Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim

Description from NetGalley:

“Last of the Talons is a stunning blend of dark romance and Korean mythology. Sophie Kim writes enemies to lovers with heart-pounding intensity, blurring the line between love and hate. Bloodthirsty, addictive, and searingly romantic.” —Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—the Reaper of Sunpo—is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance. But the order to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple incites not only the wrath of a legendary immortal, but the beginning of an unwinnable game…

Suddenly Lina finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi, her fate in the hands of its cruel and captivating emperor. But she can win her life—if she kills him first.

Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina's swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister...all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass.

Because one way or another, she'll take Rui's heart.

Even if it means giving up her own.

---

My Review:

I am so glad that I was able to read this book as an arc through NetGalley. This book absolutely blew me away. I expected to like it but it exceeded my expectations. The setting was great and I loved the mythology mixed in there. This is definitely a great read for fantasy lovers.

Lina was my absolute favorite. I loved seeing her work her way through her grief and her will to push forward for her sister. I enjoyed her witty banter with Rui. She was an absolute pleasure as a female lead. I also enjoyed seeing pieces of her past. I do wish the transitions were a bit better. I was confused at first until I got used to the flashbacks.

I liked Rui a lot too. He tried to have this cocky persona and maybe that was real, but he never gave me an icky feeling towards the female lead like some male leads do in other enemies to lovers books. I liked seeing how he handled his own grief in a different way from Lina and how they moved to understand each other.

I enjoyed the plot. The idea of this emperor feeling so much pain that he proposes a game with an assassin to kill him was very interesting. I do kind of wish Lina was able to take more action in the game even though there was more going on. It didn't feel too high stakes for me despite her wanting to get back to save her sister.

Overall, I am definitely purchasing a copy for my shelf and definitely recommend it for fantasy lovers and for those that like the enemies-to-lovers trope. I am already super excited to read the next book when it eventually comes out and any other titles by this author.