the book and embraced it, for I too share the love of Pern, Harry Potter, and other dragon books that the author describes in her acknowledgements, and the book had received many 4 and 5 star ratings. It was a shoo-in, right?

Unfortunately, that proved not the case for me, and finishing Talon the Black was one of the greatest book-reading struggles I've faced for some time. I initially DNF'd the book at around 15% before giving it another shot. Fortunately, the book did grow into itself some by the end. The first third I would rate as DNF/1 star, while the last quarter was 3.5-4 star, and the middle somewhere in between.

The primary reasons I can pin down that made the book rather unreadable in the early stages were three-fold. First, the manner in which the exposition was handled exemplifies the saying "Show, don't tell." While I do understand the struggle Mitchell had to set up a whole fantasy world and the motivations for the 'forces of evil' and the 'forces of good' in the book, it was handled rather clumsily through talking-head-like interactions. Worse, we often did not even hear the explanation directly nor see our characters' reactions properly as for pages and pages they were summarized (ex. 'he told of...' or 'he described the...'). This contrasts with the last quarter of the book where our characters are directly experiencing events and/or engaged in dialogue, making the book far more engaging. Additionally, the early exposition lacks weight/emphasis to the point that when information contained within is brought back up late-book, I felt I had missed something (a critical reaction or observation), likely because it had been buried under all of the exposition.

Second, the variety of POVs *without* variety of voice causes the book to feel monotonous and confusing. Mitchell introduces many different POVs by the end of the book, yet every character sounds almost exactly the same. Why does a girl from a small Midwestern town speak like the shapeshifting nobles of a fantasy world? Even if I use a plot-related reason to explain that away, it does not explain how a poor commoner also speaks/thinks/observes the world just as the king might. I noted that the word "permeate" is used almost whenever an aroma is described, no matter the character (ex. maybe I'd expect our midwest girl to sometimes use "filled the air" and a commoner to might say "caught a whiff that set his mouth watering" or something). While POVs are useful narrative devices for showing events happening in different places to different people, they also add color to the world. When the color is all the same, it paints a world with little texture and interest.

Third, the resolution and pacing were very slow, particularly at the beginning/middle when the book was weighted down with all the exposition and POVs. While I do understand there are more books to come in this series, I feel this entry left me hanging with no real resolution to almost any arc, and the few that were addressed had been blindingly obvious most of the book (I'm totally up for trope-iness, but I would prefer that our character not oscillate between a quick wit/adaptability and stubbornly oblivious the whole book). The last quarter of the book felt largely freed from the pacing issues of the first 3/4, and just as it started going, the book ended. I'm a bit confused as well why this book is named after Talon while the second after Reyr given that the Talon arc feels like it has barely started developing while Reyr was a main character this whole book. Perhaps I will read that one to find out, but I am in no hurry to do so.

In conclusion, I can now understand both the early DNF/1 star reviews as well as the finished book/4-5 star reviews, as those who were able to make it to the end saw the evolution of the book. However, this does not entirely make up for the struggle of the early book for me, so I would rate it over all 2/5 but with the author exhibiting plenty of potential as she grows into her craft. Thanks to NetGalley for the 'advanced' readers copy!.

Talon the Black is an amazing story for those readers who love adventure, dragons, and the fantasy genre in general. Melissa Mitchell writes the story of Claire extraordinarily well, with a beautiful storyline and a well-researched and well set up setting.
The story of Claire is enticing to the reader, you never want to put the book down. Her actions are relatable and story feels as if you are her. I have been in love with fantasy stories for years, but this is the kind I’ve been waiting for.

An entertaining and fast paced read, really interesting and easy going , the perfectly escapism, fantasy, great characters and a good story, what’s not to like

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I was provided a copy of this book with thanks from BooksGoSocial via Netgalley

WHAT A SURPRISE! I don't mean that in a condescending way at all.

It's just that, this book was a rollercoaster and I changed my rating a million times while reading!

"You must remember, it is only through great struggle and strife that we become who we are truly meant to be."

