Talon the Black

The moment I stepped into Dragonwall I knew I was going to be thoroughly invested in this series.
From the second Claire wakes up to a hungry dragon man—the very same she just rescued—running naked in her yard after her mother’s chickens, the book and its characters endeared themselves to me. But of all the many colorful personalities and especially the fiercely loyal Drengr, I felt my heart constrict a little more for Talon, the scarred king of Dragonwall. Although I did want to tear my hair out at some points and boot him in his dragon hide for being so intractable and sometimes even ruthless.
The beauty of Dragonwall’s many magical denizens is that they’re all fallible and authentic, and each is as distinct as a dragon would be from a goblin; or a prince from a pirate.
The main player, though, is Claire Evans, whose destiny it is to leave all she knows for the archaic world of Dragonwall to deliver a message and keep a promise. And to discover that she’s been invested with a little more than just some precious cargo; she’s got a strange new ability! Little does she know, however, that she’s about to butt heads with the king himself and be plunged into castle intrigues and harrowing politics. All while a greater force of evil—long thought to be extinct—begins to stir at the darkest fringes of Dragonwall.
An addictive high fantasy adventure that held place of pride on my bedside table while I gorged myself on dragons, goblins, elves, and magic.

Since I usually find myself waking up around 7 every morning I try to go to bed at a decent hour. This usually involves me heading to bed around 10 and then falling asleep around 11:30. This did not happen tonight. Instead, It is currently 2:30 am and I am wide awake and in dire need to find out if any of my predictions are correct! Thankfully, Ryer the Gold is available but I'm hoping that Mitchell has the third book coming soon because I don't think that I can wait too long! The plot flowed wonderfully and I found all of the characters to be compelling no matter how little time we spend with them so far. I'm eager to return to Dragonwall and find out what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this free copy which I received in return for an honest review.

Fantasy meets Real World! This book is truly a phenomenal written story of a dragon who turns into a man! He flys thru a Portal and Claire a girl who loves Fantasy and just is at odds in her life right now. Sees something land in the field and when she gets their its an injured man.

What an amazing adventure is about to take place for this young woman. She makes an Unbreakable Promise and her new world is to become this Kingdom that she only dreamed about and read about in books that she has craved for all her life!

King Talon is the man that Claire has to assist and he is no ordinary man. He is another shifter that has powers to be a dragon and protects his DragonWall Kingdom. His borders are being attacked, but his people want him to marry and continue his lineage by securing a heir.
Claire has to come before the King and it is a battle of wits and egos that hinder their friendship.

This series is going to be as magical and magnificent as some of the other popular ones! I felt as though I was in the land of dragons because the author made it so real. The characters flowed and I never once wanted to put down the book! I can’t wait to get the next one!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great fantasy series!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

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

This was an easy read! I blew right through it. I enjoyed this so much. The writing style was flawless! I love stories like this. It definitely left me wanting more!

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I did not anticipate enjoying this book as much as I have and I have absolutely loved it.
The book begins with the protagonist (Claire) living in an ordinary world where suddenly a dragon crashes into her life (literally and figuratively). Clare goes on to a grand adventure to save the Dragonwall kingdom throughout the series and as it turns out even though she lived in a mundane world, Clare is anything but.
Admittingly, the beginning left me questioning whether this book was worth it but following the first slightly rough chapter and writing, it drifted into a well written and magical story. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The book left me wondering what's in store next? And is this going to become an ultimate enemies to lovers story between Clare and Talon? I'm eager to read the next book in the series and hopeful that the following book (on Wattpad) will be completed equally as quickly. Mitchell has become one of my new favourite authors.
Highly recommend for a book filled with magic, dragons, love, friendship, and adventure.

When I received this book I had no clue that I will be so pleasantly shocked.
I LOVED this book. It is one of the best fantasy stories I have read so far. While reading it you understand that the author has such clarity and vision of this that the world building is meticulously woven. There is not a fault in it and she has thought the very last detail of the environment the story is in. The love for magic and dragons is radiating all along. The characters literally come alive from the pages and I felt like I was standing right there.
I cannot fathom how someone can imagine a whole new world the way the author did here, as the book describes laws, traditions and customs to the detail I can really talk for hours about this. My excitement will last for days and it’s much needed! I am so impressed and I will read the sequel as soon as possible.
Do yourselves a favour and read this please!

I really liked this book. After reading For the Crown by the same author, I wanted this book as soon as I saw it on Netgalley. Thankfully I got it, and it put For the Crown to shame. While For the Crown really focused on romance, this book went into full epic fantasy mode. As a fantasy lover, that shift is what made me love this book.

Talon the Black follows Claire, a girl from Indiana who's life is turned upside down when a dragon falls into her backyard. After he turns into a man, he tells her all about his world, Dragonwall, and the challenges it is soon to face. Forced to travel to Dragonwall, she soon meets King Talon, and discovers that fate has more in store for her than simply living in Indiana.

To be honest, when I picked this up, I wasn't expecting to be amazed. I expected a romance I'd enjoy, but not love. So let's just say I was very surprised when this book had an action driven plot. Don't get me wrong, this book definitely had romances. They were just laid back, and the main one promises to be slow burn. (almost too slow, I need these characters to get together!)

I really loved the characters in this, especially Cyrus. I get that the whole "medieval knight transfers to modern times" idea is a bit overused, but I love it anyway. I was constantly laughing for the first part of this, Cyrus's fascination with the "magic" was just great. As for Claire, I did find her a bit over dramatic at times, but I still really liked her. Talon, on the other hand, I'm super interested in him! I'm desperate for him to get put in the spotlight, and for more character development!

You can definitely read this book without having read For the Crown, but I think I enjoyed this a lot more because I had read it. For the Crown really introduced the world and its customs, so this book didn't have to. I think I would've spent a lot of this book very confused if I hadn't read it. That being said, don't shy away from this because you haven't read it, all of the history is still explained and introduced.

Full of dragons, and action, I'd definitely recommend this book! I'm always looking for fantasy worlds with tons of dragons, and this book definitely fulfilled my wishes!

For the Crown review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3522066319?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Thanks to Meliss Mitchel and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Talon the Black is an epic fantasy about dragon shifters, a trope that I haven’t often seen let alone read, but god did I enjoy this.
The story focuses on Claire, who witnessed a dragon fall from the sky but later finds a man where a dragon should have landed. She is whisked into a world of dragon shifters, sprites, and evil forces at work and away from her home.

This book pleasantly surprised me in the end. I did struggle to get into it at first but by chapter 10 I was hooked, and read the remainder in a day. The different perspectives within the book made the world building so much richer, and allowed me to understand better the world of Dragonwall and its moody King Talon. The characters were well rounded with well thought out backstories supported by the different perspectives and I honestly can not wait to get stuck into book 2 of the series. 5 stars!

The synopsis was very promising I mean dragons, shapshifters and a heroine... count me in!

I liked how it showed the struggels that where going one with different characters. I connected with them very easily and they felt very real to me. I mean somethimes characters are to good or too bad. But in this some showed more of a mix, they made mistakes an have to make up for it.

The only thing that i'm not sure what I feel about it is the extra pov characters. I could not really make out their role in the story directly and at first they felt to be intruding the story. But later on it seemed they showed some extra pare of eyes to help tell the story of Dragonwall.

Over all I loved it and I can't wait to start reading Reyr the Gold.

I was excited to read Talon the Black after finishing Mitchell's For the Crown. Both are set in the same "world" with For the Crown taking place long before the beginning of Talon the Black. I thoroughly enjoyed For the Crown and was excited to read more about the world that Mitchell had created. When beginning Talon the Black, I was a little disappointed because the story started off very slowly. The main character lives in our world when her life is suddenly changed when a dragon falls from the sky. While this is not a bad beginning, the set-up drags for a while. If I hadn't already read For the Crown, I might have been tempted to abandon this book during the first few chapters. Thankfully, I kept going because the story gets increasingly better as the book goes on. I'm glad that I kept reading because I enjoyed this book, and I plan to read the next book in the series as soon as possible.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, I love dragon PNR stories. The world-building is fantastic, I really like the dragon worked, how it all goes from medieval times to today. Lot's of action, dragons, and a good storyline. The world of Dragonwall is one I would love to see. I would recommend the author getting this series done on audio, would love to hear them and experience it all over again, this is my first book by the author and I will be looking forward to reading more.