Okay, this book, I have so many things to say, so I shall try to be as succinct as possible and not bore you through reading this review. Let's jump into my interaction of the plot as we commence:

What would you do if destiny comes crash landing into your house?
What if saving a life meant forfeiting your freedom?
If saving a kingdom meant you will never be safe again?
What would you do if myths become reality?
These are the questions that permeated within Claire's thoughts.
Dragons. Elves. The great Arsarlai of old.
The dragon stones have found their protector.
But to protect she will have to forfeit everything, even her very own self.

Now! let's get into this review.

The beginning: Train wreck
The middle: LIFE ITSELF!!!!!
The end: slow and somewhat lackluster.

And yet, I rate this book as 3.5-4 stars!

This book is a fantastic beginning to a tale that I shall follow through the end. Having said that, when I initially began this book, my entire soul writhed with annoyance, the beginning of this book was a 1-star in personal rating.

I hated the cliche, I hated how she was this intelligent, country, bartender girl, who was just cheated on by a greasy and sleazy dude who couldn't help but sleep with Tiffany (why is it always a tiffany?), etc...I rolled my eyes and groaned and for a time put the book away because I honestly felt very bereft for the next few chapters.

When Cyrus appeared, I was still rolling my eyes and painfully trudged on.

HOWEVER!!!! Once the core characters came around, once she began her journey to Dragonwall. OH MY GOSH! YES!! My eyes began to open wide in absolute amazement and awe.

I believe I exclaimed at some point from the excitement and kept reading to the wee hours of the morning. Man, when she walked into the king's hall I was screaming and fist-bumping the air.

At this point, it went from literally a 1 star to 5 stars in my mind. I kid you not.

However, afterward, I began to again wish for the story to progressssss.

With all due respect author, there were one too many perspectives I didn't care for, nor was I invested in. I was like, yup cool, you found your mate, let's move on please, and get back to claire.

Nearing the end, I began to feel annoyed with Claire and her persistent hatred of Talon and Talon's self-hatred. To be fully honest, I have NO idea why this book is called Talon the Black because he barely had anything of note to do in this book. It should have been about Reyr because Reyr was in every single part of this story. So I'm a bit confused as to why the second book has his name...?

I don't know.

All I can say is that this book lost 1-1.5 stars with the ending but I am so, so invested.

The world-building was great, the writing was awesome! the characters were for the most part really well constructed and developed.

Will I read the second one? Love, it's already purchased :P

I'm curious and eager to see where this goes!

Stay awesome my Lovelies,
Emmeline (The Book Herald)

DNF at 25%

I am seeing all the 4 stars and 5 stars reviews and I realize that the problem here is probably me. This book is not bad, and I can’t say that I disliked it, I just can’t get into it. I started it 3 weeks ago and I only read 30% of it.

It all starts in Indiana, in the middle of the night. Claire (22 years old, normal woman) sees a dragon falling from the sky, and pretty much in the middle of her backyard. She finds a wounded man in the middle of a huge crater and learns that he is a dragon that can shape-shift into a human and he comes from Dragonwall. He talks to her about threats against his land and the mysterious circumstances that led to him crashing into her backyard. I got the distinct feeling that Dragonwall would be the equivalent of medieval time for us because Cyril (the dragon-shifter) obviously does not know how the technology works.

I thought that Cyril would be the romantic interest, but there is a plot twist: he dies (but not before making Claire vow to tell his king everything he told her). His shifter friends then show up just a tiny bit too late to save Cyril and instead, they take Claire with them where I assume, she will become the savior of their land because deep down she is very special… or something like that.

It is a massive book, and I honestly felt that the plot was jumping all over the place. The ideas seem good, the summary is intriguing, but I am not interested enough to keep going. The fact that I do not care about the characters does not help either, they all seem so bland and simple. There are POVs from different characters, but even after reading from their point of view, I do not feel connected to them at all. The dialogues are also quite simplistic and even weird at times, while also being tedious to understand at other times because of the old-fashion way the Drengr (dragon-shifter) speak.

I might give it another chance in the future because I can see that the majority of the readers loved it, but for now I can’t bring myself to continue reading it.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would! It was fun and I was able to get through it quickly. I liked how original the story was. The book was a bit too long, but the characters and plot were so enjoyable!

There were too many points of view for me to keep up with and the romance was way too much of a slow burn. I enjoy a good slow burn but this was too much.