If ever there was a time where you wanted to curl up with the beverage of your choice and a good, long book. This is the book. What would you do if a hunk of a dragon shifter fell to earth on your farm? Claire finds out and is thrust into a slow building romance with a King. You won't be bothered by the length of the book. Winter is coming. Curl up and fall in love with all of the characters.

I got a feel similar to the talon saga by Julie Kagawa based on the cover art.
You had me at dragon but with such vivid imagery, and a fast paced plot... I'll be reading any sequels!

ARC from NetGalley

4.5 stars

This book was a bit hard for me to get into, mostly because the beginning was a bit stereotypical and comical to me. "What is this strange device? There are small men behind the glass. How did they get in there?" That is not a quote, I am paraphrasing, but it was much like that, and there was more of it, and it was a bit cringey at the time.

That said, the story becomes more complex and interesting. We read from a few different perspectives, and the main story was interesting enough that I started skipping certain chapters because IDGAF about them, which I later regretted. It turns out IDoGAF about them.

I dropped half a star because the ending was so irritating and unfulfilling. Things happen in this book, but there isn't a true climax. The entirety of the book is serving to set up the rest of the series, which I mean of course it has to, but it can do it with a plot and climax of its own. It just kind of petered out with a bunch of hints of what's to come. I don't like saying "are you fucking kidding me?" when I finish a book, and yet here we are. Still, if the next book was out I would buy it immediately, so I suppose the author has done her job.

The first book in a new series is always a wonderful gift. Melissa Mitchell has built a world where dragon shifters are the main residents and given us the beginning of a far reaching cast of characters that all have a thread to be woven through the series. The story begins with a young woman, Claire, rescuing a dragon that has fallen from the sky. He has shifted into his human form and the story is off and running. As an avid reader of fantasy books, Claire now finds herself inside a shifter kingdom, Dragonwall, where she will use every resource to keep this world from ruin at the hands of a sorcerer determined to shape this kingdom to fit his fantasy.
Talon the Black is the king of Dragonwall, facing challenges from all sides, he must decide who he can trust and how he will protect his home and the shifters who depend on him. Talon, along with Claire, are the main characters in this volume, but far from the only interesting "people" who live in Dragonwall. Ms Mitchell has written an excellent example of what readers want in a series, a world and a community that is so well defined, you "see" it, a story line uniquely built around a race of dragons and principle supporting characters and that cast of characters that fit so well into the story line and the fantasy built in the reader's mind. I loved the story and am looking for the second book already. Join Talon and Claire on their journey and you won't regret it.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This is the first book in a series and I could not wait to get my hands on it. There was just something that told me I was going to love this book. I was not disappointed. It was a mix of fantasy and the modern world. Claire is a girl who loves the thought of fantasy is all to real. She save Talon she rescues, but he is no ordinary male he is a dragon shifter. Her mission it to help him save the Kingdom of Dragonwall. The borders have been attacked. It is an epic start to an adventure. I am ready for the second one.

Claire Evans is a small town Indiana gal with a heart for adventure. When a wounded dragon falls from the sky, she runs into a cornfield to rescue it. This isn’t just any dragon, he’s a shifter, one of six royal protectors. Helping him has consequences. She must fulfill an Unbreakable Promise but to do so, she must face Dragonwall’s king. King Talon is not like those before him. Troubled and temperamental, he is scarred by more than the events that shaped him. Worst of all, he is mateless. With no queen and no heir, his subjects are demanding he abandon tradition and marry into nobility. There is a rising threat upon his borders. He will soon have far greater problems than that of finding a wife. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

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!